why it works
- Using a high ratio of egg yolks to egg whites ensures delicate, rich noodles with classic Italian flavor and texture.
- The addition of boiled and mashed beetroot gives the pasta a bright pink colour.
- Hand kneading provides optimum control over the quality of the flour.
Winter can be a dark and dreary time. To add a pop of color to your dinner, consider boiling and pureeing beets and adding them to fresh egg pasta dough. The resulting pasta has a neutral flavor; Use it like regular pasta and mix it with your favorite sauce. If you want the flavor of your pasta to be more pronounced, marinate raw beets in olive oil, salt and pepper, wrap them in foil with fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, then roast them in the oven at 375ºF (190ºC ) fry on. Cook until they are soft, about an hour. Once they have cooled, you can peel and puree them using a food processor, and proceed with step two of the recipe below. The pasta will be completely pink, but the roasted beets will give it an earthy color.
April 2015
This beautiful pink pasta has a secret ingredient
cook mode
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For Beetroot Puree:
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2 small beet (About 7 ounce), washed and cut
For the dough:
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10 ounce all purpose flour ,283Yes, 2 1/4 cup,
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5 yolk from 5 Big eggs
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1 Big Egg
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4 tablespoons Beetroot Puree (see notes)
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1 small spoon diamond crystal kosher saltPlus much more for brine; For table salt, use half the recommended amount
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Boil water in a vessel. Add the washed and trimmed beets and cook until easily pierced with a fork, about 40 to 45 minutes. Filter and let it cool. Peel the beetroot and puree it in a hand-blender or food processor until smooth.
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To make the dough: On a large, clean work surface, pour dough into a mound. Make a well in the center about 4 inches wide. Add whole egg, egg yolk, beetroot puree and salt to it and beat well with the help of a fork. Once mixed, gradually add the flour to the eggs until a wet, sticky dough forms.
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Using a bench knife, scrape off excess flour from fork and fingers. Begin adding additional flour to the dough with a bench knife, turning the dough about 45 degrees each time, until the dough is firm and dry, and forms a crumbly-looking ball, 2 to 5 minutes.
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Press the heel of your hand into the ball of dough, pushing forward and down. Rotate the ball 45 degrees and repeat. Continue this until the dough develops a smooth, elastic texture similar to a hard ball of Play-Doh. If the dough seems too wet then add 1 teaspoon flour. If the dough seems too dry, add water gradually using a spray bottle.
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Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest on the countertop for 30 minutes.
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To roll the pasta: Meanwhile, place a sheet of parchment paper on a tray or cutting board and lightly dust it with flour. Open out the remaining dough and cut it into four pieces. Place one-fourth of the dough on a work surface and fold the remaining dough again. With the help of a rolling pin, flatten the quarter dough into a rectangular shape about 1/2 inch thick.
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Set the pasta maker to the widest setting and press the dough through the machine 3 times on this setting.
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Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Fold both ends so they meet in the center of the dough, and then fold the dough in half where the end points meet, trying not to get too much air in the folds. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Pass through the rollers 3 additional times.
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Limit setting to 1 notch and repeat step 8. Repeat once more (the dough should now go through the third-widest setting). Continue passing the dough through the rollers, decreasing the thickness by 1 setting each time until it reaches the desired thickness. It should now be very delicate and elastic to the touch and slightly translucent.
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Place rolled dough on a work surface or baking sheet lightly sprinkled with flour or covered with parchment paper, folding dough as needed to fit; Sprinkle flour or line parchment between the folds to prevent sticking.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out, then repeat steps 6 through 10 with the remaining dough quarters. If making noodles, cut the dough into 12 to 14-inch pieces.
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To cut the noodles: Adjust the pasta machine to your preferred noodle setting. Working with one piece of dough at a time, feed the dough through the pasta-cutter. Alternatively, cut the folded dough by hand with a chef’s knife to desired noodle width.
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Divide the cut noodles into portions, lightly dust with flour and form a nest. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover gently with a kitchen towel until ready to cook. The pasta can be frozen directly on a baking sheet, transferred to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and stored in the freezer for up to three weeks before cooking. Cook frozen pasta straight from the freezer.
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cooking: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir gently with a wooden spoon, chopsticks or cooking fork and cook, basting at regular intervals, until the noodles are set with a firm bite, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Strain, add sauce and serve.
special equipment
pasta machine, bench knife, rolling pin
notes
For more pronounced flavored pasta with the same vibrant color, sauté raw beets in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap them in foil with rosemary or thyme, and then roast them in the oven at 375°F until soft (about an hour). You can also add a small amount of lemon juice or zest, spices, garlic, or even cheese to the dough for a more layered flavor.