How to make black pasta yourself
You can easily buy ready-made black pasta in the supermarket, but of course it’s much more fun and delicious to make it yourself. How? With squid ink.
Susie Theodorou: ‘I have used dried black pasta from the shop before, but that turned into a major disappointment. One of my fondest culinary memories is the squid-ink-coloured pici I once ate in Italy, served only with black pepper, lemon and salty pecorino. The pici tasted strongly of the sea. It’s worth making your own black pasta with real squid ink. You can buy it in jars or sachets, often more readily at a delicatessen than at a fishmonger’s. There are inexpensive brands, but the more expensive ones have more flavour.’
How to make it
- In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flour with the salt. Add the oil and stir to form a slightly crumbly mixture. In a bowl, whisk together the squid ink, egg and egg yolk, add this to the flour and mix everything into a rough dough.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes using a dough hook, until smooth and springy when gently pressed with your finger. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- If you want to do everything by hand, mix the salt into the flour, place the mixture on a clean, dry work surface and make a well in the centre. Whisk together the oil, ink, egg and egg yolk, gradually pour this mixture into the well and use your fingertips to bring dry flour into the wet mixture until you have a rough dough. Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough is six pieces and keep the other pieces covered while working with one portion. Shape it into the pasta shapes of your choice, such as pici or pappardelle.
Recipe with black pasta
Okay, so now you have homemade, fresh squid-ink pasta. But what do you do with it next? How about this recipe for black pasta with stir-fried squid and rocket?
Title: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Author: Susie Theodorou
Price: €20.00
Publisher: Spectrum
Also read:
