Tips for Cooking Gluten-Free Pasta

The unfortunate condition known as celiac disease, which leaves many people unable to digest gluten properly and causes some nasty side effects if they try, has given rise to many commercially available pastas that are not made from wheat. Common alternatives include rice and corn, as well as some less widely known grains such as quinoa, an ancient food that dates at least as far back as the Incas and is regaining popularity because of its high and complete protein content.

Gluten-free pastas made from these grains, however, are not identical to their wheat cousins. They need to be treated differently, and when preparing a dish with them, you need to take their individual flavors and textures into account. Rice noodles, for example, work best with Asian dishes, whereas a corn noodle Pad Thai would probably be a little off-putting.

Here are a few recipes that take each noodle's idiosyncrasies into account and use each one to its full potential:

Thai Rice Noodle Red Curry
Ingredients You Will Need:
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves removed and chopped into inch-long pieces
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 ½ cups coconut milk
½ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces and cooked
1 cup frozen peas
1 pound rice vermicelli, soaked for half an hour in steaming hot water
½ bunch cilantro, leaves removed and roughly chopped
½ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

In a large pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Sauté until they begin to brown, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the curry paste, and sauté for a few more minutes until it darkens slightly in color and becomes very aromatic. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock, and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce, and stir to combine. Add the chicken, and reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer until the sauce is thick. Stir in the frozen peas, and allow to simmer for a few more minutes. Drain the rice noodles, and put them in a platter. Cover with the curry, and top with the cilantro and peanuts. Serve immediately.

Corn Noodle And Fresh Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients You Will Need:
8 ounces corn noodles, whatever shape you prefer
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 small red chili, seeded and minced
1 anchovy (optional, but highly recommended even if you think you don't like anchovies)
1 cup Portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
10 stalks asparagus, blanched and cut into ½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 bunch basil, leaves removed and roughly chopped

Boil the noodles until they are tender in a lot of salted water. They may take a little longer to cook than regular noodles, so keep an eye on them and test them frequently. When they are done, drain them, and set them aside. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, red chili and anchovy. Sauté until they begin to brown, about three minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they are tender, about five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the basil, and sauté for a few more minutes until they are heated through. Toss in the pasta, and stir in the basil. Serve with grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.