Gluten Free: Sausage Filled Ravioli

Pasta, the nemesis of the gluten free eater. It's made with high-gluten flour which makes it stretchy and workable, but it also makes it difficult to make a GF substitute. There are quite a few passable gluten free versions of spaghetti, penne, macaroni and lasagne sheets, there's even Bob the Builder shaped pasta, if that's your kind of thing. So far, however, there's no such thing as fresh GF pasta, so if you want filled gluten free pasta, then you'll have to make your own.

Before you close this window to find something less ridiculous than making gluten free pasta, maybe chimpanzees on Segways, wait! Making gluten free pasta is not as awful as you imagine. If you have a pasta maker (one that hasn't been used with regular pasta, the cross contamination risk is too high otherwise) then it's even easier. I don't have a pasta maker, it's still on my 'kitchen things to buy' list, which means I have to roll my pasta out the old fashioned way. I have the upper body strength of a small child and even less patience, so if I can do it, anyone can.

Sausage Filled Ravioli (serves 2)
You'll need:
The pasta:

• 120g rice flour (I used Doves Farm)
• 90g tapioca flour
• 30g potato flour
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• a big pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp olive oil

The filling:

• 2 gluten free pork sausages (I used Rankin's Pork Sausages, but The Black Farmer or M&S also make good GF sausages)
• 10g Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk

Make it!
The pasta:

1. Put all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse until it starts to come together into a crumbly dough.
2. Turn out on to a surface and knead it for a few minutes until it holds together. It will be quite a firm dough now.
3. Wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest for about 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (I think the rice flour is the best for dusting) until it's thin enough that you can see the outline of your hand through it, which is about 1mm thick. It's easier if you roll out the dough in two or three batches.

The filling:

1. Remove the skins of the sausages and crumble the meat into a pan, fry for a few minutes until cooked through. Use your wooden spoon to break the sausage up a bit so that the pieces are all evenly sized. Leave to cool
2. When the sausage is cool, combine it with the Parmesan, sage and egg yolk.

Making the ravioli:

1. Place teaspoon-sized blobs of the filling on the pasta, using a pastry cutter as guide for spacing.
2. Brush the pasta with egg wash (I just used a little of the leftover egg whites) and place another piece of pasta on top.
3. Gently seal the ravioli with your fingertips, pushing all the air out of the middle, then cut out the ravioli with your pastry cutter.
4. Once they're all cut, give them another wee seal, checking for cracks or little holes in the pasta.
5. Drop the ravioli into boiling salted water and a bring back to a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes.
6. Drain the pasta and toss with a little olive oil. 
7. Serve with some grated Parmesan and black pepper.

You can find tapioca flour and potato flour at health food shops, the Whole Foods section of larger Tescos or online at Goodness Direct.