Store-bought noodles can’t compare to homemade, but people looking for grain-free alternatives have long been out of luck on both fronts. Chickpea flour saves the day. It’s not a newfangled notion: chickpea flour has long been used to make pasta in Italy, as well as gnocchi, and spaetzle-like dumplings in North African cuisines. One innovation I’ve added is a bit of psyllium husk; it helps the pasta hold together while it’s being shaped and cooked.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) chickpea flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon whole psyllium husks
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for pasta water
- 3 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons ice water
How to Make It
- Place the flour, psyllium husks, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor; process until combined. Add the eggs; process for 1 minute, until the dough appears very moist and begins to clump at the sides of the bowl. If the mixture appears dry, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing to combine. If the dough appears wet and sticky, add a few teaspoons more flour.
- Gather the dough into a ball and knead it for 1 minute on a clean work surface lightly dusted with chickpea flour. Place the dough in a medium bowl and sprinkle it with more flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the dough on a clean work surface lightly dusted with chickpea flour. Cut the dough in half; cover 1 piece of dough with a clean kitchen towel.
- Using a rolling pin dusted with flour, begin rolling the other piece of dough from the center outward, flipping it over several times to keep it from sticking. Roll it to ⅛-inch thickness.
- For tagliatelle, cut the dough into ¼-inch-wide noodles. Gather the noodles into a few loose nests and sprinkle them with flour. For bowties, cut the dough into 2 by ¾ inch rectangles. Working quickly (before the dough dries), pinch the centers of each rectangle together to form a bowtie. Set the nests or bowties on a floured baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pasta rises to the surface and a sample piece is al dente. Pay close attention to the pasta: like other gluten-free pastas, it can go from perfectly cooked to an overdone, disintegrating mess if you step away.
- Drain the pasta in a strainer and serve with any pasta sauce of your choice.
