Meze

I'm now making my own hummus; my local Tesco will certainly notice a drop in sales of their own variety. Al'fez Tahini is listed as 'free from' too, which is a bonus in a day and age when even certain teas are listed as possibly containing wheat (I'm looking at you, Tetley). So far, experimentation has yielded just a particularly edgy hummus with a kick of chili and paprika and another with more garlic than any standard recipe might call for. Next up, caramelised onion.

Loafing Around

Fresh bread in the house is a beautiful thing. I received a Panasonic SD-2501 bread maker for Christmas and while it is quite an elephant of a machine on our kitchen counter, it works wonderfully, is both safe and quiet, and makes a rather amazing gluten-free loaf of bread in a self-contained system with little mess, unless you're a complete a monster and manage to wreak havoc in the kitchen in the 5 minutes of prep time.

Panasonic SD-2501 in gluten-free mode

Following the included tips on which order to put in the ingredients is key though it might seem counterintuitive to those who have baked bread before; water, salt, sugar, and fats (including eggs) are added before your flour blend and yeast is added last to ensure it doesn't kill the yeast prematurely. The gluten-free setting handles everything from kneading to letting it rise and the baking all within just under 2 hours. Sneaking a peak at the kneading process reveals a much runnier dough than you might expect for bread, almost alarmingly so but such is the nature of the beast. I don't think it ever really takes shape into a typical ball of dough, which is why I'm thankful for not having to clean up the mess that would ensue were I to make it by hand on as regular a basis. About a half hour before it's done baking, that glorious smell thwacks your olfactory senses. And so continues our lives dictated by the beeping of electronic devices. Take it out, resist the urge to hug and devour it, and let it cool.

10-12 slices of gluten-free happiness

A kitchen thermometer is a good means of testing that the bread is cooked through (100 C in the middle). Said thermometer also proved as a good indication that our bedroom was either very poorly insulated or haunted given that it was about 12 degrees cooler than in the lounge.

A good serated bread knife is also a prime investment. A dull blade will only assault what is already a weak crumb structure.

I tend to use the standard recipe included in the Panasonic user guide, though will modify it slightly depending on the size of my eggs and my desire to go out on a whim and experiment. If I'm running low on the bread flour (or if Tesco decide that they'll give me gluten-free apple pies rather than substituting it with something sensible, like other flours, when out of stock) I'll use a combination of other gluten-free flours I tend to have on hand; plain, self-raising, rice and/or tapioca and add a bit of xanthan gum to make up for any potential lack thereof.

330mL water
2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I only put a full 3 if my eggs are on the smaller side)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (Aspall do a gluten-free line)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
450g Doves Farm Gluten Free Bread Flour
2 teaspoons yeast

O! hole-y goodness

A midnight shop at Tesco Extra, a wander down their ever expanding Free From aisle, and lo and behold three new flavours of Udi's Gluten Free Bagels bringing the range to a selection of six. That's Plain, Savoury, and (the ever elusive) Cinnamon & Raisin now joined by Multi Seeded, Chocolate Chip, and Sundried Tomato; all proudly gluten and dairy free. This latter will be key for kookaberries's visit from Berlin as her lactose intolerance combined with vegetarianism and my gluten intolerance will make for quite the 'free-from' weekend.

Udi's GF bagel selection at Tesco

Udi's website doesn't even list the three newcomers so perhaps Tesco is testing the line. I am hoping to see a classic sesame seed bagel join the lineup before long as Montréal bagels remain, three years on, one of the most missed elements from home.

Grate Cooking

The last time I flew home to Montreal, my parents were wary as to what they would feed me if not the staples of my diet the first 25 years of my life (pasta, bread, and beer). The weather was fantastic so twist of a nozzle, up went the flames and the barbecue presented me with what I quickly learned was one of the most reliable ways to cook gluten-free.

Gluten-free Barbecuing

Back to London, and we invested in a charcoal BBQ, which, while admittedly more finicky and time consuming than a gas one, lends a wonderful smoky taste and smell to whatever we happen to be grilling the hell out of. A whole meal came out of the first BBQ session, chicken brochettes (cubed peppers, onion and mango), slathered in paprika and a bit of a honey mustard glaze and to the flames/ashen charcoal they go. Jacket potatoes wrapped in foil rested directly on the coals and to make the most of the hot grilling space (a small rectangle is much more ergonomically sensible than a round grill) we threw on a package of my favourite Heck gluten-free sausages for good measure, thinking there might be a few left over for breakfast. We thought wrong. It was bloody fantastic.


 Now to brainstorm ideas for barbecued desserts.

Jackpot Mainland Europe

Finding an expansive and well-stocked shop of gluten free items both new and familiar is bliss.

The Vitalia health food store in Alexanderplatz S-Bahn station in Berlin is a right gold mine of gluten free food. Thanks to my friend kookaberries, whom I was going to visit in Berlin, who in turn linked me to the wonderful Gluten Frei Berlin blog, this little gem of a shop did not go overlooked. Stocking a very wide range of Dr Schär products - who are the parent company of the Dietary Specials brand in the UK - I quickly regretted traveling with only hand luggage as I could have easily stocked a suitcase of goodies to bring home. I was quite impressed with their variety of frozen goods, breads and flours in such a compact location; the latter, in particular an all-purpose flour blend by Schär, was used to create a luscious lemon meringue pie.

Imagine my sheer excitement when 2 months later I find the same range and diversity of products in Italy, everywhere from a positively massive gluten-free aisle at the Coop megastore in Modena to the tiny local grocery store in a town of 1000 people. From Barilla's own gluten free pasta range (oh how I've missed your assorted shapes!) to Schär's special Savoiardi biscuits, with which I will attempt to create a Tiramisu.

Without

It's taken months but after several food related breakdowns, the acquisition of a bread maker, and reassuring trips to Barcelona, Berlin and northern Italy, I am finally much more comfortable eating out and more importantly am properly enjoying food again.

The mere thought of even venting my frustrations the last few months was mentally exhausting.

Italy, I was surprised to discover and very pleased to report, was so very Coeliac friendly, with more shelf space devoted to gluten-free items than any grocery store I've been to in the U.K./ North America and all restaurant staff I encountered being very knowledgable and accomodating of the gluten intolerance. I was floored but very grateful considering the difficulty I often have with restaurants in the U.K. where I am not impeded by a language barrier. It is obvious that the Italian health ministry has been very proactive about raising awarenss. While alternatives in small Italian restaurants might be minimal, restaurant staff were always able to provide assortments of grilled meat (if they are made aware of an intolerance, they will not coat these in flour, which is a staple of Italian cooking) with side salad and a lovely risottos when available, which they were able to guarantee were gluten free.

We ate at Ristorante Pizzeria la Pentolaccia on Via Caduti del Gatta a number of times; if you happen to be driving through the Reggio Emilia region, I would highly recommend it. Absolutely lovely and amazing value.

The fact that my even my grandmother understood and took the time to buy gluten free flour, pasta and adjust some of her tried and tested recipes in anticipation of my arrival was a blessing and I left feeling well and properly full and loved as anyone should feel after a trip to Italy.

Now that I am feeling less daunted by all this, I will conquer whatever other obstacles are impeding my sense of fullfilment in life. This shall include tackling languages that have played a somewhat significant part in my life but that I have yet to master: Italian and C++.

posted from Bloggeroid

Two steps forward, three steps back

I was doing so well for a month or so and now something's triggered it. I made home made crumble recently; maybe I'm borderline on oats - despite the fact that they're gluten free oats.

I'm at work. I'm burning up. My mouth is inflamed. I'm dreading a work event scheduled for tonight because there are bound to be canapés. I'm always hungry. I hate how much I love food.

Might pull a Mulder and keep sunflower seeds in my pocket.

posted from Bloggeroid