The pride of Bologna, tagliatelle reside in the pasta lunga family. They are long, flat ribbon-like strands, with a rough texture, and are used in a number of classic Italian dishes - most notably with ragù alla bolognese. Legend states that tagliatelle were invented in 1487 on the night of Annibale II Bentivoglio’s wedding to Lucrezia from the house of Este to mimic her ribbon-like hairstyle. To this day, Bologna takes so much pride in their beloved tagliatelle that they have a solid gold replica, demonstrating the correct dimensions of a piece of tagliatelle: 1 mm x 6 mm.
While your homemade gluten free tagliatelle will likely not be those precise dimensions, we can guarantee that if you follow our instructions below, you will arrive at the perfect complement to a deliciously meaty beef ragù or a light, bright pesto alla Genovese.
Our homemade gluten free tagliatelle recipe
Serves: 2-3 people
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Calories per 100g: 258 kcal (excludes sauce)
Ingredients
- 200g gluten-free flour (rice flour and cornflour are both dependable and readily available)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp xanthan gum (only if your flour doesn’t already contain it)
- 1tbsp salt
Tools
- Rolling pin
- Fork
- Wooden board
- Pasta cutter or knife
Method
To make your gluten free pasta dough, follow the steps below or watch our lovely sfoglina Roberta in our video guide:
- On a clean marble or wooden work surface, pile your gluten-free flour, xanthan gum and salt into a mound.
- Make a well in the centre of the mound large enough for the 2 eggs.
- Crack the eggs into the well. Add in the olive oil.
- Beat the egg mixture with the fork, slowly pulling the flour from the sides of the well until the egg has all been absorbed by the flour. As the mixture thickens, start using your hands with a scrapper to continue incorporating the flour.
- If needed, drizzle a small amount of warm water and continue mixing until you have a ball of dough.
- Clean the work surface of any excess flour or dough bits that never incorporated. Then lightly flour your clean work surface.
- Knead the dough by pressing the heel of one hand into the ball, keeping your fingers high. Press down on the dough while pushing it firmly away from you. The dough should stretch and roll under your hand to create a shell-like shape.
- Repeat the process for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and silky.
- At this point, roll the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a small bowl and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap.
- Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 1 day in the refrigerator. If the dough has been refrigerated, let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before rolling and shaping.
To shape your tagliatelle
- Lightly flour your surface.
- Shape the dough into a rough circle.
- With a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough as you would with a pastry crust, starting in the centre and rolling away from you to the outer edge. You can also use a pasta machine here.
- Turn the dough a quarter-turn, and repeat, working your way around, until the sheet of dough is 1/8 inch thin or less. Scatter a small amount of gluten free flour on the dough whenever it starts to stick to the surface or the rolling pin.
- According to Italian tradition, the sheet of dough should be transparent enough to read the text beneath.
- Place the dough, now called a sfoglia, onto a clean and lightly floured work surface.
- Roll the dough over itself a few times carefully, ensuring there is enough gluten free flour so it doesn't stick. Trim the end edges to be even, then cut into approximately 6mm wide strips.
- Gently lift the pasta strips in the air and place them carefully onto a dishtowel, make sure they are separated.
- Repeat with the remaining sheets of dough.
- At this point, you are ready to cook your pasta. If you made too much, you can always freeze your pasta for up to a month. Read all about taking care of your pasta creations in our ultimate guide to storing fresh pasta.
To cook your tagliatelle
- Now that you have succeeded in making incredible, fresh, gluten free tagliatelle, you're ready to combine with your sauce of choice!
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a generous amount of salt.
- Add the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until al dente (taste a piece before removing from the water).
- Strain the pasta and mix with sauce. Shave some Parmigiano Reggiano on top and enjoy!
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