Chocolate Pasta with Warm and Spicy Strawberry Sauce
I Thought that I would share with you, some of my heritage. My nonna would never forgive me if I didn’t, she’s been my biggest mentor before and after I went to Culinary Institute of America and became a chef. She even made me promise years before her passing, to never forget who I am and always be proud.
Chocolate Pasta has got to be the most decadent of all homemade pasta recipes. Anyone knows that when a chocolate attack calls you MUST answer and I couldn’t think of a better way to appease both of my additions then to make a chocolate flavored pasta.
But Chocolate is no stranger to Italians where in Perugia, Umbria the Italians have a 10 day festival dedicated to all things chocolate and not just chocolate flavored pasta.
Chocolate ice cream Chocolate lipstick Chocolate cheeses Chocolate Wine
There is even a contest for the best chocolate hair style.
Here we are going to use our pasta to make a desert pasta listed below after the recipe. I used fresh strawberries seasoned with crushed red peppers for just the perfect amount of heat, cooled to perfection with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Let’s get started!
1½ cups of all purpose flour, plus extra.
¼ cup of semolina flour, sifted (You can increase the all purpose flour if you don’t have semolina flour)
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cube of bakers chocolate
2-3 Tbsp of water
2 Tbsp of sugar if you want it sweet. I did not add it.
1 lb of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of white wine
2 tbsp of crushed red pepper
2 tbsp of butter
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp of sugar for the whipping cream
I heated the bakers chocolate in a double broiler. It’s simple. Take a sauce pan and bring about an 1 inch of water to a boil. Place a pyrex or heat safe bowl or glass in the center of the pan and let the chocolate melt.
Stir in a little bit of water to thin out the consistency to a pasty texture.
Place the blended flours in the middle of a large cutting board. Create a well in the center of the pile of blended flour. Pour the chocolate mixture along with the eggs, salt and sugar, if you’re using it, in the center of the pile of flour and mix with a fork until it has a paste like consistancy
Knead the dough for at least 15 minutes or until the dough is relaxed. Use a pasta machine to roll and cut the pasta into a fettucini pasta shape
For the whipped cream: Pour the whipping cream into a food processor with the 2 tbsp of sugar and whip until thick. It doesn’t take long. Scrap into a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes
Boil water in a semi large pot and add the homemade chocolate pasta fettucini. When it floats to the top of the water it’s ready. Drain, rinse in cold water to retain color and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
Wash and slice the strawberries and dry.
Melt the butter on medium heat in a saute pan and add the strawberries. These cook quickly so you can add the sugar and the crushed red pepper and splash with the white wine in right away. The sugar will thicken the sauce.
Place a small portion of chocolate pasta into a serving dish and pour the spicy, warm strawberry sauce over the pasta. Dollop with the fresh whipped cream and decorate with a fresh mint sprig.
Chef Hank's Notes 