Doves Farm Organic Gluten Free Penne

DOVES FARM GLUTEN FREE PENNE PASTA

Key points

• ·         Lovely golden colour and a smooth bite when cooked
• ·         Almost unnoticeably gluten free – you can serve it to any of your friends or family
• ·         I have found that it takes more than the recommended 5 – 7 minutes to cook
• ·         Available in big supermarkets and directly from Doves Farm

Taste

Penne naturally lends itself to being served with a dense sauce, its shape and design is perfect for grabbing and holding on to the sauce: both inside its tubular shape but also on the slight ridges and abrasions on its surface.  It has a very neutral taste, with hints of maize, which really lends it to acting as a background ingredient.  I have served this penne to a variety of friends and family and each person said that they would be hard pressed to tell the difference between Doves Farm Gluten Free Penne and the original durum wheat variety.

Texture

I have used the Doves Farm Penne in making both a simple pasta in sauce and as a twice cooked pasta bake.  In all instances the pasta stands up to stirring and baking, with minimal breaks, and retains a quality, smooth texture.  The combination of the maize and the rice means that it achieves just the right texture between bite and grain, while also helping the penne to hold together so that you don’t have to endure the complete disintegration on cooking as you do from some other combinations, such as vegetable and maize, or the chewiness of a one grain mixture, such as white rice.

Cookability

Cooked in the usual manner – in a large vat of salted boiling water, at a rolling boil until al dente, drained and then served – the manufacturers advise that its cooking time is between 5 – 7 minutes, I would argue that it is actually a bit longer than this, more like 8 – 10 minutes in order to achieve a good al dente texture - although it has to be said; cooking pasta is always to taste and some may find that they prefer a slightly different consistency.  Once cooked, I find that it sometimes help to give the penne a rinse under the hot tap once you have drained it; it seems to negate any stickiness that may come from the starch of the pasta, this is particularly helpful if you are making a pasta salad or a pasta bake.  If you are immediately adding the pasta to a sauce then you may find that it is not necessary.

Ingredients

Maize Flour 70%, Rice Flour 30%

Availability

Doves Farm is a successful and renowned brand now so its availability is widespread.  Their products are available in large numbers of supermarkets such as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, as well in nearly all health food shops.  The Doves Farm website offers a list of stockists in your region, as well as the option of buying from them online, in both small and bulk quantities.   For further information:

www.sainsburys.co.uk

www.dovesfarm.co.uk

www.waitrose.co.uk 

Comments

[Hazel Maher]

This product is easily passed as the real deal. My daughters friend (gluten free) happily ate it, as did all our family without noticing. It cooks well and tastes lovely without an inflated price tag. 9/10