At the school, I normally put on a pot of this GF hard pasta when the guests are making fresh pasta, but I've decided it is time for me to find a great GF fresh pasta recipe. No better place than this to experiment. And Tim brought me several parcels of Dove's Farm Gluten Free Flour Blend (a mix of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize & Buckwheat) and Isabel's Xanthum Gum This is the first recipe I tried, which is an adapted version of an Epicurious recipe. It turned out brilliantly, with the help of Enza, one of the native cooks at the school. She supervised my kneading and my use of the pasta machine.
We have a guest from Minas Gerais, Brazil (where I lived for a summer researching in the Atlantic Forest) and for a treat, she made her recipe for pasta fagioli (with beans). The pasta is obviously good with any sauce, but I'll include the recipe for this one, for fun.
- 1 and 2/3 cups (200 g) gluten free flour blend (see note above about Dove's Farm Blend)
-2.5 tsps xanthum gum
-1 tsp fine sea salt
-2 large, free-range eggs
-3 egg yolks from large, free-range eggs
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure the salt and xanthum gum are evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then lightly whisk the eggs and extra egg yolks together in another bowl. Pour the flour mixture onto a clean counter, make a well, and then pour the egg mixture on top. Mix together with your hands until it forms a ball. (You can do this in a food processor or mixture as well, but it isn't the Sicilian way so I got scolded by Enza when I suggested it). Knead the pasta with the palm of your hand for 2-5 minutes, until it is firm and smooth to the touch, but pliable.
For the pasta machine, cut the dough into 4 pieces and press flat with your hands until 1/2 inch thick. Then, on a medium setting, run it through pasta machine several times (at least 3 or 4), folding the long sheet together for the first two times and then turning sideways (to make it wider) and running it through the machine again. Change the settings until the dough is 1/16 inch thick. Then, run the dough through the tagliatelle or fettuccine section to cut the pasta (or cut it by hand). Lay the pasta on a towel and dust with flour.
Boil in hot water for about 3-4 minutes, until al dente.
This is the sauce that the Brazilian guest made, with some of my own adjustments from my own recipes from Brazil.
-1 onion
-3 cloves of garlic
-2 carrots, peeled and sliced
-2 Tbsps of olive oil or lard
-A small piece of good pork loin (as big as your fist)
-1 lb of herbed sausage from a butcher (we used the local Sicilian sausage with wild fennel), chopped in bite-sized pieces.
- Brazilian red beans (or your favorite type of flavorful beans)
-1 Tbsp. mixed herbs (we use the house Anna Tasca Lanza mix, which is oregano, mint, thyme, geranium, and orange peel).
Soak the beans overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
In a dutch oven pot, first brown the loin and the sausages. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent, then add the carrots, cooking until tender. Drain and wash to soaked beans and add to the pot, with enough water to submerge them (and then some... I'd eyeball it, sorry to be so lax). Add the herbs and meat and bring to a boil. Cook for 2-3 hours (the longer the better) on low, until the beans, pork, and sausage are all tender.
Ladle the sauce over the fresh pasta and serve with fresh olive oil and parmesan cheese.
Buon appetito!
This cake isn't too sweet and is great for breakfast/brunch.