Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Broad Bean & Pancetta Risotto

August 5, 2011 in Entertaining, Family meals | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


This is a wonderfully earthy recipe, combining the powerfully-savoury taste of thyme with the substantial broad beans, and the strong pancetta and dairy-free cheese. I use the Cheezly dairy-free cheeses because I think they’re the best on the market – and my favourites are the White Cheddar Style, Red Cheddar Style and the new Blue Style Cheezly. These are all made with soya but if you don’t want to eat soya, they also make a Soya Free Cheezly which is really good.

Broad beans are in season right now (and lovely), so if you can get fresh ones, it’s well worth the extra effort of shelling them (and if you have time to skin them, even better!) But don’t worry if you can only get the frozen variety – this dish will still be delicious.

Gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, nut-free, seed-free, egg-free, citrus-free

Preparation time 5 minutes     Cooking time 20-25 minutes     Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 250g/9oz/heaped 1 cup arborio or other risotto rice
  • 300ml/10½fl oz/scant 1¼ cups organic dry white wine
  • 800ml/28fl oz/scant 3¼ cups hot, gluten-, yeast- and dairy-free vegetable stock, or vegetable stock made from gluten-, yeast- and dairy-free stock powder
  • 1kg/2lb 4oz broad beans, shelled, or 450g/1lb/heaped 2½ cups shelled broad beans
  • 200g/7oz pancetta
  • 1½ tbsp chopped thyme leaves
  • 1 handful chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
  • 75g/2½oz dairy-free cheese, shaved
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until just starting to turn golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then lower the heat and stir in the rice until it is well coated in oil.
  2. Pour a little of the wine into the mixture and stir. Continue cooking over a low heat, gradually adding and stirring in the wine, until it has all been absorbed. Add a ladle of the hot stock and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding and stirring in the hot stock for 18–20 minutes until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed.
  3. Meanwhile, steam the broad beans in a saucepan of boiling water or a steamer for 5-7 minutes, depending on their size, until they are just tender. Remove from the heat, drain and set to one side. (And remove the skins if you have time.)
  4. Pour the remaining oil into a heavy-based frying pan and heat over a medium heat until hot. Add the pancetta and fry for 4-6 minutes until just crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
  5. When the risotto mixture is almost cooked, season lightly with salt and pepper to taste and add the beans and pancetta. Stir in carefully and continue to cook for a further minute until the rice is soft but still has a slight bite and all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the thyme (and parsley leaves if using), and sprinkle with the shavings of cheese. Serve immediately.

The Best Gluten-Free & Allergy-Friendly Blogs on Channel4.com

July 31, 2011 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 comments

Huge thanks to Channel4.com for voting me one of the best gluten-free & allergy-friendly blogs! I’m up there with The Intolerant Gourmet, The Gluttonous Vegan, Pig in the Kitchen, The Gluten-Free Student Cookbook, A Girl’s Guide to Gluten-Free Baking, Free From, Food is Good, Eating Like a Horse and The Gluten-Free Blog. I love that mainstream media is taking the subject seriously – and, of course, that I’m featured!!

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Mediteranean Baked Cod

July 27, 2011 in Baby Foods | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This lovely recipe is from Christine Bailey‘s The Top 100 Baby Foods, which is one of my favourite books at the moment. Full of recipes that are truly healthy – all catering for little tummies, so either no- or low-sugar, lots of gluten-free and dairy-free, packed full of nutrition, and the recipes are truly easy to make. Cod is full of high-quality protein that’s easily digested by your baby’s immature gut. Although cod is not as rich in omega-3 essential fats as oily fish, it contains good amounts of these brain-boosting nutrients. It also contains plenty of B-vitamins, which help your baby’s body unlock the energy stored inside the food she or he eats. Make sure you check the fish carefully for any stray bones before you begin cooking. I made double the amount as I’d just bought 2 large cod fillets from the fishmongers.

gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free, egg-free, nut-free, seed-free

About 4 servings for little ones     Preparation time 10 minutes     Cooking time 20 minutes

  • 4 tomatoes, halved
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped into chunks
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 175g/6oz skinless, boneless cod fillet
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 handful of basil leaves
  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350°F/Gas 4. Put the tomatoes and peppers in a small roasting tray. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and half the olive oil. Bake for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are softening.
  2. Remove the roasting tray from the oven. Nestle the cod fillet among the peppers and tomatoes and drizzle with the remaining oil and the lemon juice. Scatter with the basil leaves and bake for a further 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
  3. Serve hot or put the fish and vegetables in a food processor and process to form a purée if you’re making this for a baby.

Great Taste Awards 2011

July 24, 2011 in Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

This year I went to Olympia, London, to take part in the judging for the Great Taste Awards. Organised by The Guild of Fine Food, these awards are now in their tenth year and the food industry seems to have truly embraced them. This year the Guild received a record number of entries this year – showing definitely that fine foods and drink are holding their own in the marketplace.

I had a great day judging (and chatting!) And tasted some truly great food. Throughout the day, we awarded 10 Gold One Stars and 3 Gold Two Stars. One of the products that received a Gold One Star was a gluten-free breakfast cereal, made with quinoa and buckwheat flakes. I realise now that this was the Perfekt Organic Quinoa Granola (although, of course, I didn’t know this at the time.) This really was very good – and nutritionally excellent. The sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds, brazil nuts and golden linseeds gave the muesli a delicious balance of tastes and textures, and the quinoa and buckwheat flakes were lovely. The quinoa, in particular, was very well produced – it had been toasted and remained crunchy even after it had been immersed in milk for a while.

During the day, a couple of Gold Three Stars were awarded. Unfortunately neither of them came by my table, so I didn’t taste them. But one was a Polenta Cake which apparently was utterly wonderful. Polenta is a great gluten-free ingredient for making cakes – giving them a slightly-crunchy texture and deliciously sweet taste. And the other product was a roasted nori seaweed. Huge congratulations to those producers.

Once again I was hugely impressed with the judges I met. Most of them are involved in producing, selling or marketing high-quality, often artisan, food, and they’re all utterly passionate about great food. Each entry is blind tasted and points are given or deducted in a thorough, comprehensive way. If a product is thought to be worth a gold, it goes to a total of 16 people, who must all agree with the award. This year, I got to taste a very wide range of foods, ranging from biscuits, breads and cakes; to ice creams, chocolates and truffles; and sauces, pickles and chutneys. Some weren’t good – but the majority were – and those that stood out and received awards were truly excellent.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Spinach Lasagne

July 17, 2011 in Entertaining, Family meals, Pasta | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a wonderful feeling to bite into a lasagne – and know that it’s gluten-free and dairy-free! This is a vegetarian one made with earthy sweet spinach and pine nuts, with a nutmeg-flavoured cheese sauce and a layer of dairy-free pesto to add zing. Packed with nutrition from the antioxidant-, calcium-, magnesium- and iron-packed spinach and the pine nuts, this is comfort food at its very best.

gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, citrus-free

Serves 4–6     Preparation time 5 minutes     Cooking time

  • 50g/1¾oz/⅓ cup pine nuts
  • 500g/1lb 2oz baby spinach leaves
  • 100g/3½oz dairy-free soya cheese, grated
  • 8–12 no-pre-cook gluten-free lasagne sheets
  • a few basil leaves, torn, to serve
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cheese Sauce

  • 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup dairy-free soya milk
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 85g/3oz dairy-free margarine
  • 60g/2¼oz/⅓ cup rice flour
  • 30g/1oz/⅓ cup gram flour
  • 30g/1oz/scant ⅓ cup maize flour
  • 1l/35fl oz/4 cups gluten-free and dairy-free vegetable stock
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 300g/10½oz dairy-free soya cheese, grated

Dairy-free Pesto:

  • 30g/1oz basil leaves
  • 1 heaped tbsp pine nuts
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 25g/1oz dairy-free cheese
  1. To make the cheese sauce, put the soya milk, onion and bay leaves into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Turn the heat down, cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, make the pesto. Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts for the pesto and dry-fry until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the heat, remove the pine nuts and divide and leave to one side. (This is made without any oil, because it would be too oily for the lasagne with oil.) Wash the basil and pat dry in a clean kitchen towel. Put the ingredients into a mini-food processor and blend until a paste forms.
  3. Melt the dairy-free margarine in a large heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flours and gradually stir in the infused milk mixture and then the vegetable stock, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil and stir as it thickens. If it goes lumpy, beat with a whisk until smooth. One the sauce has boiled, stir in the dairy-free cheese, turn the heat down and leave to simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If needed, stir in another 125ml/4fl oz/½ cup stock to make a smooth sauce that is fairly thick but runny. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
  4. Wash the spinach thoroughly and put in the frying pan. Cook over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until the spinach has wilted, stirring occasionally. Put the spinach into a fine sieve and push all the juice out of the leaves with the back of a spoon. Drain the liquid from the pan and return the spinach to the pan. Add the pine nuts and the soya cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper and mix together.
  5. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Spread a third of the cheese sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish. The best shape is a square shape, ideally about 23 x 18cm/9 x 7in size, although I’ve used a circular dish in this picture. Put half of the spinach mixture over the top and cover with a layer of 4–6 lasagne sheets, depending on the size of your dish. Spread the pesto over the top. Layer again with the a third of the cheese sauce, the remaining spinach mixture and 4–6 lasagne sheets. Cover with the  remaining cheese sauce, making sure that the cheese sauce covers everything on top.
  6. Bake for 50–60 minutes, depending on the type of lasagne sheets used, until the cheese sauce is golden brown and the pasta is soft. Sprinkle with basil and serve hot.

Tropical Fruit Salad with Chilli, Star Anise, Cinnamon & Lime Dressing

July 13, 2011 in Desserts, Entertaining, Family meals | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 comment

 


This gorgeous fruit salad comes from spice master John Gregory’s Smith‘s book, Mighty Spice. Inspired by his travels around the world, John wrote the cookbook to show how you can use spices to add amazing flavours – including spicy, zingy, fiery and tangy – as well as delicious aromas. Instead of having to use a whole load of different spices, John uses a total of only 25 spices – and a maximum of only 5 spices for each recipe. And there’s a wonderful selection of dishes from all over the world. Brilliant!

This recipe literally took no time at all to prepare. I cheated (!) and bought a pre-prepared tropical fruit salad. So I simply made the syrup and mixed it into the papaya, pineapple, mango and passion fruit. So easy. And the flavours here are stunning – a combination of fiery chilli, zesty lime juice, and sweet, aromatic cinnamon and star anise – all mixed into the different fruit flavours. We ate this after a beef stir-fry, making the whole meal a fantastic mix of tastes and aromas. It’s wonderful to find new inspiration for fruit and this is fast becoming a new favourite in our house!

gluten-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, egg-free, soya-free, nut-free, seed-free

Serves 4     Preparation time 10 minutes     Cooking time 10 minutes

  • 90g/3¼oz/heaped ⅓ cup caster sugar
  • 5cm/2in cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  • juice of 2 limes
  • seeds and pulp of 3 passion fruit
  • 1 mango, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
  • ½ pineapple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1 papaya, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
  1. Put the sugar, cinnamon, star anise and chilli flakes into a large pan with 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Stir continuously for 1 minute, or until all the sugar has dissolved, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, shaking the pan occasionally, for 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a thin syrup. Transfer the syrup to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool. Remove the cinnamon to stop its flavour overpowering the dressing, but reserve for decoration.
  2. Once the syrup has cooled, pour in the lime juice and passion fruit and mix well. Add the mango, pineapple and papaya, then toss together so that the spicy, sweet-sour flavours of the dressing coat the fruit. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Chocolate & Pear Tart

July 6, 2011 in Desserts, Entertaining, Pastries | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 6 comments

I’m coming in late to the Pie Party (sorry!) but I wanted to share this because it truly is heavenly. A rich chocolate tart, with soft, sweet pears – and a very gooey middle. In theory, you should bake your tart until the filling is completely set but the rich, oozing middle in this one defies all rules. It tastes too good to cook it any longer!

The pastry can, of course, be made by hand – but I’ve shown how to make it in the food processor, in order to make this super-easy. And it’s still light-textured, holds together, and a little crumbly when you bite into it.

Shauna, I love your idea of the Pie Party. Can we make it an annual event?!

gluten-free, dairy-free, yeast-free, seed-free, citrus-free

Serves 6–8     Preparation time 10 minutes, plus making the pastry     Cooking time 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 pears, peeled, halved and cored
  • 150g/5½oz dairy-free dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, chopped or broken into pieces
  • 50g/1¾oz/¼ cup fruit sugar or caster sugar
  • 50g/1¾oz dairy-free margarine, plus extra for greasing
  • 4 eggs, beaten

Pastry:

  • 75g/2½oz/heaped ¹⁄₃ cup rice flour, plus extra as needed
  • 75g/2½oz/²⁄₃ cup gram flour
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 50g/1¾oz/scant ½ cup ground almonds
  • 50g/1¾oz/scant ¹⁄₃ cup fruit sugar or caster sugar
  • 80g/2¾oz chilled dairy-free margarine, diced
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  1. To make the pastry, sift the flours and xanthan gum into the bowl of a food processor and blend well. Stir in the almonds and sugar. Add the dairy-free margarine and blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and blend for 20–30 seconds until the mixture comes together to form a sticky dough. There should be a little extra moisture at the base of the bowl. If it is too dry, gradually add 1–2 tablespoons chilled water. If too sticky, add a little rice flour.
  2. Shape the pastry into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease a loose-based 20cm/8in tart tin with dairy-free margarine and line the base with baking parchment. Liberally dust a chopping board with rice flour and roll out the pastry into a circle slightly larger than the tart tin, to allow enough pastry for the side, then neaten the edge, using a sharp knife. Be careful as the pastry will still be slightly sticky. Put the tin, face-down, on top of the pastry and turn the board over to drop the pastry into the tin. Ease the pastry into place, pressing down carefully to remove any air pockets, then prick the base all over with a fork. Line the pastry case with a piece of baking parchment and cover with baking beans.
  4. Bake for 8 minutes until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment and beans.
  5. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the pears on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, make 5 slices down each half, starting about 1cm/½in from the top. Leave to one side.
  6. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and rest it over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted. Add the sugar and stir in thoroughly, then add the margarine and stir until melted. Add the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in thoroughly.
  7. When the pastry is out of the oven, put the pears onto the base, fanning them out slightly if there’s room (it will depend on the size of the pears.) Pour the chocolate mixture over, taking care to cover all the pears.
  8. Bake for about 25 minutes, until just darkening on the top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully put a plate on the top, turn it over, remove the tin and put a serving plate on the top. Turn the tart back over onto the serving plate. Serve hot or cold.

Dairy-Free Cashew Nut Cheeses

June 26, 2011 in Entertaining, Family meals | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


Cashew nut cheese is the classic vegan version of cheese. The subtle taste of the cashews, along with their soft texture when soaked, mean that they make a wonderfully creamy, soft cheese (and also cream). The mixture can then be flavoured – whether it’s with herbs, spices, or other ingredients to make delicious cheeses. I’ve used a recipe from Nicola Graimes’ new book New Vegetarian Kitchen, which I featured a few weeks ago and is full of inspirational and creative recipes for vegetarians, including this recipe for a trio of (dairy-free) cashew nut cheeses.

These cheeses are delicious just as they are, eaten with gluten-free bread or toast. But they’re also wonderful when added to a recipe. I made the herb one with rosemary instead of the suggested thyme, oregano or chives because I wanted to add it to a tomato-based pasta sauce I’d made to make it creamy, and wanted the strong rosemary flavour. The bland flavour of cashew nut cheese will work with a myriad of flavours, both subtle and strong – whatever you feel like trying!

Makes 3 different cheeses     Preparation time 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 300g/10½oz/2 cups cashew nuts
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • a large pinch of smoked paprika
  • 5 tbsp shelled pistachios, finely chopped
  • 5 tbsp chopped mixed herbs, such as thyme, oregano and chives
  • freshly ground black pepper
  1. Put the cashews in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave to soak for at least 2 hours, then drain and transfer the cashews to a food processor or blender. Add 185ml/6fl oz/¾ cup water and blend into a coarse paste. (For a softer ‘cheese’, add a little more water and blend into a coarse purée.) Add the salt and season with pepper.
  2. Divide the nut cheese into 3 equal portions. Stir the garlic, lemon juice and paprika into 1 portion and spoon it into a ramekin. Put the chopped pistachios on a plate. Using your hands, divide another portion of the nut cheese into teaspoon-sized balls, then roll each ball in the pistachios until evenly coated. Roll the last portion of the nut cheese into a log and roll it in the herbs to coat.

Simply Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Book Signing at Dulwich Books

June 23, 2011 in New book | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Tomorrow I’m signing copies of Simply Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at Dulwich Books, on Croxted Road in West Dulwich, as part of the Independent Booksellers Week. I’ll be there from 4–7.30pm – come and sample some Raspberry & Rosewater Cupcakes and Chocolate Birthday Cake and it will be lovely to see you!

Gluten-free & Dairy-Free Moroccan-style Quinoa

June 19, 2011 in Family meals | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quinoa is a true wonderfood. This gluten-free grain contains all 8 essential amino acids and is rich in calcium, making it a great choice if you’re following a gluten-free and also dairy-free diet. But many people think quinoa is hard to cook. The good news is that it isn’t. You simply need to use the right ratio of quinoa to liquid and make sure you don’t overcook it. You want it tender but not mushy – so stop cooking while it’s still in a discernible shape and then it will be delicious.

It’s good to add lovely flavours to quinoa. I developed this recipe around ingredients I know Zoe (my little 2-year old girl) loves, so that she would eat the quinoa, too. I added toasted pine nuts, raisins and chickpeas, and mixed these into stock-flavoured quinoa. And it worked – she ate masses. So now I’m feeling pleased that I’ve got some great nutrition inside her today!

gluten-free, wheat-free, yeast-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soya-free, seed-free, citrus-free

Preparation time 5 minutes     Cooking time 15–20 minutes     Serves 2

  • 150g/5½oz/¾ cup quinoa
  • 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup stock made with gluten-, yeast- and dairy-free stock powder
  • 50g/1¾oz/⅓ cup pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 230g/8oz/1 cup drained, tinned chickpeas
  • 50g/1¾oz/scant ½ cup raisins or sultanas
  • 1 handful parsley leaves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Put the quinoa in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer to a saucepan and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a low heat, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 15–20 minutes until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed. If any water is left in the pan, drain the quinoa thoroughly through a sieve.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and dry-fry for 2–3 minutes, until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the pan and leave to one side.
  3. Pour the oil into the heavy-based saucepan and heat on a medium-low heat until hot. Add the onion and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until just starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and fry for a further 30 seconds, stirring all the time. Add the chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  4. When the quinoa is cooked, transfer to the heavy-based saucepan and add the pine nuts, raisins or sultanas, parsley and mint. Season lightly and stir thoroughly until well mixed. Serve warm or cold.
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