Gluten Free Pasta on the Shelf

Welcome, gluten-free diners, and the people who love them! You have been invited to this virtual meal to sample all the ways that I’ve found to make pasta accessible for gluten-free people.

And, if you comment, you might win a free copy!

You see, my new book, Gluten Free Pasta, More Than 100 Fast and Flavorful Recipes with No-and Low-Carb Options (Running Press) is all about getting pasta to the people!

The book came out of my experiences cooking without gluten for my Mother and my private chef clients, and I’m so glad to be able to share it with you. As you can see from the photos below, I spent some time re-thinking what we need from pasta and noodles. What do noodles do? They carry sauces, float in soups, and fill springrolls. It seems to me, that if you open your mind to it, you can thoroughly enjoy raw or cooked vegetable strands, strips of cooked egg, or a freshly made gluten free pasta just as much as a conventional one.

It’s really all about the shape and the sauce, isn’t it? I hope you will enjoy my exploration of all the ways that we can enjoy a pasta experience, with the tastes, textures, and fun of pasta.

Fresh Gluten Free Pasta!

So today, I’ve asked a group of talented gluten free bloggers and writers to participate in a potluck. Each of these outstanding cooks is preparing and posting a recipe from the book.

I hope you will make a stop at each of their blogs, and sample my recipes. Comment here, or on the other blogs that are offering the giveaway, and you will be entered to WIN. I will give away a free book to the best comment posted before April 7, US Residents only.

Roasted Vegetable Egg Crêpe Cannelloni with Chèvre

Beth Hillson’s blog

Quick Jerked Pork over Creamy Collard Noodles

Carol Fenster’s blog

Raw Tomato Avocado Sauce and Zucchini Noodles

Heather Jacobsen’s blog

Basic Fresh Pasta and Creamy Vodka Pasta Sauce

Amanda Paa’s blog:

Please check out these talented food writers, and follow them for great GF recipes and interesting articles. The options for Gluten Free diners get better all the time, and I hope that my new book makes the world of pasta much better, too!

Zucchini “Noodles,” Spaghetti Squash, Egg Crepe “Noodles,” and White Sweet Potato “Noodles”

Spicy African Peanut Sauce on Noodles

White Yam Noodles with Collards in Spicy African Peanut Sauce

White yam noodles go so perfectly with the peanut sauce: I hope that you will try them. The creamy, spicy sauce is also good with a wide, flat pasta, too. The strands of collard greens add to the visual impression of pasta, but you can always try your favorite veggies in this, too.

Serves 4 to 6

1 batch African Peanut Sauce (follows)

1 1/2 pounds white sweet potatoes or 12 ounces linguine

4 ounces collard greens, whole leaves

1/2 cup green sweet peas

Put on a big pot of water for cooking the sweet potato noodles and salt it generously.

Set up the mandoline or spiral vegetable cutter. Insert a cutter blade to make thin, 1/4 inch wide slices. Trim one side of the sweet potato to make a flat surface to push against the mandoline blade, or for the spiral cutter, trim the tips and insert the potato in the machine.

Cut the sweet potato into noodle-shaped strands. After trimming, 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potato should make 8 cups strands. Roll the collard greens up around their stems, then sliver the greens. Chop the strips coarsely.

Add the sweet potato strips and collards to the boiling water. Bring to a boil again and cook for about 2 to 4 minutes. The noodles will start to break when you pick one out with a fork, and will be a little firm to the bite. Drain well.

In the pot you cooked the potato in, heat the peanut sauce and peas, and then gently fold in the hot potato “noodles” and collards Serve hot.

Spicy African Peanut Sauce for Noodles

The groundnut stews and Mafe of Africa rely on our beloved peanut for extra protein, thickening, and that ever-popular flavor. With very little effort on your part you can create a sauce that is a little spicy, bursting with complex flavor, and GF.

Serves 8

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup diced fresh tomato

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a 4 quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and pepper flakes and stir for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. In a medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter and stock, then stir into the pan. Add the tomato, brown sugar, salt and lemon and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Use this sauce with noodles, as a dipping sauce, or in sandwiches and wraps. Keeps, tightly covered, for up to a week.