It is a Sunday morning and I got up at 7am to figure out what to do with the chick pea, cassava and yam flours I took out of the pantry on Friday night. They’ve been sitting on the counter waiting for the gluten free angels to visit me and give me some inspiration. Behold, inspiration struck on a Sunday morning.

We are making pasta!

Ingredients:

375ml Cassava (Tapioca) Flour

375ml Yam Flour

125ml Chickpea Flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon flaxmeal/flax powder/flax seeds flour

4 jumbo eggs

Boiling water and salt to cook the pasta

Method:

1. Combine and mix all the flours in a bowl and place the flour on a clean surface.

2. Make a well in the middle and add your eggs in the well. Mix the eggs first with wit a fork then gradually incorporate the flour gradually, using the fork.

3. Once the dough starts to form, use your hands to mix and form a soft ball.

4. Flour your surface with cassava flour and roll out the dough into your desired shape and size. If you have a pasta machine you can use it. Roll the dough out as thick or thin as you desire.

5. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water and add a generous amount of salt – taste the dry flours so that this guides on how much salt to add when cooking. Remember that this is not the normal flour that is used to make pasta. More flavour is needed. Boil for about 25 to 35 minutes – this pasta is thick and you want the stronger flours (chickpea and yam) to cook. Cooking time will also depend on the thickness of your pasta so be sure to pay attention to it.

6. Optional: After cooking the pasta, sauté it for 3 minutes in butter.

7. You will add the pasta in the stew, when the stew is just about ready.

Lamb ingredients:

800g lamb potjie meat – neck and knuckle.

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon lamb seasoning

1 1/2 dry oregano

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 teaspoon Karoo seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

3 Maggie seasoning cubes

50g Tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

500ml chopped tomatoes (blanched, then chopped with the skin removed)

250ml hot water

Broccoli florets – as much as you desire

Parmesan cheese to garnish

Method:

1. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces. I kept the bones in, to be removed before serving as I want the marrow and stock from the bones to infuse into the stew.

2. Add the chilli flakes, dried oregano, garlic powder, lamb seasoning, Karoo potjie spice and coriander to the meat. Rub it in well and cover. Put the meat in the fridge overnight.

3. Heat the oil in a pan on medium low.

4. Sauté the onion until it starts to change colour.

4. Add the meat and brown it, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the seasoning cubes, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and brown sugar. Cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the water and cook for an hour and half to 2 hours on low heat.

7. Once the meat is soft and your sauce is thick, add your broccoli and cook for 2 minutes then add your pasta. Turn the heat down to very low and ground a generous portion of pasta abs pizza seasoning. Simmer for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

This pasta is nutritious due to the different flours used. It’s thickness also means no need to dish a big helping. The stew and it’s flavours work well to almost cover up the strong flavoured flours like the chickpea and yam flours.

If you aren’t a fan of these flour flavours at all, traditional pasta would be the way to go.