GLUTEN FREE SURPRISES

Gluten-Free Surprises

          “Gluten-Free” as a food concept in our daily lives has a relatively recent history. Looking at our supermarket shelves, abundantly stocked with items termed Gluten-Free, it is hard to believe that 20 years ago, you might have been lucky to find a single package of Gluten-Free baking mix. Celiac Disease (CD) was barely becoming known and it’s diagnosis and treatment were still in their infancy.

          Celiac Disease is the result of a body’s intestinal immune response to eating gluten, an abundant protein in wheat, barley and rye in our food. The missing autoantigen, identified as tissue transglutaminase, leads to inflammation of the small intestine, diarrhea, malabsorption of vitamins and other nutrients and results in the variety of symptoms associated with chronic CD.

          It is estimated that 1 in 100 individuals are now affected worldwide. It’s causes are genetic, dietetic and other factors, such as gastrointestinal infections.  CD has a fascinating history.  The disease probably cropped up at the time when our ancestors diet shifted from hunter-gatherer to agricultural sources and some could not easily adapt to the new antigen -gluten in their food. A Greek physician described “Coeleac Affect” in 1^st century AD, but it took 17 centuries before it was again described in England without much notice. Dietary intervention in children was attempted in early 20^th century with mussels and bananas with mixed success.  The bread shortages in the Netherlands during WWII led to the first observations of positive improvements in children with CD and after 1990 CD was readily diagnosed using immunological tests.

          My awareness of this topic goes back some 20 years, when I had to set up a drawer for “Gluten-Free” cooking in our kitchen, as our younger son was diagnosed with CD and I vowed to cook him a Gluten-Free Thanksgiving dinner. Such endeavors have become easier with time, but coming up with tasty and different dishes for such meals is a challenge. On a visit last month our daughter in law Marie shared with me an intriguing recipe, which I only attempted recently with a couple of modifications. Roast cauliflower has long been a favorite on our table, but this recipe gives it a new twist.  It’s surprising flavor and relative ease of preparation were worth the effort.

                             White Cauliflower Pizza with Artichokes

 

          In a Cuisinart pulse a small head of broken up cauliflower until the consistency of rough rice. You should have 3 cups. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the riced cauliflower with a paper towel. In a large bowl mix: 3 cups riced cauliflower, 1 egg beaten with salt and pepper, 1 cup coarsely shredded mix of mozzarella and provolone and 3 minced garlic cloves. Mix thoroughly by hand. Spread the ‘dough’ thinly on parchment lined pan, shaping in an oblong shape and pat it down to firm.  Bake for 20 minutes until slightly browned around the edges.  Remove from oven and spread with another cup coarsely shredded mozzarella-provolone mix.  Sprinkle the top with  ½ (14 oz. can) drained and chopped artichokes, ¼ cup sautéed kale or thinly slivered sundried tomatoes. Return to oven and roast at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is crispy around the edges. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, cut in wedges and serve.

                             Roasted Beets with Caramelized Onions

          This can be a hearty side dish or salad. Roast 2 large red and 2 large yellow beets in a 400 degree oven for an hour, cool, peel and cut in bite size ¼ slices. Heat 2 tblsp. olive oil in a large pan and sauté 2 medium onions quartered lengthwise and sliced in thick slices. Cook onions on moderate heat with stirring for 20 minutes. Make dressing; 2 tblsp. cider vinegar, 1 tsp. chopped capers, 1 tsp. whole grain Dijon mustard, ¼ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, 3 tblsp. olive oil. Mix the caramelized onions with the dressing and toss well with the beets. Toss with 3 oz. crumbled feta cheese and serve sprinkled with toasted pine nuts.

          Surprising and tasty combinations of ingredients are always welcome.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

FROM MAINE TO SWEDEN AND BACK

From Maine to Sweden and Back

          It must be the weather and the time of the year that makes me associate the scenery of our forests and waters with those of Sweden. Through the years I have traveled in Sweden, read a fair bit of its literature and enjoyed much of its history and culture. Which probably explains why my first encounter with Maine many years ago resulted in a decision to live here, even if I’m not of Swedish origin.

           Swedish immigrants have a long history in Maine, the beginnings of which were eloquently recorded by William W. Thomas in his “Fascinating Story of New Sweden” in 1919. As a result of the Homestead Act of 1862 and increasing population movement West, it became desirable to populate sparsely inhabited part of Aroostook County for economic reasons and border security with Canada.

          The 23 year old W.W. Thomas, graduate of Bowdoin College, had been appointed by President Lincoln as a War Consul of America and sent to Sweden, where he spent 3 years and became convinced that the honest and hard working Swedes would make perfect Maine immigrants. After a couple of tries, he convinced the Maine legislature early in 1870 to approve the 160 acre lots and housing for the 51 Swedish immigrants who arrived in July of 1870. By end of 1871 there were 553 men, women and children living in Aroostook Co., which became New Sweden in 1895. Stockholm became incorporated in 1911.

          All of which leads me to one of my favorite foods, Swedish meatballs. Most recipes of Swedish meatballs can’t help but to make you aware that they were developed by sturdy women cooking for woodsmen coming in from bitter cold in the middle of winter, leaving snow and ice at the kitchen door. This explains the requirement for cream with breadcrumbs and heavy cream as the sauce for meatballs fried in butter. High calorie food then was necessary and welcome! Unless you are a skier, who spent the day on the slopes and missed lunch, these criteria no longer apply. However, the delicious aroma and taste can be preserved at a considerably reduced caloric cost.

                             Swedish Meatballs -Light

          In a large bowl stir 1 cup fine bread crumbs with 1 cup 1.5 % milk and allow to sit for a few minutes until the bread absorbs the liquid. Melt 1 tblsp. butter in a small pan and sauté a finely chopped onion on medium heat for 10 minutes with occasional stirring. Stir into the moistened bread crumbs: 2 beaten eggs, 2 tsp. salt, ½ - ¾ tsp. pepper according to taste, 2 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tblsp. chopped parsley and the cooked onions. To this well stirred mixture add: 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 lb. ground pork and ½ lb. ground veal. Mix all well together by hand, shape into 1 ½ inch balls and place on an oiled baking sheet well separated. Roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until browned, turning once. Remove from pan and discard the fat. If you wish, you may freeze half of the meatballs for later use at this point, the rest will go into a creamy sauce.  In a large pan melt 1 tblsp. butter with 1 tblsp. olive oil and on low heat stir in scant 2 tblsp. flour making a roux and immediately start adding ¾ cups beef broth with stirring to make the sauce. When sauce is thick and smooth, add 1 tsp. salt, 1 tblsp. Gravy Mix and stir in ¾ cups half-and -half. Add the meatballs and stir to heat everything without boiling. Serve with dilled boiled potatoes or noodles.

                                      Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream

          Cucumbers go well in an excellent salad with the above Swedish meatballs. Slice thinly 1 English cucumber and toss with ¾ tsp. salt, 1 tblsp. chopped chives or scallion greens and 1 tblsp. chopped fresh dill. Toss with 2-3 tblsp. sour cream mixed with 2 tsp. rice vinegar. Serve as a salad by itself or for an elegant presentation serve on a leaf of butter lettuce.

          You don’t need aquavit to say SKÅL  to those early Maine Swedish immigrants!

         

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

After the Holidays

          The “Twelve Days of Christmas” certainly had their appeal in the Middle Ages with an extended period of celebrations with food and revelry starting on Christmas Day. When Charles Dickens published his “Christmas Carol” in 1843, he was concerned that this custom was fading from England and gave it a boost for years to come.

          We start modern day celebrations right after Thanksgiving and by New Year’s day there is an unacknowledged sigh in most households that life is about to return to ‘normal’. The leftovers are gone except for the cookies and some unappreciated fruit cake, we groan as we step on the bathroom scale and we suddenly appreciate a quiet evening at home.

          New Years resolutions come in all manner of variants beside the ones aiming for a more cordial relationship with your bathroom scale. Some of mine obviously have to do with cooking. It is easy to get caught up in some of the new trends, so one of my resolutions will be to look at some old recipes with a view of updates with more varied ingredients to tweak our taste buds. This should not preclude discoveries of new and interesting combination of ingredients from around the world.

          With all the recent emphasis of grains in our diet, wild rice seems to have lost it’s prominence as a interesting natural grain. Wild rice (Zizania) and cultivated rice (Oryza) actually represent different genera of the grass family of plants.  In North America it is grown primarily in Canada and Minnesota. It has a delightful nutty flavor and a firm texture requiring longer cooking time, but pairs well with poultry, pork and smoked meats.

                             Wild Rice with Pine Nuts and Currants

          Rinse 1 cup wild rice in several changes of water and place in a medium pot with 3 cups of chicken broth or water and 3/4 tsp. salt. Bring to boil, cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour. Some of the grains will puff open at this point. While the wild rice is cooking, in a small pan sauté 1 finely chopped shallot and 1 medium finely chopped stalk of celery for 5 minutes in 2 tblsp. butter. Stir in ¼ cup toasted pine nuts and ¼ cup dried currants. When rice is done, drain off any excess liquid, stir in the shallot mixture and heat everything on low heat for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot. The mixture can be made ahead and carefully reheated with stirring.

          Wild rice won’t be on the menu in most Chinese restaurants, but it is a grain that is native also to China. Thinking ahead to the Chinese New Year (January 25^th – year of the Metal Rat), the wild rice dish would go well with Chinese Spareribs, which seem lighter than the Western Barbecued ribs.

                             Chinese Spareribs with Ginger

          Cut  a 3 pound rack of pork spareribs in individual ribs and place in a shallow glass baking dish. In a bowl mix together:6 tblsp. honey, 6 tblsp. vinegar, 6 tblsp. soy sauce, 1 tblsp. sugar, a dash of Tabasco (optional), 3 minced cloves garlic, 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated, 1 ½ cups beef stock and ¼ cup sherry. Stir marinade well and pour over the spareribs. Marinate 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator, turning the ribs once or twice. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove ribs from marinade and spread on rimmed baking pan and roast for 1 hour, turning ribs several times and pouring off the accumulated fat as well as basting with the marinade each time. The ribs should be crisp, but not dried out. If you serve this as a main course, use 2 racks of spareribs for 6 people.

          Happy New Year!

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)