Fresh Pasta

GOAL: perfect fresh egg pasta for rolling out on a hand pasta machine into fettucini, linguine and lasagna.  This means texture is more critical than flavor. 

TRIAL 1. Modified mixed-grain recipe not using rice flour, which seems too gritty

• 1/2 cup garbanzo flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup tapioca starch (finely powdered)
• 2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 2 large eggs

Rolls out only to #4, a bit thick, and after cooking has a somehwat off-putting slippery/slimy xanthan texture.  But works well with sauces. Grade: B-

TRIAL 2. My favorite dry pasta is Andean Dream linguini, made only from corn flour and quinoa flour -- no xanthan gum, but has a great al-dente bite.

Mix 50% corn flour and 50% quinoa flour with just enough water to make a rollable dough. This has pliable texture that can roll out to the #5 (second thinnest) machine setting, but the dough is fragile and long pieces difficult to create.  Cooks in under a minute in boiling salted water.  Very nice un-gummy texture and grainy flavor, but pieces are short and don't quite hold up.  Grade:  B