Black ink fettuccine

Or “The Pirates’ Pasta”, as my 6yo calls it.
The 4yo calls it “The Really Really Ugly Pasta, And Why On Earth Did You Have To Make It??”.
What’s in a name?


Black ink pasta is something I love to do for special occasions, but until this time I never tried to complement it with something more than a simple oil and lemon dressing.
But this is the time to look for something different and nice to portray, and in this spring-y air that brings ideas and inspiration, I’m taking advantage of living in a diversified region that has both harsh mountains and rich sea, and where you can find mature cheese, artisan cured meats and fresh seafood at the same farmers’ market.
Today is the time for fresh seafood.


While my husband went to the market to look for the perfect octopus, I stayed at home to make black ink pasta, which can be found ready made in Italian food stores, but I like to make it for myself when I can.




3 beaten eggs

Plus black ink

Equals black beaten eggs (actually they are on the greenish side because my yolks were deep orange).

Black beaten eggs plus two cups semolina flour (which gives a more “rustic” texture than AP flour) make…

SCREAM!!!







Semolina flour is also harder to knead than soft wheat flour, but thanks to the science of stand mixer that’s not my problem any more.

When it comes to octopus, they say you should cook it really fast or really slow, if you don’t want to have a gummy meal.
This time I went with *really fast*, sautéing it for 4-5 minutes in hot extra-virgin olive oil, a bunch of halved cherry tomatoes and paper-thin lemon slices.
If I had it at hand, I would have gladly given it a splash of vodka, at least for adult portions.

Lemon and sage just go so well together, that a sprinkle of freshly minced sage was an appropriate final touch.






Now that I look at it, it looks more like a Lego pasta, but apparently Pirates won.