| Recipe By: | Dr Ed Copley |
|---|---|
| Recipe Status: | Untested |
| Kind of Bake: | Retarded day – 10-minute style – mixed at night, put in the fridge in the morning, retarded all day, baked in the evening (recommended for people with digestive issues) |
| Makes: | 6 75g portions |
| Created Over: | 1 day |
| Recommended For: |
|
| Diversity Score: | 15-20 depending on the botanical blend used |
|---|---|
| Increase Fibre: | Lentil flour has more fibre than the usual pasta flour. Diversity blend XXX also has increased fibre |
| Probiotic Serving Suggestion: | Any kimchi or fermented vinegar to the finished meal or serve with a salad including pickled vegetables or dressed with vinegar |
| Antioxidants: | The pasta is ideal with any type of sauce but using ingredients with vibrant colours (peppers, courgettes, tomatoes etc) adds antioxidants and polyphenols |
| Suggested Botanical Blend: | I blended flour to create diversity please see the recipe |
Ingredients
| Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Lentil flour | 100g |
| Lupin flour | 100g |
| Diversity blend flour as preferred e.g. XXX | 50g |
| Type 00 pasta flour | 150g |
| Lively bubbly starter | 75g |
| Eggs medium size approx 50g each without shells | 3 |
Recipe Introduction
This recipe is a slot in replacement for "plain old pasta".
The added diversity and fibre are part of the core BALM protocol and pasta is a favourite among children. The pasta, when cooked, behaves almost identically to "normal" pasta and, having tested with a range of friends (and their children) none recognised anything different about the pasta even when served with familiar sauces. It was a big success at the graduation meal and even the owner of the Tuscan Castle (who had been gently upset at the thought of "messing with an Italian tradition" admitted that she "rather enjoyed it win spite of strong reservations"!)
This similarity to familiar supermarket pasta means that, even among fussy children, a simple meal can have a large fibre content in addition to protein from the lupin flour and lower "fast release" carbohydrate helping to control sugar "highs" and "lows" in those who are susceptible.
Once made, the pasta keeps well when dried and can be cooked in just a few minutes. It is fun to make, children often enjoy "working the pasta machine" and the ingredients are cheap, easily available and can be substituted for other options if required.
You can make lentil flour by "whizzing" lentils in a blender until they are relatively fine - they don't need to be the same texture s the pasta flour.
Lupin flour is available from supermarkets or health food shops but if you can't find it, you can use chickpea flour or pea flour. If you can't find a specific type of flour, check availability online or, you can whizz dried peas in the same way as for the lentils.
If you prefer, you can simply make wholemeal pasta with some diversity flour to add...urn...diversity. The lentil and lupin are pretty much undetectable once the pasta is cooked but do bear in mind that some people are allergic to lupin - this is noted as one of the allergens on restaurant allergen lists so, if you aren't sure, it might be sensible to ask guests if they are OK with the ingredients you are using.
THe fermentation step lowers the impact of the fibre and allows the "life chemistry" to work its magic, making nutrients more digestible and available. The recipe is therefore suitable for those with sensitive bowels, mental health issues, sleep problems, blood sugar control problems and those in need of added protein.
Any sauce you like is fine but see recipe for a simple, delicious, diverse and healthy option.
Studies
| Study | How this study has been applied |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
Equipment
- A pasta machine, but it doesn't need to be fancy. You can get them for as little as £20. They are sometimes available in discount supermarkets and often come with tagliatelle/spaghetti attachments. No other specific equipment is needed. The first time I made this I used a taglliatelli attachment on my machine but have made it since without this. A long 30cm/1foot ruler, a sharp knife and a cutting board will do the same job and doesn't take a prohibitively long time for this much (or even considerably more) pasta. Cut the pasta sheets into suitable lengths then carefully cut into 5cm (¼ in) strips using the knife along the ruler - keep your fingers out of the path of the knife.
Tin Size cm (HxWxD)
N/A x N/A x N/AStarter Quantity
75g per 400g flour used (this includes any diversity flour, lentil, lupin or other flour used for the dough)
Status of Starter
bubbly, lively first-build starter
DDT
28°C (82°F)
Flours
- The lupin flour I used was bought in Morrisons under the brand name "Saladitos". It comes in press seal bags of 400g.
- The lentil flour can be made either by milling red lentils or by "whizzing" red lentils in a blender. They don't have to be that fine.
Baking Temperature
This recipe does not use an oven
Baking Time
N/A
Timings
| Step | Day | Timings (hh:mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Mix all the flours together in a large bowl (you can use a stand mixer but don't try this with a hand mixer). Add 1 egg per 150g flour nd the 75g of starter | Day 1 | am |
| Mix well. It will feel like there's not enough liquid but have faith, it will form a stiff dough if you keep at it. This will take about 3-4 minutes in a stand mixer or about 7-10 mins by hand | Day 1 | same |
| Once it has all come together, put it in a bowl covered with either a damp tea towel or clingfilm - you might want to make a small hole in the clingfilm to let CO2 out. Leave for the rest of the day and then over night. You can leave at room temperature or in the fridge - either is fine. | Day 1 | same |
| Once the dough has rested and fermented, use your pasta machine to roll out into sheets. The either cut into tagliatelle by hand or, if you have one, use a tagliatelle attachment. | Day 2 | pm |
| If you are not cooking immediately, dust the tagliatelle in flour to stop it clumping. You can use plain flour or semolina. Aim to remove as much as possible of this before cooking but don't worry too much. To cook, bring a large pan of water to a brisk boil, add a desert spoon of salt and then boil the pasta for 3 minutes if fresh or 4 if dry | Day 1 | same |
| Drain and serve forth with sauce of your choice. A simple sauce can be made by frying bacon or chorizo until crispy (take your time with this, low and slow!), then add a chopped onion and fry until translucent. Add chopped vegetables of your choice (peppers, celery, courgette, mushrooms, aubergine or any other vegetation you like is fine - there are no rules here) and fry for 4-5 minutes. Then add a tin of tomatoes and a glass of red wine if you like. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, then cook with the lid off to thicken as required. | Day 1 | same |
How to Store
This pasta can be dried and stored for 2-3 weeks. Any sauce should be consumed fresh. Once cooked the pasta will keep overnight in the fridge (once cooled) with the sauce but should be microwaved to piping hot before eating. Do not reheat a second time.
Top Tips
Lentil flour can be made by blending in a liquidiser - it doesn't matter if there are little "bits" left. Lupin flour can be substituted for pea flour, chickpea flour or wholemeal flour. If you prefer to simply use the pasta sauce as described, you can cheat and use wholemeal flour from the supermarket. Try to add colourful vegetables to your sauce to increase diversity score, antioxidants, fibre and polyphenols.
The pasta is so simple, that there's not much you could do to make it easier. At first it seemed daunting but it is actually really simple and good fun to make. I have made it for large groups and, though help is welcome, it's easy enough for one person to do.
The sauce is a personal choice but one of the key things is to pick fatty bacon or chorizo. Cook until crispy and then you can take the meat out of the pan to cook the rest of the sauce. If you are adding mushrooms, cook these first and keep going until the water is cooked out - otherwise everything else will poach rather than fry. Then add any ingredients you want but I would suggest this order (after taking the meat out). Mushroons - onions - celery - peppers - courgettes - aubergine - tinned tomatoes - red wine. If you are using other vegetables, think about their water content. Add more watery things towards the end. Then add the meat back and simmer for a while so all the flavours come together. You can also add 50-100g parmesan to add "umami" or serve with parmesan at the table or a generous handful of grated cheddar. Nom!!
