Spelt Flour Linguine (egg-free) with Mushroom Bolognese Sauce
NOTE: This recipe requires a pasta maker…
Ingredients (for dough):
• 2 cups Hockley Valley Light Spelt Flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup water
Instructions:
• Add the flour, water, and sea salt to a bowl. Gently mix it together with your hands until it forms a ball of dough.
• Knead the dough for a minute in order to develop the gluten in the spelt flour.
• Form the dough into a disc, wrap with parchment or put in a glass container, and let rest in the fridge for a half hour.
• Once the dough is rested, set up your pasta station with a basic pasta machine, parchment paper or a clean work surface for shaping the dough, and flour for dusting.
• Cut the dough into quarters and feed each length through the rollers twice on level 2 and then twice on level 4.
• Cut into your desired shape. For rustic fettuccine, use a sharp knife and make careful cuts along the length of the dough. For orecchiette, cut the dough into 1/2 inch square pieces and use your thumb to create a rounded shape.
• Dust the pasta with flour after shaping, lay out, and let dry for at least an hour before cooking.
• Bring the water to a boil and add the pasta, making sure not to over-crowd the pot. Let boil for one minute, then skim out with a spider or a spaghetti scooper and transfer to the pan with the sauce.
• Repeat until all of the pasta is cooked.
Mushroom Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients:
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 225g of mushrooms (or 1 pint container) finely diced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tin of Italian plum tomatoes (about 750 ml), preferably San Marzano tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of pasta water
Instructions:
•Add the olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms to a large pan and saute until browned.
• Add the herbs and tin of tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork.
• Simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes – an hour.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the cooked noodles to the pan of sauce, add about 1/4 cup of pasta water to loosen up the sauce.
• Let it all cook together for a minute or so to allow all of the flavors to meld together.
• Garnish with more fresh herbs and serve hot.