Marigold petal pasta
I love the scent of French marigolds, but I’m not a big fan of eating the petals raw, because the citrusy flavour is overwhelmed by bitterness. But I have discovered that once they are encased in pasta and cooked, their herbal flavour with its hint of grapefruit shines through and is a delicious match for a sage butter sauce. I recommend using a pasta machine for this recipe. If you don’t have one, ask around – someone may be willing to lend one. You can roll the pasta by hand, but it’s hard work and you do need even pieces to fold on top of each other.
All sorts of edible flowers and leaves will work for this recipe, including borage, calendula and nasturtium. Just remember to pick off the petals and use small sprigs of leaves; anything too chunky might tear the pasta.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 as an appetiser or 2 as a generous main dish
• 200g pasta flour (or use strong white flour), plus extra for • 2 large eggs • Petals from 8 French marigold flowers • Handful of marigold leaves • 40g butter • 20 sage leaves • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • Semolina for dusting • Grated Parmesan, to serve
