Spanish Tortilla

I love tapas. I love tapas because lots of them are gluten free, or easy to adapt so they are. One of our favourite restaurants is La Tasca because they have a fantastic gluten free menu and they also serve gluten free beer! Anyway, I digress. One of my favourite tapas dishes is tortilla, and up until Saturday I had never tried to make this myself. I had a look on the internet for a good recipe, but I wasn't sure which one would be nicest, so I asked my lovely Spanish friend, Patricia, who very kindly gave me her recipe and allowed me to share it on my blog. Her recipe mainly uses potato and egg and this in itself is tasty enough, however as Patricia says below, you can add anything you like. For mine I added onions, garlic and sliced chorizo (that's chor-ee-tho, not chor-eet-zo!) and for a first attempt I was really pleased with how it turned out. It was gorgeous and did breakfast for myself and my boyfriend for two days. I'll definitely be making this again soon!

Spanish Potato Omelette (Tortilla de patata)

2 medium-sized potatoes or 4 small ones (type depends on taste, I like to use baking spuds because I like them getting a bit crumbly, but choose waxy ones if you prefer a firmer potato)
4 eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
You can add practically anything you want to this basic recipe: cheese, peas, tomato, peppers, onion, herbs, diced chorizo... I like to add a bit of dried powdered garlic and onion for flavour, but I prefer my tortilla plain and simple, they way it's eaten in most tapas bars in Spain.

Peel and slice the potatoes, not too thinly. Rinse under the tap and put them in a microwavable dish (ideally one of those contraptions with a basket that allows you to steam in the microwave).

Drizzle some oil over the sliced potatoes (approx. 2 tbsp), sprinkle a pinch of salt and cook at 100% for 5 minutes.

Remove, stir, cook for 5 min more. Prod the potatoes with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure that they are done. Cook for another couple of minutes if necessary. The potatoes need to be cooked before the next step, as they will cook only very briefly as part of the tortilla.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked potato slices, stir well so that all the potato is well covered in egg.

With regards to the frying pan, I use a 20 cm one. It's easier to make a tortilla that is small in diameter; if you use a larger pan you risk breaking it when you flip it over. Don't worry if the tortilla looks very thick, it will cook slowly so there will be no undercooked egg in the middle.

Put the frying pan over a high heat and add a slosh of olive oil to it. When it's hot, pour the egg-potato mixture in it, and lower the heat to medium-low. With your spatula/wooden spoon, gently stir the potatoes, letting the uncooked egg flow down to the bottom of the pan and set. Keep doing this for a couple of minutes, until there is little liquid egg left.

Now, the crucial bit: flipping the tortilla. Put a large plate over the frying pan, then place your open hand on it, and with your other hand grab the frying pan handle and flip the whole thing over. You'll have a half-cooked tortilla on your plate, with the top looking golden and done, the bottom a bit soggy. Quickly slide the tortilla back into the frying pan, pushing it with your spatula if you need. Cook for some 5-10 minutes over a low heat, to avoid the bottom getting burned or the inside undercooked.

This tortilla can be eaten warm, freshly made, although many people prefer it the next day (some prefer it cold, but it can be reheated in the microwave).

REVIEW: Zizzi

I have been meaning to do a review of Zizzi for a while now, and after eating there last night, there's no time like the present!

Zizzi is a nationwide chain of Italian restaurants similar to Strada, Prezzo and Carluccio's. They boast an impressive gluten free menu which isn't just limited to a couple of pasta dishes and salad. Their website has a separate 'special diets' menu, which lists all the food safe to eat for vegetarians and various allergies. I find this really helpful as you can plan in advance what you might have to eat, and it is particularly useful if you have trouble trusting the knowledge of the staff. They have copies of this menu within the restaurant, so make sure you ask for it when you're seated. Admittedly, when I asked to see it last night, I was told "oh you can have the pasta dishes, we just use gluten free pasta."  This isn't true. Some of the sauces contain gluten and are not safe, and there are more choices than just pasta, so be persistent in asking for the menu if you aren't offered it!

Having eaten at Zizzi before, I already knew what I wanted to order - the Strozzapreti Pesto Rosso. I love chicken pasta dishes and this one is gorgeous. Spiced creme fraiche sauce with spring onions and torn chicken breast. I am slightly confused by their special diets menu, as this dish is not listed as safe for coeliacs anymore, yet it does say it's fine in the allergen table at the back, providing the pasta is substituted.  I asked my server, and again had to ask twice as initially she said "oh it's probably not gluten free anymore then," and only sought confirmation when I explained about the table in the back of the menu. When she returned, I was told it was still fine and must be a printing error, so I'm going to raise this issue with Zizzi and ask them to recheck their menus. It would be a shame to miss out on my favourite meal because of a printing error.  Needless to say, I did order that and was fine the next day, so I'm confident it's still safe.

  My Strozzapreti Pesto Rosso. (Admittedly, it was hard not to
    divert my eyes towards my boyfriend's Rustica Pizza in the background!

Service aside, the meal was really nice. Ironically, I know I'm eating good gluten free pasta, when every mouthful has me doubting whether or not it is actually gluten free! Even my boyfriend couldn't tell the difference, but I was assured by two separate servers that it definitely was. The pasta they use is Doves Farm, and to my knowledge, I've never bought it before but I might have to add it to my trolley next time!

As with most of the gluten free menus at mainstream Italian restaurants, the only thing missing is pizza/bread options. It is understandable why they don't feature, with cross-contamination concerns etc, but it's still a shame as it would be lovely to have some garlic bread with my pasta. Perhaps they will look into some frozen/premade bread as gluten free options continue to expand and improve? I imagine that with Zizzi, it would be difficult, as their pizzas are cooked in a stone fired oven so I would rather know that what I'm eating was cooked separately and definitely safe. Lack of bread aside, the menu at Zizzi is brilliant for coeliacs. Various pasta and risotto dishes, starters (albeit only olives and prawns!), mains, sides and a couple of nice desserts are all safe, so if you like Italian food, you're bound to find something you like!

Maybe I could sneak a couple of slices of bread in my handbag next time?

Cowboy Pie

Apparently, this is a well-known recipe to a lot of people, but I had never heard of it until sometime last year! Anyway, I thought I would share one of many versions because it's really simple to make especially gluten-free!

Cowboy Pie - serves 6

4-5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

Butter

Olive oil

350g gluten-free sausages - I used the Co-op's 'Truly Irresistable' chipolatas as all of this range are gluten-free

1 large onion, sliced

1 tin of baked beans

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 finely chopped garlic cloves

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 gluten-free beef stock cube

handful of grated mature cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender. Mash with butter and seasoning and leave to cool in the pan.

Fry the onions with garlic and herbs in a large frying pan and add the sausages. Cook until the onions are soft and the sausages are brown on all sides.

Add to the pan the whole tin of baked beans and tomatoes and the stock cube. Season to taste.

Empty the pan into a large casserole dish and top with the mashed potato. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees.

"Allie's Mum's Dumplings"

What do you normally have with your gluten-free stews and casseroles? Do you have bread? Yorkshire puddings? Chips?! I used to love dumplings before I was gluten-free and I believed that you needed suet to make them. To my knowledge, you can't get gluten-free suet (though correct me if I'm wrong and then tell me where to purchase it!) so I figured I'd just have to let them go and keep them as a memory instead.

That is until I learned that you don't need suet at all, and I just so happen to have a recipe to make gorgeous dumplings, courtesy of this lovely lady who shares her mum's family recipe on her blog. They're easy to tweak so they're gluten-free!

Allie's Mum's Dumplings

1 cup plain gluten-free flour

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1/2tsp Xantham gum

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2tbsp vegetable oil

(optional) 1/2 tsp your choice of herbs - sage and thyme work well with chicken, for example

Sift the flour, baking powder, xantham gum and herbs (if you're using them) into a bowl. Stir in the milk and oil until just mixed and sit spoonfuls of the dough on top of your stew. Cover and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Jamie Oliver's Empire Chicken

A while ago, I borrowed a few recipe books from our local library to see what sort of meals I could cook from them with little or no adaptation to make them gluten free. One of the books is Jamie's Great Britain and there's a delicious recipe I want to share that is becoming a bit of a favourite!

As I've said in a previous post, one of my favourite meals is a roast dinner. This recipe brings an Indian twist and is great for an alternative to your traditional Sunday lunch.

Empire Chicken

The recipe can be found on Jamie Oliver's website

Have a look through the ingredients required and you'll notice there are only a couple of changes you'll need to make this gluten-free. Flour is needed to thicken the gravy - here you could either use gluten-free flour, or even cornflour. The gravy also calls for Worcestershire Sauce. I have yet to find a gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce (and would be grateful if anyone can suggest one!) but I have previously used balsamic vinegar as an alternative.

..and that's it. Those are the only changes you need to make and this dish really is worth the effort!

Sunday Dinner - Why Miss Out?

A challenge of having to live gluten free is to find ways of making your favourite foods from pre-coeliac days safe to eat.

I think my all-time favourite meal would have to be a traditional Roast Dinner. Today is the perfect day for this. We don't have to go out anywhere, it's a beautiful Autmnal day outside, I have a nice warm house with my lovely family all wrapped up inside and a few hours to spend in the kitchen. A roast is just what I want.

Many newly diagnosed coeliacs may think that they can no longer enjoy a 'proper' Sunday Lunch, but most parts of a roast dinner should be safe for coeliacs anyway. There is no gluten in fresh meat (unless it is seasoned with something unsafe), there is no gluten in fresh vegetables. It's the part of a roast that make it fantastic that need some thinking but CAN be made (and even bought!) gluten free. Yorkshire puddings, stuffing and gravy. Even bread sauce can be made with gluten free breadcrumbs.

Yorkshire pudding

I have tried (and failed) various recipes for these, but I never seem to have much success. I can get the taste right, but the texture and appearance is usually more akin to a very light muffin! If you want to make your own with a prepared mix, this one from Foodamentalists is great. I have never failed using their mix.

If you want ready-made yorkshire pudding, Dietary Specials make some, available to buy in most large supermarkets.

Stuffing

I admit, I have yet to try making stuffing from scratch. I haven't done it because in our house, it's only me that likes it and it just seems like too much effort for one person! I do love stuffing though, and it just so happens there are some pretty good gluten-free ones. Take a look in your local supermarket's Free From section. There are packet mixes such as Mrs. Crimbles and Hale and Hearty, but my favourite is Marks & Spencers fresh stuffing. Did you know that ALL their fresh stuffing is gluten free? (Look out for a further post on how well M&S caters for coeliacs in the future)

Gravy

When it comes to homemade gravy, it depends how you would usually make it, but it might already be safe anyway. If, like me, you make it using meat juices, stock and flour, you can continue to make it this way but use either cornflour or gluten-free plain flour to thicken it. Ensure your stock is either homemade or using a gluten-free stock cube.

Instant gravy can also be bought gluten-free. Personally, I'm not too keen on the dedicated gluten-free ones I've tried myself but this is just my opinion. Again, have a look in your supermarket to see what is available.


And there we go, with a few little tweaks, you CAN have a 'proper' Sunday Roast!

Chinese 'Fakeaway'

One thing I really miss as a Coeliac is chippy meals. While it's true that some of their meals should not use gluten-containing ingredients, it is too much of a risk to take for most people. In most chip shops, they use the same woks to cook all their meals and the same oil to fry chips/battered products.

Since my diagnosis in May 2010, I have been practising different Chinese meals. The following recipe is what we call our "Chippy Tea" and my boyfriend would probably prefer this over one from a proper chippy, so I think I'm doing something right!

Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce with Salt & Pepper Potatoes, Egg Fried Rice and Prawn Crackers

Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce (serves 2-3)

2 chicken breasts cut into small cubes/strips

1 green bell pepper cut into large chunks

1 small onion cut into large chunks

1 garlic clove finely chopped

Gluten-free Soy Sauce (Tamari - can be found in most major supermarkets in their Free From section)

Freshly ground black pepper

150ml Chicken stock (either fresh/homemade or using a gluten-free stock cube, such as Knorr Stock Pot

Optional:

Chilli flakes (if you like it hot!)

Cornflour to thicken the sauce

Begin by liberally seasoning the chicken with the pepper. Fry over a medium heat until the chicken is cooked and place on a plate until later. Next, fry the garlic (and chilli if you're using it) in a little oil and add the onions and peppers. Cook for a few minutes and then add the chicken back into the pan. Pour over about 2-3 teaspoons of soy sauce and toss all the ingredients in the pan to coat. Add the stock and simmer for another 5 minutes or so until it has reduced. If the sauce is still very thin, mix half a teaspoon of cornflour with a little cold water and add to the pan a little at a time, stirring until your desired consistency is achieved.

You could also play around with this recipe to replicate your own favourite Chinese meals. Perhaps change the meat for beef or prawns, or try adding different vegetables such as mushrooms. You could even chuck in some black beans and use less pepper to make chicken in black bean sauce. The possibilities are endless here and I often experiment with different meals!


Salt & Pepper Potatoes (serves 2)

2 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

A handful of spring onions, cut into diagonal slices

1 garlic clove

1 small red chilli pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

Oil for frying

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

First of all, you need to cook the potatoes. I do this either by deep-frying them, or to be ever-so-slightly healthier, toss them in oil and cook in the oven for about 25 minutes at 200°C. Leave to cool slightly once cooked. Next, fry the chilli and garlic in a little oil in a wok for a minute or so. Add the spring onions and cook for another minute. Add the potatoes with black pepper and salt to taste (usually just a few twists of the grinder will be enough) and then toss everything in the pan to coat the potatoes.

You could also use this recipe to make Salt & Pepper ribs or chicken wings.


Egg Fried Rice (serves 2)

Cooked rice (I use one of the 125g boil in the bag ones as that serves 2 generously)

handful of chopped spring onions

Tamari/Gluten-free soy sauce

2 medium eggs, beaten

Oil for frying

Optional:

Handful of cooked frozen peas

Begin by heating a couple of teaspoons of oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Add the cooked rice and coat in the oil. Sprinkle over 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce and stir into the rice. Add the spring onions (and peas if you're using them) and cook for a further couple of minutes, continually stirring to make sure the rice doesn't stick. Lower the heat slightly, and push all the rice up one side of the wok, leaving an empty space at the bottom. Pour in the beaten eggs and allow them to cook slightly. Stir the egg mixture to cook a little more, and then gradually stir the rice in too, breaking up any large chunks of egg.

You could also add cooked, shredded chicken, prawns or vegetables to make this a meal in itself.

The prawn crackers I use are these ones from Asda. Don't use Sharwoods as they are not gluten free. Just check the back of the packaging and you'll probably find that most supermarket own brand prawn crackers are fine. Or you could make your own!

And that's it. It's a bit of work but doesn't take too long and is definitely worth it when you fancy a Chinese but can't rely on your local chippy!

Eating Out - Wetherspoons

Eating out is one of the toughest challenges when it comes to Coeliac Disease. You have to be incredibly careful what you eat, need to know exactly what ingredients are used and you need to ensure there is no risk of cross-contamination. Unfortunately, the last one is never going to be possible unless it is strictly a gluten-free restaurant you're eating in.

However, awareness of gluten free food is becoming more and more common. More people are being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and people are now going gluten free as a lifestyle choice. It is with this increase in awareness that many mainstream restaurants are starting to cater for Coeliacs.

Wetherspoons is one of the most prevalent pub chains across the UK. There are nine within a 5 mile radius of my postcode!

If you visit one of their restaurants, you will notice that their menus now have a 'GF' symbol next to food that coeliacs can eat. This includes pub favourites such as steak, gammon and curries. They also have a menu builder on their website for people with special dietary requirements. Take a look here. Wetherspoons isn't known for fantastic food, but I believe you get what you pay for and I've never been disappointed when I've eaten there. Obviously it will differ from branch to branch, but there is quite a lot on the menu for coeliacs, including a tasty fruit crumble in the Dessert section!

There is a disclaimer on the menu regarding the safety of gluten free items and cross-contamination, so it would be best to speak to your server with any concerns you may have.

REVIEW: Pizza Hut

It's here! The Holy Grail to many coeliacs. With such mainstream restaurants as Zizzi and Bella Italia already long on board with gluten-free pizzas, we have all been waiting for the more well-known pizza joints to jump on board for years. We didn't think it was ever going to happen, and then in the space of a week we hear that Pizza Hut, Domino's and Prezzo are all joining in!

I went to my local Pizza Hut last night and am here to give you my opinion!

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted and seated by the manager, so I was able to ask all my questions before we ordered. I asked how they were prepared, how they avoid cross-contamination, how it is cooked etc and placed my order. A short while later, out came my pizza:

Isn't it pretty? I was made up with it! It comes as a standard 9" square base, which I actually think is better than the round pizzas. No crust, but toppings right to the edge!

It tasted fantastic, possibly one of the best gluten-free pizzas I've had to date if I'm honest. I was expecting a thin, concrete base as I have been served in other restaurants, but it wasn't like that. You can still tell it's gluten-free, let's be realistic here. But it was light and not too cloying. The only downside for me is that there wasn't enough sauce on it, but I think that's just down to personal preference and it did not detract from the taste of the pizza.

HOWEVER. PLEASE BE WARNED! At the time the pizzas were launched, Pizza Hut claimed that all of their toppings were now gluten-free. This is not the case. If you look here and scroll down to the toppings section, Pepperoni and Ground Beef are highlighted as 'C' - "'C' means that this allergen is present in the manufacturing site/factory/supply chain & our suppliers believe there is a risk that this allergen could cross-contaminate the food."

It is entirely your choice as to whether you would risk having those toppings based on that information, I personally would not, but as pepperoni is probably one of the most popular pizza toppings, I think it's worth pointing out that risk.

You still get the free salad bowl with your meal at Pizza Hut, but again this is at your own risk as there is quite a high chance of cross-contamination at the salad station. About half of the products there are gluten-free, but there are also a few toppings, coleslaw, pasta, croutons etc to steer clear of and it would only take one tiny spillage to contaminate some of the 'safe' food. Personally, I did take the risk here after inspecting the area. The restaurant wasn't busy at all and everything looked fine. Had it been during a busy period I probably wouldn't have chanced it.

Take a look at the allergy menu above, there are a few other items on there that are safe for coeliacs such as the Nachos (but not the salsa - what's the point?) and the ice cream (but not the sauces!) and a few of the toppings.

Still, it's a great start to be able to have a Pizza Hut pizza, and hopefully they will expand their menu when they see how popular it is. It might also encourage even more mainstream restaurants to jump on board!

I had a great meal, and no nasty after effects either!

Roll on November so I can FINALLY order from Domino's, instead of looking longingly at my boyfriend's takeaway pizza while I tuck into a plate of salad!

Gluten Free in Paris

I've recently come back from a midweek trip to Paris with my boyfriend and thought I would share my experience on eating gluten-free there. First of all, there is lots and lots of informative reading about being gluten-free in Paris on the internet. Just google it and you'll find lots of information and tips.

I arrived in Paris with my little list of recommended eateries, shops and areas but to be honest, the only ones I was REALLY interested in were Biosphare - an entirely gluten-free shop, and Des Si et Des Mets - the first gluten-free restaurant in Paris. We arrived late Sunday night, but first thing Monday, we set off to find Biosphare as it was located less than a 10 minute walk away from our hotel. To my disappointment, when we approached the shop, we were greeted with an empty unit. It wasn't just closed for the day, it was closed. This was very disheartening as I had been looking forward to using up my baggage allowance bringing back some goodies, and asking the owner for some advice on places to eat! Not to worry, we'll go to the gluten-free restaurant tonight, we thought.

That evening, we got the metro out to Montmartre and had a little wander before making our way up the hill to Des Si et Des Mets, when low and behold, we were greeted with another closed unit! The shutters were down and the plants in the hanging baskets outside looked how I felt on discovering the closed restaurant. We never actually went back to this place, so I don't know if it has actually closed down, but it didn't seem like a temporary closure and there were no fixed menus outside like other the others featured. It would seem that the information I found on the internet is quite out of date, and indeed, looking back on the bookmarks I'd saved, a lot of them are from 2008, 2009 and early 2010.

I hope my post provides some up-to-date help for any gluten-free travellers planning to visit Paris in the future!

So what did I eat there? Well, in one of the posts I read about Naturalia - if you live in the UK, this shop is similar to Holland and Barrett. It stocks a wide range of gluten-free goodies which I stocked up on. I got bread (not as good as other stuff I've tried, admittedly), brioche - gorgeous!, cereal, biscuits, crackers, crispbread, madeleines! They have a gluten-free brand there called Valpiform which comes highly recommended. The shop had a lot of stuff you can't get over here, so I made a point of buying quite a bit.. which may have accounted as to why my suitcase was 8kg overweight - eep! So for breakfast in the morning, I had a buttered brioche roll, with some fresh fruit from the market outside our hotel, and a cup of tea or coffee - lovely!

At lunch time, we would stop at a patisserie (if you've been to Paris, you'll know that there's one every 6 feet or so) and have a coffee outside in the sun. My boyfriend would have something from the menu - a croque monsieur or some frites, and then afterwards we'd find a nice park to sit down and I would have crackers with ham and cheese slices, bought from one of the supermarkets such as Franprix (again, these are everywhere, easy to stumble across while you're out and about). For treats, I'd have some of the madeleines or cookies I'd bought, and on another day I bought 16, yes 16 macarons from Laduree - if you've never tried these, I would highly recommend them! They aren't cheap, but they're lovely a total must! They're naturally gluten-free, made from egg whites, almonds and sugar, with a fondant centre in flavours such as raspberry, chocolate, vanilla, pistachio.. Yum!

In the evening, I won't lie, unless you plan exactly where you want to go in advance, it can take a bit of wandering to find somewhere suitable to eat. On our first night we ate at a chain steak-house type restaurant which had a special allergy list showing what I could and couldn't have. I chose Steak-Frites - I was in Paris, I had to have it once!

On our second night, we ate at a very friendly restaurant called Le Parvis, located just round the corner from Notre Dame. The waiter is what swayed us to eat there. While we perused the menu earlier in the day, he came out and said hello and was quite funny, and despite not speaking great English, he made me feel comfortable enough to ask about gluten-free meals. I had lamb chops with fries and haricot verts. I know, frites again but I do love them!

Our last night took us to Montparnasse, where I was determined to find a nice seafood restaurant. We found a really nice one on the corner called Le Bar a Huitres. I enjoyed a wild alaskan cod fillet with creamy mashed potatoes and spinach, while my boyfriend opted for duck breast. Both meals were lovely, the waiters knew what contained gluten (for example, I couldn't have the Aoli served with my fish) and it wasn't too pricey either!

I'd say that it can be fairly easy to eat gluten-free in Paris if you go to the right places, speak to your waiters, do a bit of 'al fresco' dining, and make use of the supermarkets and health food shops.


Bon Appetit!