It might seem a little strange to be hawking a pasta recipe on a Sunday that’s such a scorcher, the only thing acceptable to eat should be ice cubes. Except once the summer sun melts and the nighttime cool(ish) descends, there’s still dinner to be made and this recipe is a winner.
The tomatoes were purchased from the farmers’ market at Newport Pier (happening every Sunday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) and the rest of the ingredients were ordered ahead of time via Amazon because it’s a little difficult to find tapioca starch or almond flour on the spot. (Whole Foods carries both, FYI.)
Try this recipe with a whole lot of variations; add cracked pepper to the dough, add cheese to the dough, splash wine into the dough (we love that one) … no matter how you make it, this pasta breaks all myths that homemade varieties are difficult to make.
Oh and did we mention this pasta is totally gluten free?! No? Well, then …
INGREDIENTS
Yield: 2 servings
Time: 45 minutes
2 c. almond flour
2 c. tapioca starch
2 eggs (our are from the farmers’ market and they’re sweet and amazing)
2 cups water for boiling + 1/4 c. water (or less) for pasta dough
1/4 cup California olive oil
2 tomatoes
1 small scallion (sliced thin)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. butter
1 handful of basil (rough chopped)
4 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper (to taste)
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca starch, eggs and water. Add the water in small amounts, stirring the mixture each time. You don’t want this dough to become too wet!
Once the dough is shaped in a ball, place the bowl aside and cover with a clean washcloth. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Next, transfer bowl to a clean cutting board and dust with almond flour. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta. You may need to add more almond flour to the surface of the cutting board if the dough is still a bit wet. (NOTE: Make sure the pasta is rolled out very, very thin. The thinner you make it, the better. This pasta tends to thicken up when it boils.)
Cut the dough into thin strips (1/2 inch in size or smaller). You can also make other pasta shapes if noodles don’t do it for you. Check out this pasta-shaping tutorial for other fun ideas.
In a pan, add the garlic, shallots and olive oil. When you begin to smell the aroma of the garlic, add in the tomatoes and the butter. Let simmer on low heat.
Boil the 2 c. water with a sprinkle of salt and olive oil. Once the water is boiling, add in the thin noodles. They will take about 1-2 minutes to cook and when done, will rise to the top of the water.
Once all the pasta is floating at the top, transfer to a sieve and let the water drain. Add pasta to two bowls. Cut a small pat of butter and add to each bowl with a little bit of grated cheese. Mix the pasta in the bowls to combine.
Next, add the tomato, shallots and garlic “sauce” to each pasta bowl. Top with more grated cheese and basil.
Enjoy!
P.S. Check out our first Beach Eats recipe (Brussels sprouts reinvented) here.
