It's Sunday which means sharing another cookbook that I've had the pleasure of cooking from quite few times (and a cookbook from a couple that I've been lucky to hang out with in person.) I've known Tim and Shanna (Food Loves Writing) for a few years now and I always make time to read their posts because of the honesty (and the good food!) I've also have a beautiful water color print hanging on my wall that Shanna painted- so talented I tell you. This past year, Shanna and Tim wrote a wonderful book all about Einkorn (and if you've been hanging around this site, you might already known how much I love Einkorn.) This cookbook is a lovely extension of their blog.
If you are unfamiliar with Einkorn, it's a variety of wheat that has been unchanged throughout history (where as modern wheat has been cross-bread with other varieties). The result is a unique wheat variety that has a nice nutty flavor and I find easy to cook with, either in flour or berry form. The Einkorn cookbook covers an array of recipes using each. I have a few Einkorn recipes on the blog, but feel so inspired by the 100+ recipes in the book. I'm particularly eyeing the lettuce wraps made with the Einkorn berries, the thin crust Einkorn Pizza, and especially the chocolate chip Belgian waffles.
This particular pasta recipe is straight from the cookbook with minimal ingredients: einkorn flour, salt, and eggs. I really love working with einkorn flour, especially in doughs, because of the soft texture plus I find it easy to work with. If this pasta looks lighter considering I'm using a wheat flour, it's most likely because I picked up a back of Jovial all-purpose einkorn flour which has had some of the bran removed before packaging (this is part of the reason I like to grind my own as the bran continues good nutrients as well!) However, Jovial's flour is nice for those times I don't grind my own or just want to pick up a bag of flour for easy use.
As for the filling, I've had a few leftover items hanging around since I made this Mediterranean flatbread that I decided it was time to throw the same ingredients into a pasta (because, why not?) I mixed up the ingredients a bit from the flatbread by adding chickpeas and fennel as well as subbing in the sun-dried tomatoes from the regular (I'd love some fresh roasted tomatoes in this dish but that will have to wait for summer.) Also, the amounts are rough- if you want more olives, throw in more olives. Or if you are a garlic lover, up the amount by 2 or 3 cloves. I'm not too keen on keeping pasta recipes exact- I never make it the same way twice!
Don't forget to check out the Einkorn Cookbook!
Print
This is a wonderful, hearty pasta dish that is perfect for a main vegetarian pasta dish that isn't too heavy. While the pasta takes a bit of time to make, I think it is well worth it. Of course, you can always use store bought pasta which means you could then make this pasta dish in about 15 minutes.
+ I typically buy artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes that are not oil packed, but you can use either. If using sun-dried tomatoes that are dry packaged, be sure to let them soak in water until tender.
+ Toss the remaining half of the pasta with a bit of olive oil and save for later use, either with some marina sauce or another pasta dish. Alternatively, you could make half the amount of pasta- I'm just never good at halving eggs and I love leftovers.
+ Einkorn Pasta recipe from The Einkorn Cookbook by Shanna and Tim Mallon.
What an inspired recipe to kick off my efforts to cook better in the New Year ... thanks Erin!
This looks wonderful! I love how light this dish looks!
This is the perfect pantry pasta dish when quick dinners are needed on the weeknight. And I love how simple their einkorn pasta recipe is. It's inspiring me to make my own pasta now!!
I have never heard of Einkhorn flour before, but this recipe definitely seems to represent it well! I am definitely inspired to seek out this interesting grain in stores. Thank you for developing - and sharing this recipe based on Shanna and Tim's book!
My copy of Tim & Shanna's book, along with a package of einkorn flour from Jovial, just arrived this weekend and I can't wait to give it a try! I love your pasta drying rack -- need to get one soon!
This is quite interesting. Haven't cooked with Einkorn and haven't combined pasta with chickpeas either. I think it's about time!
http://the-veghog.blogspot.co.uk
Wow this sounds super tasty! I love using olives in pasta recipes!
Rae | love from berlin
This sounds so fresh and delicious. I've never heard of that wheat/wheat flour...is it hard to find? I've never seen it in any of the stores near my house.
Some specialty grocery stores carry it but I have better luck finding it online (Amazon or straight from Jovial- just type in 'Jovial Einkorn Flour' into google!)
I have yet to cook with einkorn but have heard amazing things about it! Can't wait to try experimenting with it and to try this pasta dish 🙂
This recipe looks very interesting. I'm looking forward to making it. I have never heard of Einkorn Flour - thanks for giving some hints on how to find it online.
I haven't tried making pasta with einkorn flour but I'm inspired too after this beautiful post!
PS I tried Tim + Shanna's chocolate chip waffle recipe. So good!
I made this into a healthy dinner, as I am following the Mediterranean diet. Might not work for everyone, but my wife and I love this dish. I used whole wheat angel hair, and substituted white wine for the heavy cream. Plus a bit less feta. I added cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and capers as well. It was great
Your recipe says to add more water if the recipe seems too dry. Stated recipe does not mention how much water to add initially i.e. So that later it might make sense to say add more.
Thanks for the catch but the recipe doesn't need water initially so I just took out the 'more'.
Whoa, this recipe did not work at all. I’m an experienced pasta maker, but using Einkorn was a nightmare. I used jovial all-purpose Einkorn flour. I found it very mealy to work with, not ground to a flour. I understand Einkorn has less gluten than modern wheat flours, but it doesn’t seem to have enough to hold pasta together. I couldn’t get it to roll out without crumbling. There was no way to cut it into noodles. We made a lasagna instead. Let’s just say it was rustic, to be polite.
That's really interesting- Jovial's AP Einkorn even has some of the bran removed to make it more akin to an all-purpose flour. I will say that I've had issues with slow water retention and Einkorn/ it's easy to try and over compensate with more flour in a sticky dough, leading to pasta that's far too dry (just a thought). I'll look back into this recipe and see what else I find. Thanks for the feedback!