Pull off gluten-free pasta at home

If you’ve read today’s cover story, you’re up to speed on baking cookies without gluten. Now that you’re hyped up on all that sugar, how about some pasta to bring you back to earth? Gluten-free, too.

A few weeks ago I received an email query from someone complaining that although gluten-free pasta can be found in many stores, the small pastas he likes for soups — orzo, for example — are unavailable. I wasn’t able to help much, aside from offering online ordering sites, but got to thinking, why not make your own?

Keith Endo, chef at Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, helped me with a basic recipe for gluten-free pasta. We made one batch with tapioca and potato starches and another with garbanzo bean flour, which had a distinct beany flavor. Of course, Endo has a pasta machine and a whole lotta skill, so he made it seem easy. But I was able to duplicate the results at home using a rolling pin. OK, not exactly duplicate. If you’re a beginner and rolling pasta by hand, your pasta might start out beautiful, but once cooked might end up looking a little rough — like earthworms. Mine did, anyway. But cover it in sauce and who’s gonna notice? Tastes great.

Try Down to Earth or Whole Foods for the ingredients. Warning: Xanthan gum, needed to give the pasta chewiness, is expensive. But you only need a little, so you’ll be able to make a lot of pasta.

Basic Gluten-Free Pasta Dough

1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons potato starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Make a well in center; add eggs and oil. Lightly beat eggs, then fold in dry ingredients, mixing to form a ball (dough will be very sticky). Knead several minutes, until dough is smooth (dust work surface and hands lightly with cornstarch to prevent sticking). Re-form in a ball and let rest a few minutes (about the time it takes to wash your hands, which will be very sticky).

Roll out dough to thinnest possible layer (this will take several firm passes with a rolling pin), or use a pasta machine. Dust knife with cornstarch and cut into thin strips (pasta will fatten as it cooks).

Bring pot of well-salted water to boil. Add pasta, reduce heat and cook 7 to 10 minutes. Serves 2.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Variations

» Garbanzo pasta: Substitute 2/3 cup garbanzo bean flour for the tapioca and corn starches. Other nongluten flours can also be used, such as sorghum, rice or quinoa. Substitute for one or both of the starches.

» For orzo: Follow recipe through resting period for dough. Knead more, until fairly firm. Pinch off small pieces and roll to form very thin strips, like long, skinny worms — as thin you can without breaking dough. Use knife to cut strips into small pieces (like grains of rice). Use in soups. Makes about a cup, enough for a large pot of soup.