Using one of the many Gluten Free pastas on the market these days, you can create impressive dishes for your guests. It’s up to you, whether you tell them they are better for them!
The pretty Caprese Pasta, pictured here, is a dish I served at my last restaurant.
All you need, besides gluten free pasta, are tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil, mire poix, fresh lemon juice and fresh egg.
For the tomato you can use some of the beautiful roasted tomatoes I featured in an earlier post, sun dried tomatoes, or even good quality canned fire roasted tomato. You can use fresh, but during the Winter months they have so little flavor all they add is color.
The pictured dish features micro-basil. If those aren’t available, you can chiffinade fresh leaves.
You will want fresh mozzarella, not drier pizza mozzarella for this dish. If you get lucky and find some di bufala mozzarella, do a full on HAPPY DANCE!! This is an incredible treat.
To make the dish, simply saute your mire poix in a small amount of olive oil. Add the tomatoes to heat thru. Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to boost the fresh flavors of the dish. At the last moment of cooking, drop in your chopped mozzarella. Do not cook it; just get it to begin warming so it will melt. Turn off the burner and add cooked Gluten Free pasta, directly from the boiling water.* Immediately add a raw egg yolk. Toss it thru the hot pasta to cook it. Do NOT let it sit! Visible pieces of cooked egg will create a very unappetizing looking dish. Toss in salt and pepper, as desired. If the dish isn’t ‘saucy’ enough, spoon some of the pasta cooking water in and toss. Add the fresh basil, folding it in. Serve immediately.
note: Yes, you can make the dish without the egg, if this concerns you. It does create the richness you are looking for in the finished dish, though. You could add a small amount of organic cream, instead. If you are allergic to eggs, be aware that most fresh pasta is made with egg. Look at dried pastas, carefully reading the ingredients, to find another option.
* Do not over drain your pasta. You want some of the liquid. When pasta is over drained it begins soaking up any moisture available in the dish. You end up with a dish that seems under sauced and dry.