In good news for those who love pasta but are gluten-intolerant, the Barilla group has launched a range of gluten-free pasta in the UAE. Made from rice and corn, there will be four varieties of the pasta available on our supermarket shelves - spaghetti, penne rigate, fusilli and tortiglioni.
"The UAE is seeing a changing demand in consumers’ choice of food, particularly a high interest in gluten-free products. Restaurants, as well as retail companies, are growing their product lines that fit the consumers’ dietary requirements,” said Loay Elkhouly, managing director, Barilla – MEA. “As such, we felt it was important to introduce a gluten-free pasta line for our customers, ensuring that it delivers the quality, taste and texture that pasta lovers expect from Barilla."
Here is a gluten-free pasta recipe from Barillo for you to try.
Gluten-free penne with tuna, capsicum and tomato and basil sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g Barilla Gluten-Free Penne Rigate
400g Barilla Basilico sauce
½ red onion, thickly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp fresh red chilli
¾ yellow capsicum, cut in 1cm cubes
2 small cans of tuna in olive oil (180g each)
1 punnet of ripe truss tomatoes on the vine, quartered
8 leaves of basil, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Rock salt, for pasta water
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
▶ In a large frying pan, cook onion and garlic in a little oil.
▶ Once golden, add chilli, capsicum and cook for few minutes.
▶ Add one can of tuna with Barilla Basilico sauce and bring to a simmer.
▶ Add Barilla Gluten-Free Penne to plenty of salted boiling water (7g to a litre of water) and cook according to the instructions on the box.
▶ Drain the pasta two minutes before the suggested cooking time and toss it together with the sauce and fresh tomatoes.
▶ Add extra tuna and the chopped basil and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Chef’s tip: This dish works equally as well as a pasta salad, just leave to cool and serve.