Khorasan beetroot tagliatelle with flower sprouts, garlic and cream

Method

• step 1

  Blitz the beetroot to a smooth purée in a food processor. Tip in the flour, add the eggs and a big pinch of salt and pepper and process until the dough comes together in a smooth, fairly stiff ball of dough, adding a little more flour if the dough seems sticky. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

• step 2

  The easiest way to roll pasta, by far, is with a pasta machine but you can also shape your dough with a rolling pin and plenty of elbow grease.

• step 3

  Cut the dough into quarters and feed a quarter though the rollers of the machine on its widest setting. Repeat this 5 or 6 times, until the dough feels flexible and is staying together as a smooth sheet.

• step 4

  Start to reduce the roller width each time you pass the pasta through the machine, again adding more flour if you think it needs it. I tend to stop rolling thinner on the second to last setting so it’s not too thin and unworkable. Once you have the large sheet, give it a thorough dusting with more flour before sending it through the ribbon cutter on the machine, to stop them sticking together.

• step 5

  Take the pasta ribbons and lay them in a pile on a baking sheet. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the rest of the dough until you have 4 well-dusted piles of tagliatelle. At this point you can chill the pasta for a few hours until you are ready to eat.

• step 6

  Bring a pan of salted water to the boil over a medium heat and blanch the flower sprouts for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse really well under cold running water to stop them cooking any further.

• step 7

  Add 2 tsp of olive oil to a large frying pan, put over a really low heat and add the garlic and anchovies. Stir fry gently for a couple of minutes until the garlic is soft and the anchovies are melting. Turn up the heat a little, pour in the cream and add the lemon juice, parmesan, basil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper and bring up to a simmer. Toss through the flower sprouts and allow to heat through. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.

• step 8

  Bring another large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta, teasing the tagliatelle apart with a couple of forks to separate the strands as it cooks. Cook for 3 minutes until al dente, then drain, reserving some of the cooking water and return to the pan. Pour over the sauce, add 2-3 tbsp of the pasta cooking water and toss gently to mix.

• step 9

  Sprinkle over the chopped walnuts and the extra parmesan shavings to serve.