National Spaghetti Day: Make it Chocolate

Today is National Spaghetti Day, and what can be better than Chocolate Spaghetti? For National Pasta Day, I posted a very Easy Recipe for making Chocolate Pasta. I also posted a Pasta with Sage and Chocolate recipe in November. That recipe can be done with plain spaghetti but with cheese and chocolate in the sauce, so it's a savory dish.

So today for National Spaghetti Day, I have two different recipes. One is easier than the other, but they're both worth the effort.

Emeril Lagasse has a great recipe for Chocolate Spaghetti. It's a bit more involved than my original one, but has a completely different taste.

Chocolate Spaghetti with Whipped Cream, Sliced Strawberies and Chocolate Nibs from Emeril Lagasse (Food Network)

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar plus 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Pinch salt
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (Madagascar)
2 teaspoons walnut oil or vegetable oil (go with the Walnut Oil)
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon Nocello or brandy
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup chocolate nibs or finely chopped semisweet chocolate

Directions
Into a large bowl or on a work surface, sift together the flour, cocoa, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs a bit at a time, working them into the dry ingredients using a circular motion with your hands. Continue working in the eggs, and add the vanilla and oil, until a sticky dough is formed. Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, and is no longer sticky. (Alternatively, place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, add the eggs, vanilla and oil and pulse to form a ball of dough. Turn out onto a work surface and work to a smooth dough.) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 fist-sized pieces and flatten into disks. One at a time, roll out each dough piece through the widest setting of a pasta machine, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Remove, fold into thirds and repeat. Continue rolling through the machine on 4 times, dusting lightly with flour to keep from sticking. Decrease the roller size down 1 notch, and roll through once, passing the dough through each setting twice until the desired thickness is reached and cut into spaghetti strands. Let dry briefly while assembling the "sauce."

In a medium bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer at medium speed until it becomes thick and frothy. Beating, add the sugar and Nocello, and beat until soft peaks form, being careful not to overbeat. Set aside until ready to serve.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander. Place the drained pasta in a large pasta bowl and toss with the whipped cream, strawberries and nibs. Serve immediately.

And a second easier recipe.

Chocolate Spaghetti and White Chocolate "Cream" Sauce

Spaghetti
2 oz dark chocolate (60% cacao +), melted, cooled
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour

White Chocolate Cream Sauce
2 oz white chocolate (Guittard or another 'real' white chocolate)
2/3 cup whipping cream

Add melted chocolate to eggs. Make pasta using chocolate-egg mixture and flour. Let rest for 30 minutes

Roll out pasta. Roll pasta sheets through a spaghetti cutter. Let spaghetti dry for 30 minutes.

In a large pan of boiling water, cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain spaghetti. Make sauce. Serve spaghetti with sauce.

Sauce
Blend white chocolate and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

For more information on spaghetti, its history, culture, recipes, go to that remarkable blog Months of Edible Celebrations!