Sorrel Fettuccine with Brown Shrimp Sauce

Sorrel fettucine with brown shrimp sauce

This is the first of 4 recipes I created in partnership with Vitamix and Great British Chefs (that means they paid me to write ’em). 

I used to have a *cough* slightly unhealthy relationship with pasta. I love all carbs, truth be told, but pasta, well, that’s right up there with the foods that make me completely lose control. I would boast of my ability to consume enough for four people, which makes me shudder now when I think about it – what was it with that phase where we boasted about gluttony? It was definitely a thing on Twitter, like a f*cked up competition to show who liked food the most. I guess we just grew out of it.

Now don’t get me wrong, the actual recommended portion size for pasta is just ridiculous. When I first started properly exercising I decided to measure out the portion that was recommended on the packet and, after re-reading it several times and looking for noughts I might have missed, stood back, pointed at it and laughed out loud. It’s basically the size of my hand, which is, I dunno, a regular sized hand really – the point here is that it was significantly smaller than any portion of pasta I’d ever eaten. Depressing.

This pasta is green, though, which means it’s healthier and you can eat as much as you like. Really, that’s a genuine grown-up science fact. I added lemony sorrel to the dough which you make by wanging everything into the Vitamix. The shrimps, of course, love a bit of lemon and this is such a cheerful, highly seasonal dish. Make it while you can before both sorrel and shrimp are gone.

Sorrel Fettuccine with Brown Shrimp Sauce

This serves two people, I SUPPOSE.

Pasta dough

1 egg yolk
2 handfuls of sorrel leaves
150g of 00 flour
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

Brown shrimp sauce

100g of brown shrimp
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
40g of butter
1 red chilli, finely sliced
parsley, chopped
1 lemon, juice and zest
salt

To begin, place the egg and egg yolk in the Vitamix, add the sorrel leaves and secure the lid. Select Variable 1, switch the machine to Start and slowly increase the speed to Variable 10. Once leaves have broken down into a purée, stop the machine and add the flour and salt. Pulse on Variable 8 until the dough starts to come together.

Remove the lid, scrape down the sides and add a little more flour if the dough looks too wet. Pulse a few times more then empty out onto a clean, floured work surface

Knead the dough for 3–4 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and the shape bounces back when you prod it with your thumb. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

Once the dough has rested, roll out using a rolling pin (or using a pasta machine if you have one) until it’s 1–2mm thick (it’s easier to handle if you do this in 2 batches)

Cut the pasta into fettuccine strips – around 6mm wide. Make sure the pasta is dusted in flour so it doesn’t all stick together. Place a pan of salted water over a high heat and bring to the boil

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a pan and add the garlic and chilli, cooking until softened. Add the shrimps and warm through gently

Cook the pasta in the boiling water – it will only take 2–3 minutes to cook, cooking in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan

Add lemon juice, chopped parsley and seasoning to the shrimps, drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. Serve warm with a sprinkling of lemon zest