I looked at the block of chocolate which Paprika gave me as a souvenir from London, uncertain how to react. “This is so generous of you, but I don’t bake, Paps,” I said meekly and pushed it back to her. “You take it and bake me something with it lah!” For something so precious, I couldn’t bear to accept it and leave it in my refrigerator, untouched for the next 20 years.
“You can cook savoury dishes with it oso what,” she said.
That’s an idea, I thought. So I accepted her kind gift, and then left it in my refrigerator, untouched for the next 3 months. My fridge is like a black hole. Nothing survives. Nothing escapes. Nothing comes out.
I forgot all about the chocolate until a few days back when I turned on the TV and I saw David Rocco’s Dolce Vita where he echoed what Paps said. “You can cook savoury dishes with chocolate oso what.” It was like a voice from the heavens, and I was slayed by the spirit of Paps/David Rocco. I ran to my kitchen, pulled out the block of Willie’s 100% Supreme Cacao which boasted a single bean origin with notes of redcurrant and spice. I ripped off the label, chopped up a third of the 180g block and looked heavenwards and asked, “What now?”
Thankfully, I had taken mental notes after watching the programme on TV, and pulled out a couple of garlic cloves, chopped them up and threw them into a hot pan which was already heating up a drizzle of olive oil. In the meantime, I chucked some penne into a pot of boiling water. While the garlic spluttered in the frying pan, I twisted open a jar of anchovies and dumped the entire content into the pan, breaking the anchovies into tiny bits with my silicone spatula in fuchsia until they dissolved in the sizzling hot oil and garlic mixture.
The chocolate went into the pan next, and as it melted, the sauce turned a beautiful deep colour. A handful of blitzed breadcrumbs went in next to thicken the sauce before I added the pot of drained penne into the saucepan.
Bald Eagle yelled from upstairs, “Is dinner ready yet? I’m starving!” Images of his sprawled semi-naked body on the floor flashed before my eyes and I knew that a repeat performance was going to take place if I delayed any longer. I should be so lucky.
As I stirred the pasta in the frying pan, it occurred to me that I had a plastic container full of Wagyu Prime Rib, a ta-pau of leftovers from a totally wagyu-ed out birthday dinner at Prime Le Meridien a couple of days earlier. Waste not want not, deny the black hole the pleasure of wagyu. I reheated the 250g portion, sliced it and threw it into the pasta. Beautiful.
As a final touch, as a tribute to my friend Paprika of ravenousrabbit.blogspot.com, I sprinkled a dash of smoked paprika into the pasta and stirred it in for that lovely spicy smokey flavour. For presentation, some chopped Italian parsley did the trick.
Our verdict: Amazing! (Ya, really wan) Other than the fact that my pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, the bitter and nutty flavour of the chocolate worked wonderfully with the salty anchovies, and the sauce adhered well to the pasta. There is nothing sweet about a 100% chocolate block, so I am glad that I decided to toss in the leftover wagyu as it provided a natural sweetness to the dish. I am so in love with this recipe! (and David Rocco…I love youuuu!)
Happy weekend, everyone, and be brave…try this recipe! (For exact measurements of the original recipe, check out David Rocco’s website HERE.)
wah, thamby, ayam so proud of you…
Wah, best-nyer! Can come over my house and cook for me + Devil ar? 😀
Speechless FBB: Your comment brings tears to my eyes.
LFB: Sure! We’ll talk charges later.
dear LL,
please could i come over sometime for dinner. thanks so much.
ur fan,
ciki!
eh, u got an unused block of foie gras also, rite! could throw that in the next time and make it even creamier! 😀
OMAIGOD! I wanna buy also cannot, and I don’t cook!
Incidentally, I got a chocolate cook book. You’re inspiring me to try out something!
feed the ciki: Oh, I read that you wanted me to go over to your place for dinner. My bad. Love, your fan.
Sean: O-M-Gee! I do! I completely forgot about it. Now to think of a recipe for my foie gras. Ya, it would be fab with pasta! hehe.
Marcky: Buy what? My pasta or chocolate or what? LOL.
Wow! A cooking post!! 😀
*runs off to find damacai, 4D, toto, magnum*
gfad: Bitch! 😛 Eh, you should try this recipe in aboo derby, although i reckon you’ll never get such a good cut of wagyu like mine. 😛
The only time I’ve ever eaten chocolate in a savory sauce is Turkey with Mole Sauce and yeah, chocolate rocks in savory sauces!
I could eat just about anything David Rocco cooks.. I still remember his Arancini.. *dreamily*
For abt RM240 per kg, I could pick up as good a cut of wagyu, but I don’t eat bouef, dah-link.. I may have a problem finding 100% chocolate though. Wonder if I can find it at Jones.
Try dark chocolate bacon cupcakes!
You’re killing me!! I WANT THIS FOR DINNER TONIGHT!!!
Wow 😀
dark chocolate bacon cupcakes!!! now THAT sounds like an idea…. by the way hor, you can also buy hershey bars of 100% cocoa, wonder if its anywhere as good.
gfad: Oh, this is my first time trying David Rocco’s recipe. Time to open my Dolce Vita book. 😀 But first, I must cook from this Izakaya book which Way Cheng gave me 2 years ago! I’m scared to cook Jap. Is it easy?
Atchely, 100% choc may be too bitter lah. For me ar, I think about a 70% is good enuff. Wotchu think?
Lainie: But I dunch bake! 🙁 Gonna persuade FBB to make them and feed me! 😀
minchow: Well, most of the ingredients are readily available so you can whip up one quite easily! 😀
Pureglutton: Indeed 😀
Speechless FBB: I’m willing to be your guineapig should you wish to explore that idea! I suppose it won’t be the same seeing that mine comes from one source of bean with notes of redcurrant and spice. 😛
so special.. I wanna try!!!!!
wow, u r into recipes too!!
wagyu chocolate anchovies pasta, got to try this one for myself haha.
wow, when I 1st saw the title, I thought to myself, cannot be she mixed everything together right… lol… nice going
What an interesting mix of flavours!
This really new to me, I must try this recipe… I have a bag of 100% choc in my fridge… thanks for sharing!!
LOL I think I’ll do what GFAD did… go buy 4D tmrw! but then I’m really proud of you to add something other than gourmet salads in your repertoire
Hehe. Put it on Devil’s tab! 😛
I didn’t think chocolate would go well with pasta. Your pictures say otherwise! Looks damn nice la. *drools*
Should throw a chocolate party and insist you make this LOL. 😉
Chocolate + pasta = *brain cannot compute*
It’s almost like how I don’t understand why ppl would want cake in the shape and looks of a burger.. hehehe..
perhaps when I’m braver (or rather when my brain and taste buds are braver).. I will try to cook with chocolate 🙂
She cooks, she writes, she takes larvely peek-tures. *Bows Humbly before da Queen*
Very Bitter Ar?
Damn, Ms Watermelon. You sure had me fooled for not being able to cook! I want some of em lovely pastas too. Actually, I wouldn’t mind even if you cooked me some Indomee tossed in melted Ding Dang coklat and ikan masin. So when ya cooking? 😛
Are you kidding! That is an amazing confluence of flavors. Da-yum!
My first thought about using the chocolate would be a Mexican mole sauce.
Leon: The recipe is quite easy. 🙂
lotsofcravings: ya lor, I decided to resume this after my friend told me she missed my cooking/baking series which I started a couple of years back. 🙂
TummyRumble: I’m always game to try something different at home. 🙂
Baby Sumo: But one that has been practised by the south americans a long time ago!
Quay Po Cooks: Hope you’ll enjoy trying this recipe!
babe_kl: hehe, but salads will always be my first love!
LFB: LOL. Abusing CK, I see! Then again, good to hear of relationships with benefits.
Bangsar-bAbE: Count me in! 😀 Will there be chocolate mud wrestling too?
Cyrene: It’s not uncommon, though, in certain cultures. 🙂 Try larrrr.
bowing humbly unka: not that bitter. just a tinge of it. it was just perfect!
A Lil Fat Monkey aka Orange King: Oh, indomie tossed with melted ding dang and ikan masin can do anytime wan, but you must promise to finish up every bit of the double portion i cook for you lor.
Nate @ House of Annie: Yay! Someone who believes in savoury choc dishes! But then again, you’re fresh outta the US, so you’re more exposed to such dishes. 🙂 Yeah, the Mexican mole is a more common dish. I’d like to try it some day.
sounds like a great idea. i tried one of his cakes at the bee, btw. Dude can bake a pretty good red velvet cake <3
I’m completely amazed, never thought of chocolate pasta at all, thanks for this great idea!
Lainie: Yar, you should try all his other cakes oso. My favourites are “Tim’s Nuts” (don’t ask) and Pavlova. 🙂
kwpang: Happy cooking!
ooo.. that block of chocolate is good!
I have willie’s chocolate cookbook. you wanna borrow and cook more choc dishes? :-p