If you’re following me on instagram, you may recall a recent, rather vague and mystery eluding post: small supper, big things.  Bells?

Well, if I’m honest with you, I genuinely blew myself away with this one (and trust me when I say I've never said, let alone thought that).  I'm now about to share with you the recipe that was possibly the biggest success of the night: Juice Pulp Pasta. 

Yes.  Yes you read that correctly.  Your juicing waste.  Techni-coloured compost.  Got turned into pasta.  You better believe it because it was pretty damn tasty – as voted by my (unbiased, I hope) guinea-pig-friends.

While WWOOF-ing in Italy, not only did I learn how to make tagliatelle without a pasta machine from the town Nonne (yes, they were shared by the townsfolk) I also tasted Nettle pasta for the first time.  As in stinging nettle; that stuff you're told to avoid at arm's + ten bodies' length?  Yes, I consumed it.  And so I wondered, if Nettle, why not Pulp?

Why pulp though, I hear you ask?  1. Because that is where the majority of a fruit/vegetable’s nutrition lies.  2. All of this nutrition gets thrown away, causing my stomach to literally knot, it pains me to see the waste from juicing.  3. A healthy dose of fibre, for those moments when you need it most...

So here it is, nonna’s pasta got a nibs etc. makeover.

PULP REVOLUTION ARE YOU READY.

Juice Pulp Tagliatelle
nibs etc. original recipe.  Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
250g Durum (preferably) Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Juice Pulp
1 Egg
2 tbsp Water

1 Clove Garlic
2 big handfuls Arugula
1 cup Cherry Tomatoes
Parmesan
Salt + Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:
Blitz your pulp in a blender until it is a puree of consistent texture, removing any pith/stems which did not blend.  Add egg to blender, and blitz until fully incorporated.
Place flour on a dry surface, and make a well in the centre.  Pour pulp and egg into the well, and moving your hand in a circular motion, slowly begin to pull the surrounding flour into the wet mixture.  Continue to do so until all flour has been incorporated and a dough ball starts to form.  Add the water, and mix until combined.
Knead your dough for 15 or so minutes, before setting aside, covered with a cloth, and allow to rest.  In the meantime, wash arugula, quarter your tomatoes, grate your parmesan, and line a baking tray with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with flour.
When ready, take a quarter of your dough, and on a floured surface, roll out, rotating regularly so it retains a fairly circular shape, until as thin as possible.  Tip from the Italian grandmas/Nonne: in order to ensure even thickness/thinness, sprinkle surface and rolling pin generously with flour, place rolling pin on bottom third of dough – side closest to you - and pull the bottom end up, over, and under the rolling pin, before rolling the dough over itself, by pushing the rolling pin away from you.  As you do so, press down, quite strongly, and with a quick flicking movement, finish the rolling movement until the dough releases itself with a flap onto the surface (make sure you use enough flour so that the dough does not stick to itself!).  Repeat until about 1mm thick (or as close as can be).
Fold dough delicately in half lengthways, then half again.  With a sharp, floured knife, slice tagliatelle, about .75-1cm (width of your little finger) wide, gently unfold and lay flat in your baking tray.
Repeat until all dough has been rolled, sliced, and laid in your baking tray and tossed with flour so as to prevent sticking.
The pasta can be left to dry until ready to use/for the day/overnight (it can even be frozen, once dried, for up to a month).
Bring a pot of water to the boil.  Simultaneously, on medium, heat a healthy glug of olive oil, with a single, large, crushed and peeled clove of garlic, in a pan.  Once you smell garlic, leave for about 30 seconds, before adding tomatoes with a pinch of salt.  Toss to coat and allow to heat through. 
Once your pasta water is boiling, add 2 tbsp (for full pasta portion) salt, and toss in dried pasta.  Cook until pasta floats, 2-3 minutes, then with a slotted spoon, place directly into pan with tomatoes and garlic, adding one handful of arugula, and one ladle (1/2 cup) of pasta water, tossing to coat.  Once liquid has reduced, turn off the heat, add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, the remaining arugula, and pour into a serving dish, with additional parmesan to taste/for the table.

Consume:
As a primo, or main, light lunch or dinner.
With alternative light sauces such as: sliced cabbage and smokey scamorza cheese, browned butter and toasted walnuts.
Instead of a pulp blend, use specifically beet, or carrot, or spinach pulp, to focus on one flavour and complement sauces accordingly.