Cocoa Pasta: A Northern Italian Twist (Colour, Aroma, and Control)
Cocoa pasta surprises people because it does not taste like dessert. We use bitter cocoa powder to add colour and a light roasted aroma.
Bitter cocoa, not sweet chocolate
The goal is savoury pasta with a different aroma. The flavour stays balanced when you treat cocoa as part of the flour, not as a topping.
Mix dry ingredients first
Combine flour and cocoa evenly before adding eggs. This avoids streaks and gives you a stable colour across the entire dough.
Control flour like any fresh pasta dough
Do not add all flour at once. Egg size and humidity still apply. Build the dough gradually until it is compact and workable.
Thickness for tagliatelle
For tagliatelle we keep the sheet a little thicker than ravioli. You want bite (al dente), not paper-thin ribbons that overcook fast.
Key takeaways
- Cocoa pasta stays savoury because cocoa is bitter, not sweet.
- Mix cocoa with flour before eggs for an even dough.
- Keep tagliatelle slightly thicker for proper bite.
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Try cocoa pasta in Como
We make two doughs in class and you leave knowing how to repeat both at home.
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