4/25/2016

Saffron Tagliatelle with Ratatouille Reprise

I'm the sort of weird individual who has fun making something like noodles.  Truthfully, I found myself humming a tune and saying under my breath, this is FUN!  Really.  And it was. Especially hanging them up on coat-hangers from a cupboard hinge.


Again with a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, from Plenty.  My choice for this week's potluck chef theme at IHCC, but of course.  Have I mentioned already how absolutely inspiring that man is? He served it up (in the book) with spiced butter, however having stated earlier that Ratatouille is lovely the next day, I thought, how perfect to toss with the tagliatelle.  I was going to call this post "Pricey Pasta" as the recipe calls for an entire  2 teaspoons of saffron, though I did cut the whole thing in half for the two of us.  Less to roll out, even more enjoyable.  You can find the recipe here also.



On the subject of pasta, I had some delicious Mac 'n Cheese the other day at a little bistro called Moon and Turtle.  Don't ask why.  A bit reminiscent of that mystery series titled with strange English pub names, by Martha Grimes.  But we digress.  This dish was not based on macaroni noodles, but spätzle.  So, a German, Pacific Rim, nouvelle Mac 'n Cheese??  To die for.


The crunchy vegetables, carrot, green bean, corn, etc. made it just perfect with the contrast of melty cheese and smooth, tender pasta., topped with toasty bread crumbs.   This chef made the knöpfle type spätzle, which are roundish little nuggets.   Look for my version of something using spätzle, in the near future. Very near.  Do you think we really need a spatzle maker?  Maybe like a hole in the head.  Nevertheless......

If you haven't visited Beth Fish Reads, you should.  Lots of good books reviewed, and recipes to try, even including some of mine. Will share this on the week-end for her Weekend Cooking meme, as well as at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC).

20 comments:

Vicki said...

Yum! It looks really good. So does the mac & cheese!

Deb in Hawaii said...

I am always super impressed with anyone who makes their own pasta! I think I am too lazy for the 'fun' part to come through--even with a half batch--although the hanging part is admittedly pretty darn fun to look at. This looks amazing--love saffron, those spendy little critters ;-) and Ottolenghi is indeed an inspiration.

kitchen flavours said...

Delicious plate of pasta! All the ingredients sounds good, and I am impressed that you've made your own pasta!

flour.ish.en said...

I am a huge fan of Ottolenghi and his well-composed cookbooks. Making pasta is an ultimate act, not "weird" in my book. This is too good!

Nan said...

I keep thinking I should make my own pasta. It is a staple at my house, and I have a lot of different kinds on the shelf.

jama said...

Oh my, that homemade tagliatelle! Yum! Love that you enjoy making noodles and like to dry them on hangers :). You're a slippery noodles lady!
The mac and cheese looks yummy too. I'm drooling.

Carole said...

I sometimes find saffron a bit strong - but a hint of it in pasta gives great colour. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

Katherine P said...

Yum! I need to try making pasta again. I attempted it a little while ago but I was really rushed and had lots of interruptions so it definitely wasn't fun and it didn't turn out very well. I think if I planned it a little better I would enjoy it very much. I'll definitely have to give this a try!

Beth F said...

I have a pasta roller and cutter -- but use my roller to make crackers. You'd think I would try making pasta, wouldn't you? You may have inspired me.

Tina said...

I have made my own pasta once. Believe it or not, it was after my son showed me how. He made some pasta when he was in the army and found it fun so he showed me. Looking forward to your next pasta dish!

ostwestwind said...

Pasta always works, discussing Knöpfle or Spätzle with a Swabian is difficult ;-) I own both a Knöpfle maker and a Spätzle scraper, glad I am from Northern Germany

Mae Travels said...

That looks great. Yes, you need a spaetzel maker. They also make good mashed potatoes, just the right amount of lumpiness.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Zosia said...

That's a beautiful dish of pasta. Ratatouille does make an excellent pasta sauce and sounds incredible with the saffron noodles.

Kim said...

A beautiful and inspiring dish of pasta you have shared! Kudos to you for making your own pasta. I love seeing all the bits of saffron running throughout the pasta. This is a dish that screams "special" and is a beautiful way to treat yourself and anyone you serve it to:)

So happy to have you over at IHCC for this round!

Couscous & Consciousness said...

I love making pasta, and Ottolenghi's version with the spiced butter is absolutely delicious - I highly recommend you give it a try at some stage. Ratatouille is undoubtedly great the next day though, and I think pairing it up with your pasta was a great idea.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I love making my own pasta! Haven't tried it with saffron though.

In my family we make spatzle cut off a board with a wet knife. I haven't *quite* got the technique though!

Joyce Rachel Lee said...

I admire people who make their own pasta. I don't know if I can do it! :D

Claudia said...

Trust me, it's really easy!

Diane Zwang said...

One of these days I will get around to trying my own pasta. This looks like a delicious dish. I love Ottolenghi too.

Sunny said...

I love the way the pasta looks when it's drying. Pricy pasta is so pretty. Not as fun to say as Mulligatawny soup though. Mulligatawny,Mulligatawny...