Enter my friend Joanie. She agreed to cook with me for the show, and I told her about my idea for a pasta show featuring a couple of different pasta sauces. She replied, "and how about using pasta that isn't wheat pasta?"
Bingo!
We could prepare the sauces, and then critique the gluten-free pastas.
We paired a creamy tomato sauce with chick pea spaghetti, and soy fettucine with an alfredo sauce.
First up was the soybean pasta Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli.
Heavy cream is a hallmark of classic Alfredo; however, I use light cream in my Alfredo sauce instead. Making this swap only sacrifices calories, not flavor!
Click here for the printable recipe.
As promised, Joanie and I offered our critique of the soy pasta. We were happy to be in agreement! But that's about all that we were happy about.
The positives: 1. The pasta remained firm in texture.
2. It only took about 2 minutes to cook the pasta
The negatives: 1. There was no flavor at all to the pasta. It did not even retain the slightest
bit of salty flavor from the salted water that it was boiled in.
2. The pasta did not hold the sauce at all. It slid right off and pooled on the plate.
I would not recommend soy pasta!
Next on the menu was chickpea Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce.
This is a very simple, quick, flavorful red sauce. The addition of a bit of cream at the end gives it a nice, rich texture.
Click here for the printable recipe.
The positives: 1. It was very flavorful!
2. It held the sauce very nicely.
3. Chickpea pasta has about 3 times as much protein as traditional pasta!
The negatives: 1. It doesn't turn entirely soft and mushy, but it does get starchy-soft on the
surface. It still retains a bit of a bite...but if you prefer a true al dente pasta
you would probably be disappointed.
We did not prepare these drinks on-camera; however, if you watched the show and noticed Joanie and I sipping these delightful concoctions and you're wondering what they were, click here for the recipe!
