An empty fridge greeted me in my sudden panic over what on earth we were going to have for dinner. And then I saw it, my beetroot pasta from the other day, sitting there drying. Perfect. Butter - check. Brown onion - check. Bacon - check. Red wine - check... and pour a glass, a large one! Cream - check. Frozen peas - check. And parsley - check. A bit of salt and a bit of pepper. Quickly cook the pasta. Throw it all together and wham, bam! Instant dinner. Delicious!
Having a fussy 2 year old makes you have to be a bit inventive when deciding on meals. I find though that if you can make food fun, it makes it a whole lot easier! So Gracie was lucky enough to be made some pretty pink pasta. The colour comes from the addition of some cooked beetroot to the usual ingredients of '00' flour and egg, and the final taste was surprisingly similar to regular pasta!
Beetroot Pasta - serves 3-4
Ingredients
75g cooked beetroot
1 large egg
200g tipo '00' pasta flour
Method
1. Process beetroot until you have a paste. Add egg and process until a smooth puree is formed.
2. Add flour to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add puree and gradually incorporate flour with a fork until ingredients are roughly mixed. Use hands (you might like to wear a pair of disposable gloves to avoid pink staining) to bring ingredients together into a ball. Turn out onto a work surface and knead for approximately 5 minutes or until ingredients are well combined, dough is smooth and the consistency of play dough. If dough is too tacky and sticking to your hands, gradually add a little more flour. If for some reason your dough is dry, wet your fingertips with a little water and continue kneading. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cut dough into 4 pieces and one at a time, keeping the rest of the dough covered, roll the dough through a pasta machine, dusting with flour as you go to prevent sticking. Move from widest setting to thinnest, or your desired thickness, and finally cut to a shape of your choice.
4. To cook immediately; bring a saucepan of well salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook to your liking. It should only take a matter of seconds if the pasta is fresh, so test after 10 seconds and go from there. Serve with a sauce of your choice.
5. To dry; hang pasta over cleaned and floured coat hangers and hang in a clean, dry spot until pasta feels dry and snaps easily when bent. Store in an airtight container. To cook, bring a saucepan of well salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook to your liking. I would test after about 45 seconds and then go from there. It will take slightly longer than fresh pasta, but still no where near as long as the mass manufactured supermarket pasta.
Enjoy! I would love to hear what kind of sauce people would put with it. I was thinking something slightly sweet to compliment the earthy undertones of the beetroot. Perhaps sweat off some onions in butter with a smidge of garlic, add some pancetta or bacon and peas and finish off with some cream? I'll report back!
