It is fairly customary to have a “special” dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day…. whether that’s a romantic date at a restaurant, a home cooked meal, or an anti-valentine feast with friends. So, this week, I’m taking a break from all of the Valentine sweets, and turning my attention to the dinner…. a Gothic Valentine Bloody Heart Pasta Dinner, that is.
I became slightly obsessed with those bleeding hearts that I made to accompany last week’s Tell Tale Heart Cake. I seriously just want to make a batch of them every week… if for no other reason than to marvel at a tray of them in all of their grotesque glory. It should come as no surprise that I found yet another way to bring some bloody hearts into my life!
I recently discovered a bag of this heart shaped pasta while shopping at Homegoods. I rarely find red pasta, so I was excited to try it. Of course, I’m not exactly one to serve hearts for dinner, but if I had to… you know I am going to goth them up a bit!
First… lets talk about the pasta. These pasta hearts were not as deep of a red as I may have liked, so I tested a few to see what happened after they were boiled. Upon cooking, I’m sad to say they lost most of their red color. If I had planned on serving these simply drizzled in olive oil, they may have looked pink enough to pass for a cheesy Valentine meal… but obviously that does not help me. I wanted deep, blood red.
Luckily, I’m no stranger to creating my own red pasta. There’s a very simple trick… beets! Well, technically beet juice. You can usually find it in the health section, or the juice aisle of grocery stores. The amazing thing about beets is their deep red color. Try cooking one, and you’ll undoubtedly dye everything in sight red.
Instead of boiling your pasta in water, boil it in beet juice. The pasta will transform instantly before your eyes! Here’s the other good news… you don’t have to find red pasta in order to get the red color. I know heart shaped pasta is everywhere this time of year, but if you’re not lucky enough to find the red version… no worries, buy whatever heart pasta you can find…. the beet juice works it’s magic on any pasta!
I will warn you that cooking pasta in beet juice will add a slight beet flavor to the pasta. I love beets so this is no big deal for me. I think it gives the pasta almost a sweetness. I have to keep myself from eating it as I cook it! Not only does the pasta taste delicious, but it looks amazing… a bowl full of bloody hearts.. what more could you ask for!? These bloody little hearts surpassed my expectations! Whether it’s taste or simply presentation that you’re going for, this pasta really could almost get away with being served as is… maybe tossed with some melted butter and Parmesan cheese at most.
I was obviously thrilled with my bowl of hearts, but before I had seen the final result, my original plan was to serve them with a black cheese sauce. Decisions, decisions… leave the hearts simple or go one goth-y step further?? Yeah.. I went further.
I used my mom’s mac & cheese recipe to make the sauce, added activated charcoal to give its black color, and served it atop the pasta. While mac & cheese is traditionally mixed thoroughly… I highly recommend serving the sauce over a bed of pasta for the most Gothic impact. Once it’s mixed together, I find it loses it’s glamorous appeal! Your friends or significant other can mix it together as they eat.
To recreate this meal…..
Cook the pasta in the beet juice until al dente, and drain
Meanwhile, make the roux.
Melt a stick of butter in a medium saucepan.
Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper.
Continue stirring for several minutes until the roux begins to darken in color
Slowly add the milk to the roux.
Continue stirring for several minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy
Add the charcoal, and stir until thoroughly combined. Please note.. activated charcoal may reduce the effectiveness of some medications and dietary supplements when taken at the same time.
Add the cheese, and again stir until thoroughly combined.
Transfer the pasta to a serving dish.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, and serve this dark and decadent mac & cheese!
- 1 pound heart shaped pasta
- 48 oz Beet Juice
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 1¼ tsp activated charcoal
- 2 cups shredded Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar
- Cook the pasta in beet juice until al dente, and drain.
- Meanwhile, to make the roux, melt a stick of butter in a medium saucepan.
- Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper.
- Continue stirring for several minutes until the roux begins to darken in color.
- Slowly add the milk to the roux.
- Continue stirring for several minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy.
- Add the charcoal, and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cheese, and again stir until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving dish.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, and serve.
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