Chocolate
I'm not particularly fond of cocoa, and I rarely feel at ease in the world of desserts. So when #italianvegantribe announced its Thursday 29 October challenge dedicated to chocolate, you can imagine my reaction: hands in my hair! Oh my god, no!!! I'm not taking part.
Then I remembered an extraordinary tagliatella I tasted two years ago in Milan, during my training at the Joia Academy. A tagliatella made, needless to say, with cocoa. That is how I started a series of experiments, until I got the recipe you see in the photo. Here is how to make it:
Then I remembered an extraordinary tagliatella I tasted two years ago in Milan, during my training at the Joia Academy. A tagliatella made, needless to say, with cocoa. That is how I started a series of experiments, until I got the recipe you see in the photo. Here is how to make it:
Method
Mix the semolina, water and cocoa in a stand mixer until you have a smooth, compact dough. Place it in a covered bowl and let it rest for half an hour.
Meanwhile, wash the baby spinach, dry-toast the hazelnuts and blend them with extra virgin olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, salt, pepper, garlic and nutritional yeast.
After half an hour, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. If it sticks, dust it with a little semolina to dry it and make it less sticky; if it is too dry and hard to work, wet your hands. Roll the sheet up on itself and cut it into strips about 1/2 cm wide, to get lots of tagliatelle. Cook them in salted boiling water for a few minutes, until they float, and dress them with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and the toasted, chopped hazelnuts. Serve the pesto on the side, as in the photo.
If you like, finish the dish with a crunchy Tuscan kale chip (oven preheated to 180°C: brush the kale with oil, bake for 8 minutes and add salt only towards the end).
Meanwhile, wash the baby spinach, dry-toast the hazelnuts and blend them with extra virgin olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, salt, pepper, garlic and nutritional yeast.
After half an hour, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. If it sticks, dust it with a little semolina to dry it and make it less sticky; if it is too dry and hard to work, wet your hands. Roll the sheet up on itself and cut it into strips about 1/2 cm wide, to get lots of tagliatelle. Cook them in salted boiling water for a few minutes, until they float, and dress them with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and the toasted, chopped hazelnuts. Serve the pesto on the side, as in the photo.
If you like, finish the dish with a crunchy Tuscan kale chip (oven preheated to 180°C: brush the kale with oil, bake for 8 minutes and add salt only towards the end).
