Tomato Farfalle with Vodka Sauce
One of the things I love about pasta is just how incredibly versatile it is, it comes in all sorts of different sizes and shapes, you can also layer it for lasagna or fill it for ravioli or tortellini, and it can also come in a variety of colors, something that I will be highlighting today.
Today, I will show you how to make vibrant, naturally colored orange pasta. There are a couple of ways you can do orange pasta, you could do carrot juice or even carrot puree, but considering I just did beetroot pasta I wanted to stay away from root vegetables today, luckily there is another option to help turn my pasta orange, that being tomato paste.
Just the right amount of tomato paste can help create a beautiful orange pasta with a hint of tomato flavor. As for shape and serving, I’ve decided to do some lovely Farfalle, the bowtie shaped pasta that gets its name from the Italian word for butterfly, and since we’re already doing orange pasta I figured it should be paired with an orange sauce, such as a vodka sauce.
But, hey, feel free to shape and serve your pasta however you’d like!
Serves 4
For the Tomato Pasta:
400g (14oz) 00 flour or all purpose flour, plus more for dusting.
4 large eggs
4 tbsp tomato paste
Salt, for the cooking water
For the Vodka Sauce:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 large shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
A pinch of chili flakes
1/2 cup vodka
1 can (15oz) crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh basil, for topping
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for topping
To make the tomato pasta, Dump the flour into a mound on a clean worksurface. Make a well in the middle, then add in the eggs and tomato paste. Using a fork, start beating the eggs and combining them with the tomato paste, the gradually add flour until you get a stiff, workable dough. (See note 1)
Proceed to knead the dough, adding more flour if needed, until it becomes smooth and elastic, should take about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with an inverted bowl, then leave to rest for about 20 minutes.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces, then use a pasta roller or rolling pin to roll the dough into thin, even sheets, starting with the widest setting on the roller and working your way down until the dough starts becoming transparent.
Cut each dough sheet into 1/2-inch strips, then use a fluted ravioli cutter or a knife to cut each strip into 1-inch pieces, or 1x1 1/2-inch rectangles. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch each pasta piece on the longer side to form the classic bowtie shape. (See note 2) Once all of the pasta is cut and shaped, set aside while you make the sauce.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a simmer.
Melt the butter in a wide nonstick pan, then add the shallots, garlic, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until the shallots start to soften, then slowly add the vodka. Bring to a simmer, then cook for about 3 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the tomatoes, bring that to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid thickens.
When the sauce is nearly done, lower the pasta into the simmering water and cook until it floats to the water’s surface, about 2 minutes. Steal a bit of pasta water for the sauce, drain, then add to the sauce along with the heavy cream. Toss to combine and cook for another 30 seconds. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, divide among serving bowls, topping with basil and cheese as you please.
Notes
If you’re short on time, you could dump all of the pasta ingredients into a food processor and blend until combined.
When shaping your farfalle, don’t get hung up if they don’t look identical. The beauty of handmade pasta is it’s imperfection, if you want factory perfection then use boxed pasta!
