The Veggie Purée Method: Naturally Coloring Pasta Dough

This method uses a blended vegetable purée in place of some or all of your dough's liquid — a natural way to work in color while adding a little extra nutrition. It gives a softer, more muted result than powder, and many people (myself included) find the finished dough a touch more flexible for hand-shaping.

Ingredients

• Semolina flour

• Blanched or roasted vegetable of choice (spinach and beetroot are great places to start)

• A splash of water, as needed

Tools

• Food processor

• Dough scraper

• Large wooden working board

• Kitchen scale

How it works

Blend your blanched or roasted vegetable of choice with a splash of water in a food processor until completely smooth. If your processor can't get it fully smooth, straining the purée through a fine mesh sieve helps. Spinach and roasted beetroot are both great places to start.

To build the dough: place 100g of semolina in a heaped mound on your board, create a well in the center, and pour in 50g of your purée. Use a dough scraper to incorporate it the same way you would water — chopping in all directions until no loose semolina remains. Knead as you would any semolina dough, using the heel of your hand to bring it into a smooth ball.

A note on texture

Veggie purée dough behaves a little differently from plain dough. If it feels like it's not coming together easily even after a few minutes of kneading, gradually add a bit more semolina until it does. The finished dough also tends to be a touch more flexible than plain dough, which many people find easier for hand-shaping.

Where to go from here

Once you've got a colored dough you're happy with, it's ready for any shape — hand-shaped semolina pastas, filled pasta, or long cut strands. Veggie purée dough's softer, more flexible texture makes it especially forgiving for hand-shaping beginners.

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