Blushed pink tagliatelle

If someone asks me out for dinner they always start with; “I know this amazing little Italian place that’s so authentic…”

Now, I’m not being funny, and I LOVE going out for dinner – but Italian food for me is the norm (which has now been passed onto my housemates too) and unless this pizza/pasta is utterly spectacular, I’m not going to want to pay through the nose at “Bella Pasta” for some half hearted garlic bread and “spag bol.” (I want to banish whoever started calling it that.)

Tourists come to London constantly and ask me “Where can we go to get authentic British food??” And I always think, “Someone’s house?” I mean, chances are, if you can make a beautiful roast at home then you’re not going to pay £40 for someone else to cook you exactly the same meal.. am I right?

Saying this, I’m always on the lookout for interesting Italian recipes, that can easily be infused with a British idea that you wouldn’t find in your generic, high street chain Italian joint. And this is certainly one of them.

Beetroot, for me, brings back memories of my mum eating it with EVERYTHING. Plus side to beetroot; it tastes great. Downside; It. Stains. Everything… LITERALLY EVERYTHING. My hands, hair, clothes, table and pasta machine were all a wonderful pink colour after making this. God wasn’t messing around when He created this vegetable. It’s like a weapon.

Pulsing the beetroot to make a paste and adding it into pasta dough makes it this gorgeous colour. No need for food colouring, no need for anything fake in fact, and not only does it look beautiful (the pasta goes a gorgeous dusky pink when cooked) but it tastes great too. Cooking the pasta in salt water really makes the flavour come alive.

Sauce wise, I just crushed some olives, pistachios and garlic with some amazing Tuscan olive oil and went from there. Let’s just say the stuff I’d just put in the fridge to “save” came out straight away…

Ingredients Needed:
I went by this fresh pasta recipe

2 medium sized fresh beetroots.
300g plain four
3 eggs
Olive oil
Pistachios
Olives, black and green
Salt

Method

Start by peeling the beetroot with a knife. I love this part because the colour is so spectacular once you cut through the muddy brown exterior. Wonderful. Chop up each one into small-ish chunks and place in a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and roast on a low heat for an hour. If they start to look too coloured, cover with foil.
Once they have softened place them into a blender with a the olive oil from the tray and pulse into a paste. Let this cool.
Next, make the pasta. Place the flour and eggs into a mixer and beat until all combined. Then add about a tablespoon of your beetroot paste at a time until thoroughly mixed in and your dough is turning pink. You may need to add a bit more flour at this point if your dough is too sticky.
Once you have the right consistency, lightly flour your kitchen surface and transfer the dough onto there, kneading it with some flour. Roll into a ball and break off a piece. Put the rest in cling film so it doesn’t dry out.
Roll out the piece of dough and put it through your pasta machine on the thickest setting then, work your way down until you’ve reached the thinnest setting. This is extremely fiddly work. then lay out the pasta sheet and slice into your tagliatelle ribbons.
Next, make your pesto. Crush the pistachios, olives and roasted garlic with some olive oil. Mix until you’re happy with the consistency. When you’re ready to cook your pasta – fill a pan with some salted water and bring to the boil. Add your pasta, and it should take around 2 minutes to cook. Drain, pour the pistachio mix on immediately, and serve.