Beet Pasta

 

Red beet pasta is one of those things that Justin has been wanting to try ever since we first bought the pasta cookbook that has inspired so much of our experimental cooking this year.  I was dubious at first- never actually having tried beets before, I wasn't sure what would go well with it- but Justin won me over, and I was glad that he did.  These noodles turned out to be really tasty.

Ingredients:

1 medium red beet

1 Tbsp vinegar

Pinch of salt

2 large eggs

10 oz all purpose flour

(You only need 2 oz, or 1/4 cup worth of the beet once it's cooked- if you want to use more than 1/4 cup of beet, increase the flour/eggs accordingly.  Also, a drained can of cooked beets will work for this too, though the recipe book says you won't get as bright of a color.)

Cut the greens off the top of the beet, then place it in a medium pot with a lid and add enough water to cover by about 2 inches.  Add the vinegar and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer covered, for about 45 minutes, or until beet is tender when pierced with a fork.  Cool, then rub off the skin.  Chop up 1/4 cup (about 2 oz) of the beet and place it in a food processor with the eggs.  Process until finely ground and only small pieces of beet remain)

Put the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center to form a "volcano."  Pour the beet and egg mixture into the center of the volcano and then beat together, slowly mixing more and more flour in from the edges until it forms a dough ball.  Add more water if needed, 1 Tbsp at a time, continuing to knead by hand until all the flour is incorporated into the dough ball, and it is soft, but doesn't stick to your fingers.  Knead for 5 minutes or so by hand until the dough is cohesive and moderately smooth. 

Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Then, either send through a pasta machine, or knead for another 10 minutes or so, until the dough is completely smooth and elastic, and roll out with a rolling pin until desired consistency, and cut into noodles.

The artisan pasta cookbook recommends serving this pasta with a strong cheese sauce.  Alfredo sauce works really well with the subtle beet flavor as well.