It was the last evening that Rose and I spent together. I had promised to make something for our dinner that I was sure she would never have experienced before …

Simon Rimmer‘s recipe sounds innocuous enough. It’s simply called Tagliatelle with Beetroot and can be found on page 123 of  his cookbook, Rebel Cook. However, as Simon writes,

Any dish that looks like Barbie made it and tastes as fantastic as this has to be tried. What you’ll get is a spicy, vibrant and yes, pink but scrummy pasta, with a wicked kick. Bring it on!

(which is also why it’s known as Barbie Pasta in our household).

Rose emailed me recently to ask for the recipe – so this blog post is entirely Rose’s fault 😉

I have to tell you, Rose is a super-speedy pasta roller. Seriously, Tommy Zoom has nothing on this. Just look at that pasta whizz!

Okay – only kidding. But I’m not joking about this recipe. It really is truly pink. And it really is truly scrummy.

Barbie Pasta (adapted from The Rebel Cook)

2 shallots
1 garlic clove, crushed
125ml/4fl oz white wine
225ml/7 1/2fl oz chicken stock
8 fresh beetroot, cooked and diced (not the pickled-in-vinegar sort)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
250ml/8fl oz sour cream
1 tbsp horseradish cream
400g/13oz cooked fresh tagliatelle
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fry the shallots and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the wine. Bring to the boil and reduce by two-thirds.

Add the chicken stock and bring back to the boil. Reduce by about half.

Stir in the diced beetroots, cinnamon and sour cream. Reduce until the sauce is thick.

Fold in the horseradish cream (Simon Rimmer also adds dill here).

Stir in the pasta and serve immediately with grated Parmesan.