Watching too much Food Network...

[mya_in_ab]

I've been watching way too much Food Network now that I'm animal sitting at places that have CABLE TV. So much so, that I suddenly can clearly see myself making sucessful gluten-free pasta. Even the little videos online only convince me that I could so totally do it. ^_^ Here's one recipe for it, the substitutions from wheat=>gluten-free already taken care of.

http://www.food.com/recipe/fresh-egg-pasta-gluten-free-60904

• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons potato starch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 3 large eggs (or 4 or 5 egg whites)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons potato starch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 3 large eggs (or 4 or 5 egg whites)
• 1 1/2 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 starch-floured (rice flour turns noodles gray) breadboard 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. To cook pasta: Cook in salted boiling water, to which 1 tablespoon of oil has been added, for about 10 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness and size of your pieces.
14. You will have to test for doneness.
15. Drain and rinse well

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Of course, wontons sound tasty too. But how to make a gluten-free wonton wrapper?

Retrieved from: http://iamglutenfree.blogspot.com/2009/01/gluten-free-wontons-shu-mei.html

Homemade Gluten Free Wonton Skins
recipe adapted from The Accidental Vegetarian

1 cup Better Batter GF flour
1 egg
4 tbsp water (plus extra as needed)
extra flour for rolling
wet paper towels ripped in half

Using either a stand or hand mixer, beat the flour and egg together. You'll know it's the right consistency when you pinch it between your thumb and pointer finger and it holds together, kind of like playdough. Be careful about not adding extra water unless absolutely necessary. Better to err on the side of too little, as you can add water as needed.

I can't emphasize enough that you need to LIBERALLY use flour for the forming of your wontons.

First, keep your rolling pin heavily floured every time you roll a wonton skin, using the same flour with which you made your dough. Though I own a wooden rolling pin, I'll bet that the new silicon non-stick rolling pins would be excellent for making these wontons.

Remove dough from mixing bowl and knead into one large symmetrical shape. Make sure your kneading surface remains constantly well-floured. Divide your shape into four pieces. Set three of them aside, underneath a wet paper towel or tea towel. NOTE: I used a silicon baking mat as the surface on which I kneaded and rolled my wontons. It was an ideal surface.

Take one of the dough pieces and roll into a snake. Evenly divide the snake into four pieces. Lay three of the four pieces under the wet paper towel to keep moist. Under your wet paper towel you should have three of the original larger dough pieces and three of the smaller dough pieces.

Take the remaining dough piece and use your hand to flatten it into as much of a square as you can. It never really got totally square-shaped, as the edges were a bit ragged. Sprinkle the top of your square with flour. Roll it as thin as you can without breaking the dough.

Flour the top of a thin metal spatula, then use it to carefully remove the finished wonton skin to a plate that has a piece of wet paper towel on it. Cover the wonton with another piece of wet paper towel.

Continue until you have 16 wonton skins.

NOTE: Once I got the hang of this, I decided I wanted more perfectly shaped wontons. After rolling each of the small pieces of dough, I cut a square with my pizza cutter. I saved the extra ragged pieces of dough and was able to use it to make another one or two extra wontons.