The pantry raid (phew, lucky I didn’t leave that ‘r’ out), continues tonight with a recipe I’ve been meaning to try for ages plus a sauce cobbled together out of leftovers.

I generally do my supermarket shopping at a wonderful IGA, Leo’s. Apart from not belonging to Coles or Woolworths which is a major plus in itself, it bucks the trend of reducing available items to a bare minimum of self branded blahdom. The shelves host the most wonderful array of culinary exotica. Products that make me fairly lust for a child free day to linger in the kitchen creating a seven course masterpiece meal to be consumed with table manners and adult conversation.

In a recent shopping foray, I noticed a bag of chestnut flour. I had to have it. I had no idea what to do with it but I had to have it. I did a bit of research when I got home and discovered a seductively simple pasta recipe. So the flour has been sitting in the pantry for weeks now waiting for me to have the right amount of time available in my day to make it.

Originally I had planned to make it with the accompanying burnt butter and sage sauce as it is a favourite of mine. I was inspired in another direction though by a handful of baby spinach that required urgent use and some dregs of sheep’s yoghurt cheese floating in oil.

Chestnut Pasta with Cheese Oil & Baby Spinachpasta.jpg
To Make Pasta:
250g plain flour
250g chestnut flour
5 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place all ingredients in thermomix. Mix on speed 5 for 10 seconds to combine. Knead for 5 minutes. Remove from thermomix. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour. Gently feed through pasta machine to create fettucine. Be very careful, it has low gluten content so is quite delicate. As you can see by the picture, I hung it to dry for a couple of hours.

To Make Sauce:
Dregs of sheep’s yoghurt cheese in oil
Handful baby spinach
Scrag end of tomato leftover from lunch cut with scissors into tiny strips.

Gently heat oil in small saucepan. Quickly toss spinach and tomato through until wilted. Serve sparingly over cooked pasta.

Serve with grated parmesan to taste.