Rustic Spelt Pasta

Tim has discovered that eating wheat makes him feel quite unwell, but he is able to tolerate Spelt flour. Wheat free products are very expensive or not particularly nice. So I thought I'd try making pasta with Spelt flour. I have to say that it was well worth the effort- it really wasn't all that fiddly or difficult and the pasta was delicious. I'll be making this one again! This pasta was made to go with some left over mince with peas and corn- not your traditional spag bol and not really blog worthy but it is the one that my girl prefers.

Rustic Spelt Pasta

1and 3/4 cups of spelt flour

3eggs

one very generous pinch of salt

Mix together with a knife in a large mixing bowl. Knead as the dough comes together for a few minutes. Add a sprinkle of extra flour if needed. I added about a tablespoon or two, eggs vary in size so it is tricky to be exact,plus I am not an exact cook I go by feel and instinct. Wrap in plastic wrap or damp cloth for 10 mins to rest (the dough not you it's not hard work!)

Roll pasta through pasta roller. TIP: I found that this flour was a little sticky I don't know if it was my quantities or they type of flour but I found it easier to cut the dough in small pieces and run them through the pasta roller in these smaller batches. do all of them at each number down to about the third last one.

Slice them into strips and cook in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 1 or 2 minutes according to your taste. I did a practice one first.

(Sorry about the lines through the photo's this keeps happening randomly when I upload photo's on Blogger since I changed to the new format- I don't know what I am doing!??!)

Sausage rolls!

Having been allergic to preservatives, colourings and flavourings and MSG (not to mention raw onion, including raw garlic and any other thing of the onion family when raw, salmon, sword fish, cobbler- violently!!) Eating out is often a bit tricky. sometimes I just decide that I will put up with the consequences- except for the cobbler ones I avoid any fish that I am unsure of. But the other thing I miss are things like the occasional sausage and pies and sausage rolls.

Finally after years it is becoming far easier to find in the average supermarket preservative, colouring and flavouring free foods. Just recently our local "Growers Fresh" gourmet deli supermarket has started to stock organic gluten free sausages. I LOVE them. And at about $1.40 each sausage they are extravagant as far as sausages go I would never have thought I would look upon the humble sausage as a gourmet treat. The other day I made a good old sausage curry.

Nothing inspiring just fried onions, sausages, curry powder, diced potato, A tin of crushed tomatoes a dash of water and a preservative free stock cubeand a sprinkle of frozen peas and corn. YUM!!! A childhood dish.

On the weekend I got a sheet of puff pastry sliced it in half . I removed the sausage meat from it's casing and lay it along the centre of the pastry (about two sausages for each pastry half) I rolled them up and chopped them into small "party sausage rolls". After about 20mins in a hot oven, Finally after YEARS of salivating at staff morning teas I could eat some sausage rolls!