Gluten-free pasta

Method

• step 1

  Combine the flour, potato starch, psyllium husk and salt in a bowl using a whisk. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs, egg yolks and olive oil. Beat the egg using a fork, incorporating the flour mixture as you do, until the mixture is too stiff to whisk easily. Mash everything together until you have a shaggy dough. Scrape any sticky bits off the fork and use your hands to knead the dough briefly, just until any remaining loose flour has been picked up.

• step 2

  Put the dough on a clean surface. If it's really sticky, put in a waxed cloth or small, lidded container for 30 mins-1 hr. Gluten-free flours don’t have stretch, so it will feel more like tacky plasticine. To knead, press down on the dough using the heel of your hand and roll up into a sausage, then turn it 90 degrees and repeat until smooth.

• step 3

  Cut the dough into four pieces, then cover three with a dampened tea towel. Roll the remaining piece of dough into a ball, then dust the surface liberally with flour and roll the ball of dough out until it is almost as long as your rolling pin is wide, but no more.

• step 4

  Making sure the surface is still well-floured, turn the dough 90 degrees and, starting from the centre, roll away from you until the pasta is as thin as possible without puckering along the edges. Turn and repeat with the other end of the piece. Try to keep the shape as a long strip, but focus most on achieving an even thickness. Slide the finished dough strip onto a chopping board and cover with the a damp cloth. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

• step 5

  Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Dust one of the pasta sheets with flour, then cut into 5-6mm wide strips. Gently shake the strips out to separate, then cover with a damp cloth and set aside. Repeat with the other sheets of pasta.

• step 6

  Drop half the tagliatelle into the pan of boiling salted water and gently stir once. Cook for 2-3 mins – the thinner you rolled it out, the quicker it will cook. Remember that it won’t be quite as al dente as wheat pasta is when ready. Pull the tagliatelle out of the pan using tongs and coat in your favourite pasta sauce to serve. Repeat with the remaining tagliatelle.