PASS THE PASTA !

Today was the day, the mood was right and I finally got around to trying my hand at gluten-free fresh pasta.  Finding a suitable recipe seemed to be the hardest part; an internet search threw up endless possibilities, all with a dazzling array of ingredients (given that I always thought that pasta was so very simple and made of just three ingredients - flour, eggs and water). However, no two recipes seem to be the same, which made it rather difficult to determine which sounded best.  So, I finally settled on one based almost entirely on the fact that it called for ingredients that I actually had available.

As with all these things, it was rather messy with a resultant mountain of dishes in the sink (I should say at this point, that although I cook every day, my kitchen usually looks as though the home owners have gone abroad for an extended stay - all that is missing are those white dust sheets that one sees servants in movie adaptations of Jane Austin novels throwing over the furniture before the master's carriage has even reached the end of the long driveway - how efficient they were!), anyway I digress.

The very first mouthful was a testimony to the fact that this was indeed a truly worthwhile exercise!  Silky smooth pasta dough, with a delicious spinach, ricotta and nutmeg filling, topped with my favourite tomato sauce, fresh parmasen, a twist of freshly ground black pepper and basil from the garden.  I'm pleased that I made the effort to try the challenge from my fellow blogger at http://growitcookitcanit.com and will definitely make fresh pasta again (on this occasion I made something akin to Agnolotti, but had enough dough to make a portion of noodles).  Now, my tummy is full and I'm about ready for an espresso and a piece of dark chocolate to end my sunny Sunday lunch.....if only I had someone to wash up the dishes.

 
FRESH EGG PASTA - GLUTEN FREE
- Recipe from "More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet" by Bette Hagman. 

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup tapioca flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons potato starch
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 4 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
• 3 large eggs ( or 4 or 5 egg whites)
• 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

1. In a medium bowl, combine flours, salt, and xanthan gum.
2. Beat the eggs lightly and add the oil.
3. Pour the egg-oil liquid into the flour mixture and stir.
4. This will feel much like pastry dough.
5. Work the dough into a firm ball.
6. Knead for 1 or two minutes.
7. Place the ball of dough on a potato or corn starch-floured board and roll as thin as possible**.
8. This dough is tough and, when almost transparent, will still handle well.
9. Cut into desired shape.
10. For fettuccine and spaghetti, slice very thin strips.
11. For a noodle casserole, make slightly wider noodles.
12. If using for lasagne, cut into 1 1/2-by-4-inch rectangles.
13. For my recipe today, I filled with creamed spinach, mixed with ricotta, seasoned with salt, fresh ground black pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and a little dry oregano. 
14. To cook pasta: Cook in salted boiling water, to which 1 tablespoon of oil has been added, for about 10 to 15*** minutes depending on the thickness and size of your pieces.
15. You will have to test for doneness.

** I rolled my dough until I could just make out the black type of the recipe under the glass cutting board. As I don't have a pasta machine, this was the hardest part.   

*** My Agnolotti were pretty large - the size of my palm and well filled, so I cooked for closer to 18 minutes.