The Food Desert Project - Evil Dead Pasta

In case you haven't surmised, we are big into Halloween in our household.  While we wait and prep for the big day, I was casting about for a dish that was spooky enough to serve your young goblins after a hard afternoon of candy-hunting.

I've been wanting to try dyed noodles with beets for a while, and had some Labneh left over from my previous recipe, so I thought I would combine the two ideas, and name them for my favorite scary movie, Ev-Ah!  (Evil laugh)

Blood Pasta:

1 can shredded beets
1 bottle red wine (any variety)
1 tbsp salt
About 2 cups water
Pasta of your choice - I used linguine

Drain the beet liquid (reserve the beets for the sauce) into a large pot (I use a 3.5 qt); combine with, red wine, salt, and water   Bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.  Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Brains and Bones Sauce

Labneh bones*

Reserved beets
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds
Olive Oil
1 tsp jarred garlic
Reserved pasta water

Pour about 2 tbsp of olive oil into a skillet; toast the walnuts and pepitas until they are fragrant.  Add the garlic and beets, saute for 2 minutes or until heated through.  Add a small amount of pasta water to bring the sauce together.  Nutrition Information for sauce.

* Labneh Bones: knead about 1/4 cup of really well-drained labneh with a tablespoon of dried parsley and a teaspoon of dried chives.  Pull off about a tablespoon of flavored cheese, roll it between your fingers into an oblong shape, and pinch the ends flat to make "bones."

Serve the dyed pasta topped with the beet sauce and scatter a few Labneh bones over the top.  (PS.  Leftover sauce makes a terrific cold salad with the addition of a bit of viniagrette.)

Don't forget the words!

(Allow the maniacal laugh/noodle slurping contest to begin!)