gluten free

My Eating Out Adventures on Vacation….In One Word…Yummy!

I have to say that eating out GF is easier in the city and in the more pricey restaurants.  My guess is that they have clientele who speak their mind and have asked for GF choices.  So when I was in Boston last week I was lucky enough to be invited out to Legal Seafood with my sister and her husband’s family.   They gave me a separate GF menu which noted what was safe for me and was quite extensive.  I had my food brought by a separate server whom I believed to be an assistant restaurant manager.  I have some incredible gluten free food including tempura deep fried calamari and a safe for me seafood casserole which was rather rich but totally yummers! Full of shrimp, scallops, lobster and scrod in a bed of sherry and cheese gf bread crumbs.  Crazy good!  Also had a couple of gf dinner muffins, two small raw oysters with a champagne mignonette.  Blood orange sorbet for dessert.

The other restaurant I ate at was called Davios.  Our very attentive waiter gave me a gf menu and discussed the options with me. I had gf gnocchi with mushroom sauce and it was fantastic. Then I enjoyed a fillet of halibut over roasted potatoes and corn, the fish was amazing and perfectly prepared.  I had tastes of the safe food my sister and her husband ordered before they put their forks into the dish. The gf bread was warmed slices and the napkin it came nestled in was a different color from the regular bread napkin, a visual signal to the server that it was gf. 

I was stuffed but someone ordered me a dessert; they didn’t want me to sit with nothing while they ate volcano cake with ice cream! I enjoyed a lovely bowl of ripe raspberries. Perfection and actually made my full tummy feel fantastic.

I had a gf hot dog at Fenway. It wasn’t that thrilling; the bun was near to stale.  But my ice cream bar made up for it; vanilla with a band of chocolate ice cream and coated in dark chocolate.  Same as I have had in the past and just as good. Great ball game, very enjoyable.  The GF stand did have a sign but it said “gluten friendly” and that is just plain weird!

In contrast to Fenway, last week I visited the gf stand and ate a gf hot dog at an Iron Pigs game. It was wonderful.  A big, juicy hot dog snugged in a tasty and not crumbly bun.  They also have a large sign saying Gluten Free and their menu says it too.  Well done Iron Pigs even if they lost the game 9 to 2.  I can’t wait to go back for another hot dog.

To summarize, it is always a good sign when a restaurant has a separate gf menu and when their servers are knowledgeable about what is safe and what isn’t.  Both of those things are reassuring to a celiac eating out and make the restaurant experience safer and less stressful. I was very lucky on my trip and did not feel ill or glutened.

Now if only I could get some more of that gf calamari…….and an Iron Pigs gf hot dog with lots of yellow mustard!

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Delicate Cheesy Quiche To Enjoy This Summer

Okay, if you are an ardent quiche hater you might be thinking that over again.  This quiche recipe may change your mind. It is not heavy or goopy and the light cheesey taste will win you over.

I like to use fresh veggies in it and my favorite versions always have bacon. If you dislike any of my chosen veggies or the bacon; change them.  Cubed ham will work very well too or make it just vegetarian.  Quiche is a nice summer supper; you can make it the day before and re-warm the slice slightly before serving.  It goes well with a salad or some fruity yogurt or a cup of soup.

This recipe has a rather unusual and easy crust. If you prefer something else just sub in your favorite non-sweet crust.  I have made it with my basic gf brown rice flour mixture pie crust but this is so easy and a different taste you may find growing on you.  Very healthy too!

Angie’s Quiche

Crust

1 tbsp butter

¾ cup toasted buckwheat grouts

 

Filling

4-6 slices bacon cut in to ½ inch chunks

1 onion sliced into medium width rings

1 cup zucchini slices; I cut the rounds in half

1 small 4 oz can mushroom pieces, drained

1 ¼ cup 1 percent plain cottage cheese

1/3 cup whole milk or half and half

3 large eggs

¼ tsp dried thyme

½ cup 1/3 inch cubes of swiss, Monterey jack or mild cheddar cheese

A sprinkle of paprika

Directions:

Cook the bacon until it is very close to done.  I like to use a cast iron pan.  Stir the bits often so they don’t stick or burn.  Turn off and decant on to a paper towel, leaving the bacon grease in the pan as much as possible.  I turn the heat back on, med high and sauté the onions for at least 5 minutes, until they soften.  I steam the zucchini slices until almost soft 3-5 minutes. Drain the zucchini slices well.  Put the onion slices/pieces on a paper towel to drain.

Rub the butter around the entire bottom and sides of a 9 inch metal pie pan.  Gently tip in the grouts and roll the loose ones so they stick all over the buttered pan.  Let the excess ones cover the bottom with a thicker layer.  I don’t always use all ¾ cup; sometimes I use a tad less.

Put the cottage cheese, milk, thyme and eggs in the blender.  Blend 30 seconds until smooth.

Gently, layer the bacon in the grouted pan, then the mushrooms, onions and zuke.  Sprinkle with the cheese cubes.  Carefully pour in the blended filling and sprinkle with paprika. Sometimes I don’t use zuke (the winter time when it isn’t as tasty) and sometimes I skip the cheese topping.  Occasionally I used smoked paprika for my sprinkling.

Bake 35 min at 325 degrees; maybe 5 extra minutes if it seems really squishy. It shouldn’t be too firm.  As it bakes the buckwheat swells up and forms a crust.  Let stand a minimum of 30 minutes before slicing.  I definitely use a knife around the edge and a pie server for loosening the bottom crust.

It keeps several days in the fridge if any is left over!  Cover it tightly with plastic wrap.  You can swap out the ingredients as you wish and as to your fridge can provide for fillings.  Just the blender ingredients should stay the same although I have used different milks; please do not use skim milk though because it is too thin and your quiche will not be as yummy as whole milk or half and half can make it.

FYI: buckwheat is not wheat, it is a seed and is somewhat related to rhubarb.  It has no gluten.  Some of you people may be familiar with buckwheat pancakes.  I make buckwheat gnocchi pasta which is yummy.  It is a good ingredient to add to your grain arsenal.

Do try this when the heat cools off a bit.  It only bakes 35 minutes so the oven isn’t running all that long.  Enjoy!

2nd Street Tavern is Sure Worth a Visit

Eating out used to be so fun and easy.  Since I went gluten free a year and a half ago it has become complicated.  My first question when anyone suggests a restaurant is this “Is it safe?” My sister Karen thought I was talking about the neighborhood where the restaurant was located.  I had to explain that it was my feel of being glutened that I was talking about safety for.

Recently, a fairly new restaurant (open 3-4 months), the 2nd Street Tavern in Emmaus, PA contacted me and asked me to review their food.  Generally I eat somewhere and then write about the experience.  This was a bit different.  I felt like a minor celebrity, getting a starter we hadn’t ordered to nibble while we decided on our choices and then a free cocktail to sip until the food arrived.  And in fairness I should disclose that they comped my portion of the meal except my wine.  I did tell them I would tell it like I saw the food. Anyway, back to the yummy meal we enjoyed there….

The free drink was called the 2nd Street Mule and I loved its gingery spicy flavor.  Made with Crabbie’s ginger beer, a ginger liquor called Domaine de Canton, fresh strawberry pieces and lime.  I drank mine and some of Joe’s. It was refreshing and naturally gluten free.

We had their spicy deviled eggs with bacon topping as that free starter.  Mine was delicious and yes, very spicy.  Joe ate two of them!

We then enjoyed some PEI mussels in a lovely tomato broth and a roasted beet salad with goat cheese, arugula and sunflower seeds.  I liked the flavors in that salad although I would have put more beets and less arugula in it.  I love beet salad and the goat cheese was really creamy and tangy.  Perfect combination.

Joe chose the cider and beer braised pork shoulder. I couldn’t try it as the beer was not safe for me but he said it was the best pork he had ever had.  I am hoping they make a cider and gf beer version so I can try it someday. He had a big serving and ate every scrap of it. He had some thin sliced sauted Brussels sprouts that he said were fantastic. I asked for a serving for me and they were very fresh and tasty.  His mashed sweet potatoes were yummy.  I ate some that I scooped off before he had any.  Safety first!

I had the Dungeness Crab in a spicy tomato broth.  A whole giant crab! I was sort of expecting a stew with bits of crab so deconstructing an entire crab was a project in and of itself. I think I could have made good use of a lobster bib.  The meat was sweet and I liked it dipped in the excellent broth. I asked for a spoon and that utensil was perfect for scooping up crab meat and broth.

We were too full for dessert, which was okay as they don’t have any GF choices.  Something to work on 2nd Street, some places have fresh fruit or sorbet which can be perfect on a warm summer day.

The service was friendly and excellent; my Italian Pinot Grigio wine was tasty. Our table was in an inside room, although it had a big window opening to the outer dining area providing light but it was still pleasantly dim and just cool enough. Great for a relaxing unrushed meal.

I plan to go back soon; 2nd Street Tavern is rolling out a new menu in about a week.  I have two suggestions for the management; remember spoons when any sort of broth is served and if you want to attract the GF crowd you should take the time to type up a one page GF menu showing possible selections and noting anything that has to be left off.  I eat out often when I travel up to Boston and I am always reassured when I get even a one page hand typed GF menu.  Then I know they are thinking about GF enough to put it in a separate menu.  Some places place an asterisk next to all GF items and note it at the bottom.  That works too.

Safety is paramount to those of us with celiac disease. Even a speck of flour can make me really sick.  We are always looking for good safe GF food.  This new restaurant is sure worth a visit to Emmaus for.

I hope they take my suggestion on a GF menu to heart.  And one last thing…. I really wish they would make that pork shoulder in a cider braised version; I long to enjoy a plate of it; maybe with mashed potatoes along with their great sauteed Brussels sprouts! And that crazy good mixed drink they serve in a copper mug, made with Crabbie’s ginger beer; a must have on a hot summer day.  It alone is worth a visit to enjoy a couple of those!

Chilled Cuke Soup on a Hot Summer Day…Nice!

Summer, time of ice cream, Popsicle, tomato sandwiches, salads and cucumber soup!  Really, cucumber soup on a hot summer day is cool on your palate and fairly healthy.  It is also a perfect use for three cukes straight from your overburdened cucumber vines.  Or three cucumbers from a produce stand.  The fresh the better your soup will be.

This recipe came out of a magazine a decade plus ago, one of my sisters made it once for me and I got the recipe then and there.  I have made raw cucumber soups and they are nice but this is my favorite cucumber soup.  If you don’t like dill leave it out. I have done that; it is more delicate and you can then really taste the hint of lemon in the soup.  Once I made it with vegetable broth for a vegetarian and it was excellent that way too.  It is naturally gluten free.

Angie’s Cucumber Soup

Take 3 medium cukes, peel them, cut in half at the middle point and then in half again from the stem to end so they are like short cucumber canoes. Then scoop out most or all of the seeds.  Shred the cuke canoes into a big bowl using the biggest hole size on your shredder.  Drain in a strainer but save the juice to add to the soup along the way.

Cut up one small onion; 1/3 cup or so.

Cut up 3 scallions

Melt 2 tbsp of butter and a tbsp olive oil in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan.  Add the onion, cook 1-2 minutes and then add the shredded cuke.  Cook 5 min, add the scallions, stir, then add chicken broth to cover; 2.5 to 3 cups.

Add ½ cup dry white wine, the reserved cuke juice and the zest of ½ a lemon (1 tsp).  Sometimes if I don’t have an open bottle of white wine I use vermouth; it works well in a pinch.

Heat until nearly boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 20-25 minutes.  Let cool at least 30 minutes.  Puree.  You can use an immersion blender, a regular blender or a food processor.  The boat motor blender (immersion) is much more fun and easier.  I like to leave a bit of it unblended so it isn’t really smooth like a true cream soup.  Add 1 cup sour cream and 1 tsp sea salt, whisk well.  I use light sour cream; Daisy is my favorite brand.   Add 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh dill.  Stir well.  Chill 4 to 6 hours.   It makes a big jar; maybe as much as two quarts of soup. It will keep in the fridge for a week so you can enjoy it for a second meal,

I often chill the bowls if it is a hot day and so cold soup goes into equally cold bowls.  You can garnish with a dill frond or not. Or a small dollop of sour cream can be pleasant.

The photo above is from our family dinner party last Saturday; the photo was taken by Beth Hinchliffe.  I made it at my sister Elaine’s request.   We had it in fancy porcelain cups on equally fancy napkins.  You can use whatever bowl you like!

Cuke soup; it’s a great starter to a meal on a hot summer evening or for a light lunch pair it with a salad or some grilled fish.  Yumm!

Rewind….In Case You Want More Information

If you just read my post on my vacation up in New England and are going to make a gf meal or snack for someone; you might want to revisit my blog post of April 7, 2014; about how to plan and how to prepare a meal for a gf friend.  It was titled “Eeek, My Gluten Free Sibling is Visiting and I Have No Clue”  Just FYI so you can know what to do when you decide to host someone who has celiac disease.  

Safe cooking and eating!

Angela