Au Gratin Potatoes (GF)

The base of Au Gratin potatoes is a white sauce, so if you need to make them gluten-free, you have to have a substitute for the flour in the sauce.  This is a very yummy recipe that I served with breaded pork chops (homemade Shake and Bake equivalent) because, again, not exactly gluten-free inherently.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of potatoes (6 medium)
• 1 small white or yellow onion
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 tbsp GF flour (for this you want something substantial, like a fava bean flour, not a featherlight type).
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh grated pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz)
• 1/4 gf bread crumbs (I use Aleias)
• paprika

Instructions

For the potatoes, chop the onion very fine.  You want between 1/4 to 1/2 a cup depending on your preference. Without any onion, the potatoes will be quite bland.

Melt the butter and mix with the olive oil,

Cook the onion on low heat until it starts to soften and become translucent (but not brown).  Stir in the flour to make a bit of a paste, then add the milk and stir until fairly smooth.  Add the cheese and raise the heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and starts to thicken, about a minute after boiling.  Stir in the salt and pepper.   (If it doesn’t seem like it’s thickening you can add about a tsp of cornstarch mixed with a tiny bit of warm water, but you shouldn’t need to.

If the potatoes have a good skin, leave it on (because that’s where the nutrients are!) Otherwise peel them, and slice thin – 1/4 inch)(you’re aiming at about 4 cups). If the potatoes are large, you may need to cut them in half again.

Grease or spray a casserole dish (1 1/2-quarts), place in the potatoes and pour the sauce over them. Mix a bit. Top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika to taste.

Cook uncovered in a 375 oven for 75 minutes(If you are roasting something at a lower temperature, you can just cook them longer – 100 minutes in a 325 oven, for example). Alternatively, you can cook them for about an hour and then add the crumbs and cheese, and cook for another 15-20 minutes, but I think that’s unnecessarily complicated. Throw them in and forget them. Either way, they’re pretty hard to mess up. They should be bubbly and brown at the edges when they are done.  Check the tenderness of the potatoes with a fork, if you’re not sure.

I served with breaded pork chops (GF, of course), applesauce and carrots.

Pullao Rice with Peas

I was looking for an accompaniment to Cumin and Cashew Chicken, and pulled this from my trusty Curries without Worries cookbook by Sudha Koul. (Out of print, but you can get it used.)  She introduces basic Indian cooking for not so savvy Americans (which I definitely was when I bought it over 20 years ago).  It did call for a lot of spices, many of which I didn’t have on hand. In the interest of speed and the contents of my spice rack, I adapted a number of ingredients to use ground rather than whole spices (cinnamon, cumin, the ginger, etc.)

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps olive
  oil
• 2 tbsps butter or ghee
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1 tsp fresh finely chopped ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves or you can use 3 whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp cardamon or 2 cardamon pods, crushed
• 12 ounces peas (I used frozen).  You can also add another cup or so of veggies like cauliflower or potato. They should be crunchy and cut fairly small.  All I had on hand was peas, so that’s all I used this time.
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 cup chicken stock (if you want vegetarian than just use water)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• You can also add a pinch of saffron, soaked in 5 tbsps of water.

Instructions

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan on high for a minute until melted, then add the onion, ginger and turmeric and fry for another minute, stirring constantly.  Add the remaining spices except the salt, stirring them into the mixture for a few seconds. Add your vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the dry rice and stir fry again for a few moments to really mix the spices onto the rice.

Add the stock, water and salt to the mixture and stir until boiling. Reduce the heat to low, add the saffron  if you have it, cover and cook for 15 minutes. The vegetables will start to float but don’t stir unless absolutely necessary as it breaks the rice grains and makes them lumpy. (which is why you want a heavier pot and low heat). Toss with a fork just before serving. Taste and add any additional salt to taste.

I served it with Cumin and Cashew Chicken. Hubby loved it.  Thumbs up.

Gluten-Free Cornbread

For this cornbread I use a mixture of flours.  For gluten-free baking, it can be difficult to get the right flour mixture.  I do recommend Bob’s Redmill flours. I used Bob’s 1 to 1 mix, plus a little fava bean and some buckwheat (which despite its name contains no wheat and no gluten).

When choosing flours, you can either choose a flour and add xantham or guar gum, which add the stretchy bit that is usually contributed by gluten, or choose a baking mix, which generally includes gum already.  You can skip the xantham gum, which is kind of bitter and smelly, but just be aware that whatever you’re making will be a little more crumbly.  You can address some of this with a bit more liquid or fat, and can more easily get away without it in heavier foods (think pound cake) than lighter ones (think biscuit).

Ingredients

• 1 cup GF baking mix or flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten until fluffy (you can also use 2 egg whites)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (205 C)

Grease and flour a 8×8 or 9×9 inch glass pan.  If you like you can add a piece of waxed paper, which makes removal a lot easier.

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in the milk, eggs, oil and butter, until just moistened.  Pour into pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned on top, it springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Gluten-Free Sausage Stuffing

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, bar none.  I love it.  No overblown gifts and cards to buy. No nauseating sentiment.  Just feasting with family and friends, and taking time to be grateful that we can give thanks. 

Plus you get the Macy’s parade, which I absolutely adore despite its goofiness.

I also adore Thanksgiving food.  I was born and raised in New England so my family celebrates a very traditional turkey feast with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, carrots, peas, onions, turnip, parsnips, squash, cranberry sauce, yeast rolls and a few other things I’m likely forgetting. 

Then there’s pie.  Pumpkin and Apple, of course, (with real whipped cream and vanilla ice cream), but we also often get chocolate (not so traditional), pecan, cheesecake and host of other things such as Indian pudding (a custardy mix of pumpkin, corn meal, raisins and molasses).  Lastly there is the rather odd concoction of pineapples,whipped cream, and pistachio jello mix made by my grandmother (still! at 96!) It’s commonly known as ‘that green stuff.’  It tastes a LOT better than that sounds, really.

I probably consume about 3000 calories, easy.  But I don’t care.  It’s totally worth it. 

Added to this  childhood feast is an additional stuffing recipe invented by my husband and here converted from life pre-gluten-free.  This has been a favorite for the better part of 15 years, and Hubby really missed it, as did our friends.  Believe me, this is a crowd pleaser.  You will never know it’s GF and neither will any of your guests.  They will still gobble it down.  How do I know this? 

It’s been road tested at both family Thanksgivings, where there is usually barely any crumbs left, along with multiple times at our holiday Thanksgiving with friends, with similar results.  Among these friends are some of the pickiest eaters known to man, so believe me, if they eat it, it’s good.  Part of our secret is we don’t bother to tell people it’s gluten-free, and no one can tell the difference. 

• 1 1/4 loaves of gluten-bread (We use Food For Life Brown Rice Bread, which is the best sandwich-toasting bread.  Note that it’s denser than your average wheat bread).
• 1 package (six short links) hot Italian sausage
• 2-3 ribs of celery and leaves, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed
• 4-6 oz of mushrooms, chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 tbsps poultry seasoning
• 2 tsps rosemary
• 2 tsps thyme
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 16 oz package chicken broth, low sodium, if possible

Cut up the gluten-free bread into small cubes about 1/4 to 1/3rd of an inch.  Toss with herbs and a tablespoon or so of oil.  Keep the crumbs and toast them too! Spread the bread cubes and crumbs out on a cookie sheet and toast for 10 to 15 minutes to dry out the bread slightly and crisp it up.  You can do this step a day or two in advance, if you want. 

While the bread is toasting, cook the sausage.  Remove the skin and crumble or chop in 1/3 inch cubes. 

Saute the vegetables and remaining spices in olive oil until soft, the onions are translucent, and the mushrooms are reduced. 

In a large bowl, mix the cubes and the chicken broth to re-hydrate the cubes.  Don’t dump it all in at once.  Depending on how big your loaf is, you may want a little more or less.  Also, if you want a slightly lighter mix, you can use some water instead.  Fold in the sausage and the vegetables (which will add some moisture).  If desired, put in more spices to taste.

You can use the stuffing inside the turkey or cook in a pan on the side (in which case it officially becomes dressing, although I never call it anything except stuffing).  For the latter, cover with foil for to keep the pan from drying out too much. About 15 minutes before you take it out of the oven, remove the foil.

Cook in a 325 F degree oven for an hour.  We usually cook it alongside with the turkey.  Enjoy.  This stuff is fab.