Thursday, November 15, 2007

Gluten Free Pasta

We have been milk-free for the past two weeks (or dd has been), and next week we will become gluten-free as well. Hopefully this will either show us the answer to the problem that we've been having around here, or we'll be able to go back to our 'normal' methods of cooking. Here's a recipe for noodles that I'll make on Monday- not sure what I'll put on them, as dd dislikes spaghetti sauce, and alfredo sauce is out (milk!). Oh well, something will come to me!


Ingredients:
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
1/3 cup Cornstarch
2 Tb Potato Starch
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tb Xanthan Gum
2 large Eggs
1 Tb Vegetable Oil

Combine flours, salt, and xanthan gum. Beat eggs lightly and add oil. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and stir. This will feel much like pastry dough. Work together into a firm ball. Knead a minute or two.

Place ball of dough on your bread board and roll as thin as possible. One pasta book suggest you should be able to see the board through the dough. The dough is tough and, although almost transparent, will still handle well. Slice the noodles into very thin strips or, if using for lasagne, into 1-1/2” x 4” rectangles. The pasta is now ready to cook, or to freeze uncooked for later use.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water to which 1 tablespoon of oil has been added for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness and the size of your pieces. You will have to test for doneness.

Makes 3 servings as noodles alone, 5 to 6 servings in a mixed casserole.

Spaghetti: Use the spaghetti cutter on your pasta machine. If you don’t have a pasta machine refer to our online catalog or, roll the dough very thin and cut your spaghetti as narrow as possible. This may turn out a bit uneven, but no one will notice when it is hidden under spaghetti sauce. Cook for 10 minutes in boiling salted water to which a tablespoon of oil has been added.

Chow Mein Noodles: Make the pasta and cut as if for spaghetti. Then cut these strips into 1- to 1-1/2” pieces. Drop uncooked into hot oil and cook for a few seconds (they will probably take less than 1 minute). Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Then use immediately or freeze.

Makes about 5 to 6 cups chow mein noodles

3 comments:

J said...

I'm lazy...what's the xanthum gum do in all these glutenless recipes?
J

Alisa said...

xanthan gum is the "glue" that replaces the gluten to make the dough/bread stay together for the most part.

Try a quick homemade alfredo. Melt a little margarine (like Earth Balance) add some flour (your choice) to make a roux, and pour in a little rice milk. Simmer over low heat (do not boil) until it thickens (about 10 minutes). I like to add arrowroot starch at the end to bring it to my desired thickness. You can add nutritional yeast for cheesiness, herbs, spices, salt, pepper, garlic, whatever to season. Good and mild.

Amber said...

Thanks for the alfredo tip. It sounds like something that my dd would like.