When I was a kid my grandmother used to make green lasagna. She did this by colouring the pasta with spinach and it was a huge family favourite.
Now you can find industrially produced pasta that comes in a variety of colours and usually the ingredients used to colour the pasta (beets, carrots, zaffron, spinach) don’t have any effect on flavour.
During my Eurochocolate adventure I bought some *chocolate pasta* and have been waiting for an opportunity to experiment with it.
Unfortunately I don’t have a manufacturer’s website to share with you because a lot of smaller companies in Italy still don’t have websites, which can be quite frustrating.
The ingredients are simple: durham wheat semolina, water and cocoa powder, presumably you could recreate this pasta at home – if you make your own fresh pasta that is, just add unsweetened cocoa to the dough.
The result is a lovely chocolate brown coloured pasta but the colouring has no effect on how the pasta tastes.
So how does one dress chocolate pasta?
Instinctively, I didn’t want to use tomato and I played around with the idea of green and yelllow vegetables but in the end I decided to go with a creamy walnut sauce.
The end result was good, not ground breaking but not terrible either. I love the walnut sauce, that is definitely a keeper but the chocolate pasta wasn’t mind blowing.
One of those experiences that you can at least say *I’ve had chocolate pasta*.
Ingredients:
250 gr chocolate bowties
100 gr walnuts
75 gr ricotta
200 gr whipping cream
50 gr grated parimigiano
knob of butter
clove of garlic
chopped parsley
Cook your pasta al dente in boiling, salted water. Try to time it so that the pasta will be ready to drain just as the sauce is finishing up.
Crush the walnuts, or give them a whir in the food processor, in any case work them to achieve the texture you prefer. I like to have larger pieces in the sauce.
In a large pan, melt the butter and heat the garlic clove before adding the crushed walnuts, ricotta and parmigiano.
Combine the ingredients well over low heat. Once combined, add the whipping cream.
Stir the cream until all the ingredients are mixed in well. Toss the drained pasta in the cream sauce, add some parsley and garnish with a couple of walnut halves.
This cream sauce does not sit around well, so serve immediately!
Let me know if you try the sauce and if you come across any chocolate pasta!
9 responses so far ↓
truenorth67 // January 20, 2009 at 11:51 am |
This is unusual…no doubt but I’m intrigued and gonna look for this on St. Clair West.
Gotta try everything once, right?
Absolutely, let me know if you find any.
Melissa // January 20, 2009 at 8:21 pm |
At least you tried it!
Nice job with the sauce. Not something I think I would have come up with (i.e., you’re more creative than I am!), though I probably wouldn’t have done a tomato based one either.
No! I’m not more creative, I’ve just eaten a walnut cream sauce before and thought it would go nicely with this pasta. I threw in the ricotta because it was in the fridge and desperately needed to be used up!!!
Erin // January 23, 2009 at 8:35 pm |
Now that is something I’ve never heard of but sounds really interesting. I think I might have been too scared to try it.
I think it is one of those things that you would pull out as a novelty at a dinner party or something. It was a neat experiment.
nyc/caribbean ragazza // January 27, 2009 at 9:01 am |
chocolate pasta? very interesting. I will be on the lookout for it.
Interesting as a gimic, fun to serve but I won’t be on the look out for it.
milanese masala // January 27, 2009 at 10:57 am |
Brava! You made your own salsa di noci! It seems like it would work well on chocolate pasta. Now I have to go and buy me a mortar and pestle.
Ikea baby!
thepomegranateblog // January 29, 2009 at 3:36 am |
Oh my you are so adventurous! You sound more pleased then with the little tarts you made with that special flour though! xxxxx
HA! You’re right I did like this better than those horrible tarts! Which reminds me … I have to try that filling again!
Marie // January 29, 2009 at 5:29 am |
Very decadent! I would love to try it. Great for Valentines day!
You’re right, chocolate pasta would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, especially if it were heart shaped!
Courtney // February 1, 2009 at 8:49 pm |
I have to find this. If I cant find it Im going to try to to make it from scrarch. How brilliant.
Remember to use unsweetened cocao powder!
Rebecca Perry // May 28, 2009 at 4:18 pm |
I just purchased some Cocoa Pasta in venice italy.
I am going to try it with a sauce of Gorgonzola- walnuts and pears. Will let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for visiting Rebecca. Please do let me know, what a great flavour combination, I’m looking forward to hearing about it!