Food preparation doesn’t just only require cooking skills alone. In this era of Instagram and social media, aesthetic factor is as equally important as the flavor. Today, foods need to be both delectable and visually-appealing as well. We’ve seen several cakes with intricate designs which made them look like works of art. A cake is indeed an ideal food to apply a chef’s artistic skills. But Seattle-based pasta artist Linda Miller Nicholson introduced a way to transform ordinary noodles into stunning artworks. Nicholson handcrafts the dough in the forms of pappardelle, farfelle, ravioli, penne, and many more. Then she intricately adds some twists or molds the dough into different shapes to achieve variations. After forming the pasta to desired shapes, she then adds colors to create rainbow-colored noodles.
Nicholson uses coloring derived from all-natural ingredients. She got the yellow hue from turmeric and the green hue from parsley. Beets give the dough a purple color while Asian pigeonwings yield a blue hue. By applying different colors and patterns to the pasta, she creates fascinating rainbow-colored noodles that are both charming and tasty.
The creative pasta artist works under the handle Salty Seattle and her plant-dyed pasta art has been featured across the media. She also made her signature pasta art for celebrities such as Katy Perry, Harry Connick Jr. and the cast of The Chew. However, Nicholson doesn’t offer her rainbow-colored noodles commercially. And she doesn’t take dinner reservations although many people keep on asking her for any possibility.
But the good news is, she if offering workshops and private lessons for those who are interested with the craft. You can check out the registration details and class schedules on Salty Seattle website. Furthermore, she has published her first cookbook Pasta, Pretty Please that teaches you how to handcraft and design pasta art. The book includes 25 dough recipes and 33 shaping techniques. It also teaches you how to create elaborate patterns of colors including her signature designs such as Rainbow Cavatelli, Polka Dot Farfelle, Emoji Ravioli, Stripes Pappardelle, and more. The cookbook also includes various recipes for ravioli fillings and sauces.
Linda Nicholson creates rainbow-colored noodles in different shapes and forms
Nicholson uses plant-based dyes to give colors and patterns to the pasta
You can purchase the Pasta, Pretty Please cookbook here!
Also check her Instagram page to see more of her dazzling pasta creations in vivid colors.
Source: Salty Seattle | Instagram