FLAX NOODLE REVOLUTION!

Sweet Adeline

ok. i think i may be on to something. raw foodies always use zuchinni or carrots or young coconut all shoe-stringed with a spiralizer, but i don't like this, because, with the exception of the young coconut, none of these have the texture of noodles. and i hate to brake it to some of you guys, but kelp noodles are mostly filler ingredients. but i LOVE noodles! well, i made some gingerbread cookies recently, and i used a lot of flaxseed, and it had a really nice doughy texture. the flavor was...a little too flaxy...every thing else was spot on- except the cookies weren't crunchy how i like them (if anyone knows how to make a crunchy cookie, let me know- not "nut'crunchy, but actually crunchy), but eating reminded me of when i first became a vegan (not raw), i looked online for vegan recipes for bran muffins, and i discovered that flaxseeds were a vegan substitute for eggs. i was reminded of this also when i was making flax barbecue chips, and after soaking the flax overnight, and the next day spooning the mixture in with the other ingredients- it looked like egg whites. well, eggs are sometimes used in noodles, and that leaves some sort of grain. well, you can sprout grains, can't you? why can't we make our own raw noodles?? is this possible? does anybody have any ideas on this? i am prepared to try it out somehow- trial-and-error sort of thing. but i don't know anything about making noodles. most people cook their noodles. do you have to to make them "noodly"? or can you just soak them? i don't know -questions questions QUESTIONS! that is why i'm posting this

amm170579

hmmm... interesting idea i'm totally into this. you would need something that would keep the "dough" cohesive enough to hold a thing noodley shape. i can't think of anything that would have the texture of real pasta though...

Sweet Adeline

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SPROUTED GRAIN PASTA

I read about this recipe from an old Italian woman who claims that flour from sprouted grain makes a sweet and more easily digestible pasta.

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the grain overnight in water. Rinse the grain then spread it out on on a stainless steel tray. Tilt the tray so as to drain off excess water which could cause the grain to rot. Cover the grain with a cloth and leave to sprout for 12-24 hours. Keep the grain moist by spraying it with water. As soon as the rootlets appear rinse the grain and dehydrate in a dehydrator. Once the grain is dry it can be ground to a flour in a grain mill and used to make pasta as per your favourite recipe.

During my pre-motherhood existence, I had started to learn to make homemade pasta. The Kid's egg allergy, which we discovered a year postpartum, completely derailed that line of line of culinary exploration. That is, until now. (Drumroll, please.)

I decided to try substituting flax seed meal for eggs in pasta dough. To my complete and utter astonishment, it created lovely workable dough, which made pasta with a nice tooth and nutty flavor, slightly reminiscent of soba noodles. My old recipe called for 3 Cups of flour, 3 eggs, and a pinch of salt. Here's the new version:

3 C flour (I used King Arthur bread flour)

3 Tbs flax seed meal + 1/2 C water, blended

1/2 C water in addition to flax seed mixture

1 tsp olive oil

large pinch of kosher salt

Using a stick blender, pulverize the flax seed meal and water to get maximum glutinousness. (Heh.) Mix flour and salt together on a flat surface and make a well in the center. Pour flax seed mixture and olive oil into well and mix into flour. While mixing, add in the additional 1/2 C water, using less or more if necessary. Use a dough scraper to bring ingredients together and knead until it becomes a stiff, uniform dough. Form into a ball, then place in a plastic bag and allow to rest for at least half an hour. (The rest period for my dough was somewhat longer.)

Cut off smaller pieces of dough, flour well, and run through a pasta machine from higher to lower settings, then cut into desired shape. (I recommend using a pasta machine rather than shaping by hand, though you could roll it out with some muscle and give it additional rest periods covered in plastic to make the dough more easily workable.) The dough did best at the second to lowest thinness setting on the machine for the final pasta. I divided my batch and made half as flat noodles and half as pumpkin filled raviolis.

For noodles, simply cut with the machine or by hand, then separate onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and place in freezer for 30 minutes. After the half hour, use immediately or move into a freezer bag for longer storage. To cook the noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add frozen noodles to water, allow to return to a boil, then reduce temperature and cook for six to eight minutes, checking for doneness before draining pasta. The thickness of the pasta will determine the length of time needed, so watch closely.

Since the noodles reminded me of soba, I made a quick miso glaze for them:

1 C water

1 Tbs miso paste

1 Tbs corn starch

3 mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 green onions, chopped

sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Combine water, miso, and corn starch in a small pan. Whisk together until smooth. Add mushrooms and green onions, and bring to a boil while stirring. Mix with noodles, sprinkle sesame seeds and serve immediately. (The green onions are better if they are added after it has been boiled, but I habitually overcook onions in deference to The Kid's palate.)

Pumpkin Ravioli

I baked a small, 3 pound pumpkin for an hour at 350