Book of Yum

Last night we had another meeting of our local Celiac SF Bay Area Support Group. Our kind host and hostess provided an amazing array of delicious dishes for our “Gluten Free Pizza and Beer Night”. This was no simple pizza and beer night, though.
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The menu included:
4 vegetarian pizzas, including a deep dish bean and sorghum crust vegetarian pizza with cheese and tomato sauce, as well as Annalise Robert’s rice and millet thin crust pizza crusts.

2 pasta dishes, one with corn quinoa rotini pasta and one spaghetti dish

Amazing Torta de ceci with basil pesto

A delicious marinated artichoke salad

A greens salad

Steamed broccoli
A roman feast of grapes

Artichoke spinach dip with corn chips (YUM!)

2 kinds of bread sticks, one from an adapted Risotteria breadstick recipe and another recipe made with onion garlic chebe decorated with fresh parsley (my contributions)

Wine, soda, water, and beer

And for dessert? Yummy sweet sugared pecans, Delicious crispy cookies and a heavenly cranberry one-bowl pie and pumpkin bread.
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You can tell we’re something of a food oriented group- there was enough food for a gluten free army! We had a huge turnout and it was a really fun event, thanks to our gracious host and hostess. Next month I may host our gathering, and in December one of our intrepid members will arrange a restaurant outing for us. I know it will be fabulous. I just may have to diet between now and then, because all this gluten free camaraderie comes with lots of calories! The food is wonderful, but getting the chance to chat with other gluten-free people is the best part. If you haven’t already, I would really urge you to seek out a gluten-free support group in your area. Even if you feel comfortable with the diet and don’t feel you need support per say, it’s a great way to meet some really nice local people and compare notes on food, restaurants, and life.

But what about THE FOOD, I hear you asking. Although I intended to bring my favorite Carol Fenster pizza dish, Thursday is a bit busy for me, so I ended up only making two things- two recipes for gluten free bread sticks. You know, I don’t know that I’ve ever had proper bread sticks before yesterday. I decided to try Jane Oswack’s version of the Risotteria bread sticks recipe that was posted in the New York times, and I also made Chebe’s onion garlic bread sticks for the first time.

Here are the risotteria style gluten-free bread sticks that I made. The only changes I made to the recipe were substituting Trader Joe’s Pasta Seasoning for the dried herbes de Provence and leaving out the gelatin to make it a vegetarian recipe. Also, rather than using a pastry bag, I used a large ziploc bag with a corner cut out to pipe the dough out into sticks. The result? A somewhat dense, chewy bread stick. Justin said they looked like traditional bread sticks, which may explain why they disappeared like hot cakes at our meeting, but I was a little disappointed with how heavy they were. I’m not sure I would make the recipe again. I would give it a 6. It was a fairly easy and foolproof recipe, though.

My favorite bread sticks ended up being those I made with the Chebe Onion-Garlic Bread Stick Mix. I bought it at our local Country Sun Health Food Store, but you can also buy it online. I followed the instructions on the back, adding milk, eggs, and olive oil to the package. (I tend not to add cheese to their mixes, although you can.) This mix is dairy, bean, yeast, and soy free- it’s basically tapioca starch! Then I rolled out the dough in a large ziploc bag to a 1/4 inch thickness or so (twice as thick as I’d roll out a thin pastry dough or knish dough). I cut some into inch wide strips and others into skinny sticks like most of those in the large picture above. Then I brushed them all with either an egg white wash or olive oil and carefully added some fresh, organic parsley leaves from my balcony, and baked them for about 20 minutes. The result? Light, fluffy bread sticks with a delightfully delicate flavor. DH suggested I add sea salt next time, and I probably will, but they were good as is. The thing about Chebe is it is best fresh out of the oven, and is still good for another 4 or 5 hours, but after that you’ll want to pop it in the oven for 5 or 10 minutes to add crunch and avoid gumminess. I’d give these lovely bread sticks a 9/10. DH enjoyed them as well. I’ll definitely be making them again.

I think I’ve just become a convert to bread sticks. They are perfect self contained individual bread servings, and they’re also fairly easy to make. So, now it’s your turn to share. What are your favorite recipes for gluten free bread sticks? Feel free to post recipes or recommendations in comments!

Also, check out Rachel’s review of this recipe over at Wheat-Free Meat-Free.

This month I hosted our local Celiac Bay Area Support Group potluck at my apartment clubhouse. Although our branch of the SFBay Celiac Support Group is fairly new, we’ve formed a cohesive little community around our interest in gluten free foods and the gluten free lifestyle. We are in the process of establishing a web site resource for San Francisco Celiacs as well as considering strategies for gluten free Bay area restaurant education. We are all quite jealous of the glorious gluten free food scene in New York, enriched as it is by Risotteria and Babycakes bakery, among many others. Anyway, I will keep you updated as our Support Group resourses are developed! Our potluck food themes have included Italian food, The Foods of Asia, and now our most recent dinner was all about delicious, Mediterranean food. The Menu?

Appetizer: DH Grilled Artichokes with Dip
K’s Veggies and Chips with hummus and dip
Salad: V’s Greek Salad with Feta and Dressing on the Side
Entrée: Sea Vegetarian Risotto with shallot marinated grilled crimini and portabella mushrooms. (recipes below)
Entrée: E’s Gluten Free Quinoa Tabbouleh
Protein Entrée: K’s Turkish Moussaka
Bread: Sea Bette Hagman’s French Bread
Beverages: L#1 Wine
Dessert: L#2 Fresh Fruit with cream
Sea Homemade Ice Cream- Vanilla, Banana

*note: my compatriots have been transformed into letters of the alphabet to protect their super secret identities. Are the letters random? Who knows… Do any of you know what Q’s name stands for in 007???*

We are a group that just loves delicious food, obviously. Of course I can’t refrain from making enough food for an army, no matter what size the gathering. DH grilled some of his delicious artichokes and I prepared a scrumptious fresh herb dip to accompany it. I also made vegetarian red onion risotto in both a dairy and dairy free incarnation. Because risotto just isn’t complete without yummy mushrooms garnishing it, I whipped up an original recipe for Shallot marinated grilled crimini and portabella mushrooms. I made my classic party food item- Bette Hagman’s rapid rise french bread, found in her book, More from the Gluten free Gourmet. After all, every gluten free party should have some killer gluten free bread.. And then because DH and I have been eying our unused ice cream maker a lot lately and thinking that we really OUGHT to do something with it, we also made an egg free vanilla and banana ice cream recipe. Too much? Probably, but it was fun and there was enough risotto to send almost everyone off with a little dinner portion to take home and still leave us with enough for some risotto cakes. But there were quite a few gourmet chefs at this gluten free gathering of ours. V’s Greek salad was delicious, and prepared just the way I like it with a wide assortment of greens, kalamata olives, feta cheese and an absolutely delish wine vinaigrette. I think E’s Gluten Free Quinoa Tabbouleh was the best quinoa I’d ever had- it was light, refreshing, and perfect for a summer Mediterranean feast. K’s Turkish Moussaka was gobbled up by all the happy omnivores at the party, and I was really jealous of the decadent eggplant starring in the dish. L#2 Fresh Fruit with cream was the perfect end to a summer feast, and we were all completely full and happy by the end of the evening.

See how much delicious fun it is to get together with other gluten free foodies in your neighborhood? Don’t you want to start or join your own Gluten Free Support Group? Why not give it a try- I bet you’ll discover all kinds of tasty gluten free dishes you’ve never had before… I can’t wait for our next meeting, but I’m thinking I need to join a gym to compensate for all this gourmet gluten free dining I’ve been doing lately… ;)

Red Onion Vegetarian Risotto Recipe Main Course  Rice  Italian

Ingredients 6 cups homemade Gluten Free vegetable stock (or use gluten free veg bouillon) 4 tbsp unsalted butter (OR olive oil OR margarine) 1 red onion or 8 shallots, finely chopped 4 whole garlic cloves 2 bay leaves 1 1/2 cup arborio rice (short grain japanese sushi rice also works) 1 1/2 cup white wine 2 tsp. italian seasonings 1/2 to 2/3 cups grated parmesan cheese and romano cheese (optional) 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, julienned for garnish salt to taste freshly ground black pepper Grilled Mushrooms for serving Directions Heat stock in a pan until almost boiling, then lower heat to simmer. Heat butter or oil in fry pan, heavy bottomed saucepan or dutch oven on medium heat. Add onions or shallots, galic cloves and bay leaves and cook until onions are softened but not browned. Add rice and stir until grains are translucent and glistening (a minute or two). Pour in wine and let simmer until it is absorbed. Add stock to risotto one cup at a time, stirring and letting each cup be absorbed, repeatedly until you’ve used almost all the stock liquid and the rice is tender (about 20 minutes). Add the last bit of stock. When it is absorbed, add the grated cheeses and seasonings. Combine thoroughly, remove from heat, cover and let sit for a few more minutes. To serve, add julienned basil and top with grilled mushrooms (Recipe below) Serve and garnish. Notes I made a homemade stock with butter, olive oil, garlic, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, fennel, parsley, bay leaves and fresh thyme. Homemade stock is the best!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Adapted from several cookbook risotto recipes Recipe ID:  1118 Added:  August 10, 2007 Last Modified:  August 10, 2007

Vegetarian Grilled Stuffed Mushroom Recipe Side Dish  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 10 crimini mushrooms and 2 portabella mushrooms (or 30+ crimini) Steak and grill type seasoning blend (I used Trader Joe’s, Spice Hunter probably has one as well) olive oil white wine vinegar 3 or more finely diced shallots 3 or more pressed fresh garlic cloves Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste (optional, especially if your steak seasoning blend contains it) Needed equipment: foil grill topper tray with holes but plenty of solid surface area (not the wire trap type), grill (you can use grill pan but best results from a propane or charcoal grill) Directions Prepare mushrooms- remove caps from mushrooms. Leave crimini caps whole and slice portabella mushrooms. Make marinade by shaking a healthy amount of steak and grill seasoning (we’re talking teaspoon(s) here) Add several glug of olive oil (tablespoon(s)) Whisk in white wine vinegar to taste (about 1/3 of however much olive oil you used, or more to taste) Add your finely diced shallots and garlic cloves, whisking them in so they are evenly distributed in the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Taste. Adjust seasonings and white wine if needed. Take your mushroom caps and immerse in marinade. Rub seasonings and garlic/shallots on the surface of each cap, and fill each cavity with diced shallots and garlic mixture. Place on a plate. Coat your sliced portabellas in any leftover marinade. Reserve. (Keep any leftover marinade for basting mushrooms while grilling.) Heat your grill (or if propane, just turn it on!) to a medium heat. No burning inferno temperatures please, or your mushrooms will cry. Spray foil grill topper tray with nonstick grill quality cooking spray (make sure your brand is gluten free!) Place it on the grill, leaving enough room on the right or left to grill your portabella slices directly on the grill. Carefully place your crimini on the grill topper cavity up and distribute your portabella slices. Put any broken or especially thin slices on the grill topper, and if you like you can put sturdier, longer slices directly on the grill for attractive grill marks. Shut the lid of your grill. Do something else for a few minutes. Check your mushrooms periodically, turning or moving them as needed. Eventually you will want to turn your stuffed crimini upside down so the shallots will get all golden and slightly caramelized. Some filling may be lost. Some filling may fall out. Salvage what you can and refill any mushrooms that lose too much stuffing. The flavor makes any casualties worth it! You can rotate your slices so that they spend some time on the grill topper (if needed) but make sure the sturdy slices spend enough time flat on the grill to get grill marks on both sides. When your mushrooms look done and are tender to the touch, and filling is golden and soft, plate. Notes You can enjoy these as appetizers or on risotto, polenta, pilaf, mashed potatoes, or plain rice. Mmm mmm tasty!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contenst of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1116 Added:  August 10, 2007 Last Modified:  August 10, 2007