Fresh Beet Pasta Dough Food

FRESH BEET PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets with oil and a large pinch of salt. Wrap tightly in a parchment-lined piece of foil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool. Rub beets with paper towels to remove skins. Puree in a food processor (you should have 1/2 cup puree).
• Add eggs and yolk to puree in food processor, and process until combined. Add flour and 1 heaping teaspoon salt, and process until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds.
• Transfer dough to a well-floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding up to 2 tablespoons flour if dough is sticky. Place on a piece of parchment and cover with an inverted bowl, or wrap tightly in plastic; let rest for 1 to 2 hours.
• Cut dough into 8 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep the remaining pieces covered with the inverted bowl), flatten dough into an oblong shape slightly thinner than the pasta machine's widest setting (number 1). Dust dough very lightly with flour, and feed through machine. Fold lengthwise into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat twice on same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity.
• Turn the dial to next narrower setting. Pass dough through twice, gently supporting it with your palm. Continue to press dough, passing it through ever-finer settings, two passes on each setting, until sheet is almost translucent and very thin but still intact (number 5 of 8 on a KitchenAid pasta roller). The dough will stretch to about 16 inches long. If dough bubbles or tears, pass it through again, and dust with flour if the dough is sticking.
• For farfalle, lasagna squares, or ravioli: Place rolled sheet on a lightly floured surface, and cut into desired shape, using a dry brush to dust flour off if needed. Cook according to corresponding recipe. For ribbon pastas: Place dough on a drying rack until slightly tacky, 10 to 15 minutes, and then cut into strands using a pasta machine, cutting attachment, or by hand. Drape over rack until strands are semidry and don't stick together, about 20 minutes. Cook immediately, or lay in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

HOW TO MAKE BEET PASTA (PINK PASTA RECIPE)

Steps:

• If you bought beetroot juice, then skip this step. Otherwise, chop the beetroot into small enough pieces to fit your juicer chute and juice it.
• Add the flour to your clean working surface, create a well in the center, and then add the beet juice and oil to the center of the well.Make sure not to do this on a surface that stains easily, as beetroot juice can (and will) stain! Alternatively, you can mix the ingredients in a bowl.
• Use a fork or small spatula to mix from the center outwards, incorporating the ingredients into a 'shaggy' dough.
• Use your hands to knead the dough until smooth. This will take around 10 minutes.You could alternatively do this process in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Start on the lowest setting and increase once it reaches shaggy dough. Mix until the dough is smooth ad supple.
• If the pink pasta dough is a little too wet (i.e., it sticks to your hand a lot), then add a little more flour (just a tsp at a time). Then knead until smooth.It's okay if it's slightly 'tacky', though, as the juice will take some time to absorb into the dough properly. However, if it's still a little sticky after resting (next step), then you'll need to add a little more flour.
• Wrap the pink pasta dough in plastic wrap tightly and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator. During this time, the gluten will relax - ready for when you roll and shape the dough. If it isn't ready, then the dough will spring back into shape.
• Once the beet pasta dough is rested, it's time to divide it into more manageable pieces. I tend to separate mine into four pieces. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough ball into rough quarters.Working on one section at a time, cover the remaining pieces with clingfilm to stop them from drying out.
• Roll out the pasta dough. You can do this by hand or using a pasta machine. If you want to make pasta shapes like penne or spaghetti noodles, you can even skip the rolling altogether and use a pasta extruder.
• Dust the surface with semolina or flour and then. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to around 2-3mm. If the dough starts to stick to the rolling pin, dust the dough's surface with more semolina/flour.
• Once rolled out, sprinkle the beet pasta with a little more semolina/flour and then cut to your desired shape; lasagna sheets, bows, ravioli, or noodles like fettuccine, ribbons, pappardelle, etc.
• To hand cut the noodles, loosely roll the pasta dough, trim the ends, and then use a sharp knife to chop the noodles to your desired width. Once cut, toss with a little more flour/semolina, so the noodles don't stick together.Store any cut pasta under a clean kitchen towel and repeat this step with the remaining dough portions.
• Using one section of the beetroot pasta dough at a time, flatten it just enough to fit the widest setting of your pasta machine - sprinkle generously with semolina/flour.
• Feed the beet dough through the machine, fold it like a letter, and re-feed it through the machine a further three times.
• Continue to feed the dough through the machine, working your way through the settings one at a time until you reach the desired dough thickness. Make sure to sprinkle the dough with flour/semolina well, to stop it from sticking to the machine.
• Once the beet pasta dough is rolled out, you can use your pasta machine attachments (such as beet spaghetti/noodles) or cut the shapes by hand. Then repeat with the remaining dough.
• After you've rolled and shaped all the dough, you can either cook the beet pasta immediately or dry it to store for later (read below).To cook the beet pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then carefully add the beetroot pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. This may take slightly less/longer based on how thick the pasta is and for ravioli.If you're cooking the pasta from frozen or dried, you'll need to add an extra 1-3 minutes. Once ready, drain and serve with the sauce of your choice! This time, I used homemade pesto. Herby butter and sauces with cheese also work particularly well with beet pasta.
• To dry: to dry the pink noodles, you can form them into nests and dry them either in a dehydrator or at room temperature for several hours (or longer, depending on the humidity and temperature). They are ready when the pasta 'snaps' rather than bends. Once dry, you can store it for several months in an airtight container.Fridge: store the pasta in an airtight container, sprinkled with lots of flour to avoid sticking, and use it within two days. The sooner, the better!Freeze: you can freeze the pasta all together or form it into "nests"/individual portions (my preferred choice). Make sure to sprinkle with extra flour. If you form into nests, then allow them to freeze on a tray before storing them in an airtight container for 2-3 months. You can freeze dry pasta for up to 6 months.

FRESH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides.
• Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape.
• With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour.
• Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out.
• Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface.
• If using a pasta machine: Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta.
• With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting.
• If rolling the pasta by hand: Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• Flavor and color variations:
• Cook's Note: All color additions should be added to eggs before incorporating into the flour. Keep in mind that you will need to add a little bit of flour to your basic pasta recipe to compensate for the additional liquid added
• Spinach Pasta Dough (green hue): Blanch 8 ounces (about 3 cups) spinach leaves. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Press the spinach puree through a small strainer or chinois, removing the liquid before mixing with the eggs. Add 3 tablespoons spinach puree to the eggs before mixing. If the dough feels too sticky, add additional flour until a soft, silky dough is achieved.
• Tomato Pasta Dough (orange hue): Add 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste to the eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Beet Pasta Dough (pinkish-red hue): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roast 1 large beet in aluminum foil, about 45 minutes, or until tender. Peel the beet and puree in a food processor. Add the beet puree (about 4 tablespoons) to eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Herb Pasta Dough (speckled): Mince 1/2 cup fresh herbs and add to eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Squid Ink Pasta Dough (black hue): Add 1 tablespoon squid ink to the eggs before incorporating into the flour.

ROASTED BEET PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss beets with oil and salt to coat.
• Place on lined baking sheet and place in 400 degree oven for 1 hour.
• Remove and allow to cool (about 20 minutes).
• Peel beets under running water and cut into 1/4 inch dice.
• Then puree in food processor.
• To make pasta: Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs, beet puree and any other flavorings you choose.
• Using a fork, beat together the eggs, oil and flavorings and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well.
• As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape.
• Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy.
• The dough will come together when 1/2 of the flour is incorporated.
• Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands primarily.
• Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over crusty bits.
• Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes.
• The dough should be elastic and a little sticky.
• Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
• Roll out to four 7 inch by 16 inch sheets and cut in whatever shape you wish.