We love exotically-colored foods. And we love pasta.  So imagine our delight when our friend Francine Segan sent us a dish with the best of both worlds: purple pasta! Find the recipe after the jump.

Colored naturally from cooking the pasta in fresh red cabbage juice, this dish will surprise and delight dinner guests who expected a simple Italian meal. If you love this recipe, try it out with zucchini and leeks for a yellow color, or with carrots for a bright orange color.

What You’ll Need:
1 head red cabbage
1/2 pound Felicetti spaghetti
Salt
Olive oil
1/4 pound burrata or fresh mozzarella
3 ounces smoked trout, flaked
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
A few sprigs of watercress

What to Do:
1) Use an electric juicer to get 1 ½ cups of red cabbage liquid. Bring 1 cup of juice to a boil in a skillet wide enough to hold the pasta.

2) Meanwhile, parcook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet of red cabbage juice to finish cooking.

3) Occasionally add the rest of the juice, a little at a time, so that it gets absorbed by the pasta and creates a glaze on it.

4) When pasta is al dente, stir in a tablespoon or two of olive oil and toss over high heat for a few seconds until well amalgamated.

5) Meanwhile, purée the burrata cheese in a blender or small food processor with a little olive oil until creamy. (If using fresh mozzarella, which is drier than burrata, add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.)

6) Spread the burrata cream on the bottom of the serving plates. Top with pasta and garnish with smoked fish flakes, pine nuts, and a few tiny watercress leaves.

*This recipe is best made with 1/2 pound of pasta so the juice can reduce down more easily as the pasta cooks. If making more, just double the ingredients and use 2 pans.