24-05-2014

Gluten free pasta and lentils

A home made tagliatella suitable for celiacs.
In which legumes also provide the proteins

In this new recipe of his, Simone Salvini presents a pasta made with a special gluten free flour. From May 30th to June 2nd the vegan chef will be the protagonist of a long weekend in Panicarola, near lake Trasimeno, organised by charity organization Food Vibration within the "Viaggia Vegan" programme

This recipe was born out of the desire to create, using few ingredients, a home made pasta that would also be suitable for those suffering from celiac disease. Industrial gluten free pasta is usually made using various ingredients such as starch, sugar, chemical thickeners... In this case, instead, only two flours are used: one comes from the world of legumes, the other from cereals.

When I made it the first time, I thought that instead of flours that are naturally gluten free, I could draw from the magnificent world of legumes. Thanks to practical experience, I recalled the high presence of starch in white lentils, called Urid, in India. This is how my experiment began: instead of cereals, I used a pasta made largely with legumes that are highly digestible and with a high nutritional content. In this recipe, the protein component is in the pasta itself, thus inverting the classic model according to which pasta = carbohydrates and condiment = proteins and other nutrients. The “sharp” flavour of the lentils disappears after the cooking in water while the presentation of the dish is based on the pureness and essentiality I usually find and admire in Nature.

Home made gluten free lentil pasta with marjoram, spicy oil and Indian pepper

INGREDIENTS
140 g white lentil (urid) flour
60 g fine rice flour
120 g water
1 pinch of asafoetida*
1 pinch of salt
spicy oil
marjoram leaves
orange zest
Indian pepper (pippali)**

Simone Salvini on the stage of Identità Golose

METHOD
1) Put the two flours, together with the asafoetida and the salt into a bowl. Gradually pour the water and knead with your hands until you obtain a smooth and soft dough. Make a ball and leave to rest for one hour.

2) Using a pasta roller, roll out the pasta until it is only a few millimetres thick. If necessary, add some rice flour. It is important to roll out the pasta delicately; since there is no gluten, the dough will have little strength and elasticity. It is best to work gently, constantly adding flour to the dough. Using a cog, cut out some rather large tagliatelle; create some single-portion bundles and dry them at room temperature for a few hours.

3) Cook the pasta in lightly salted water and drain as traditional; season the lentil pasta with extra virgin olive oil, spicy oil, finely chopped orange zest and Indian pepper ground on the spot. Serve the pasta in the centre of the plate, trying to form small balls.

* asafoetida is a spice (resin) obtained from the bark of a tropical tree that belongs to the fennel family. Its flavour recalls both garlic and onion. Among the many beneficial effects, asafoetida is useful for reducing meteorism. Its use is thus recommended with legumes and cabbage.
** long Indian pepper (pippali) in fact is not a real pepper but the gem of a plant that grows in hot countries. Its aroma is very typical, halfway between a sweet and delicately woody scent. Contrary to many kinds of pepper, pippali does not chafe the intestinal mucosa and among other things, it helps the metabolism.