Crafty Cookery

I’ve looked at a lot of recipes and most call for wine and/or tomatoes, both of which are forbidden to me so I created my own recipe made with things I can eat. The last time I made it, it was so rich and unctuous, I felt guilty for eating it! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different herbs and vegetables until you find the right combination for you.

2 lamb shanks, well washed
3 cups good quality beef stock
2 medium onions, diced
4 medium turnips, diced (can use potatoes but they’re on my list of forbidden foods)
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 oz mushrooms, diced (I like baby bellas)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Herbs de Provence (with lavender)
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste

Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, sear the lamb shanks on the stove top. Remove shanks and drain any fat out of the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Return lamb shanks to the pot, cover tightly and place in a 350* oven. Cook for  1 1/2 to 2 hours, until lamb falls off the bone. Remove from oven. Strip lamb from the bone and cut into bite sized pieces, return meat to the pot and serve. It’s great on its own or over rice or polenta.

1 lb beef steak, cubed (I used chuck steak)
6 oz mushrooms, diced (I used a mix of cremini & baby bellas)
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil

White Sauce

3 Tbs vegan margarine
3 Tbs gluten-free flour (I used brown rice flour)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 cup dairy-free milk (I used unsweetened Almond)

8 oz gluten-free noodles (I used Quinoa spaghetti)

In large saucepan, saute onion, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. Once onions are translucent, add beef cubes and continue cooking on low until beef is done. While beef is cooking, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta and start the white sauce.

To make the white sauce, add margarine and flour in the bottom of a small saucepot. On medium heat, melt margarine and stir until combined with flour. Add milk. Continue stirring until flour and margarine is mixed with the milk without lumps. Add lemon juice and pour the sauce into the saucepan with the beef, mushrooms and onions. Simmer on low until the sauce had thickened and the beef is done.

Serve over gluten-free pasta.

As far as gluten-free pastas go, gnocchi is an obvious choice. It’s main ingredient is potatoes. I found a good recipe online and then worked it and re-worked it until it turned out well. One of the saddest things about my increased food sensitivities is I can no longer eat potatoes, but I posted this recipe for those of you who can.

2 large russet potatoes (about 2lbs)
2 eggs, whipped
1 cup brown rice flour plus extra for the cutting board

Cook potatoes, either by baking (I used the microwave) or boiling. Once potatoes are cooked but still hot, remove the skin. You want to mash them while still hot. To mash the potatoes either run them through a ricer or use the back of a fork (I used a fork). You want an even consistency without visible lumps but that is still light and fluffy.

Let the potatoes cool spread out on a cutting or pastry board. Once cool, mound the potatoes together and drizzle the whipped eggs over the potatoes and sprinkle about 3/4 cup of the flour on top. Combine the three ingredients with a spatula or pastry scrapper. Fold and scrap the dough until it’s a light crumble then gently knead it. Add more flour at this point if the dough is still tacky feeling. Dough should be moist but not sticky and feel billowy.

Cut the dough into eight pieces. Gently roll each piece into a snake-like log about the same diameter of your thumb. Cut the dough into 3/4 inch pieces. Gently roll the tinges of a fork across each piece to make indentations in the dough. It should curl up in a “C” shape with ridges from the tinges. This set takes practice. Set each piece of pasta aside, sprinkling lightly with extra flour. I set mine on a parchment paper wrapped baking sheet.

Once all the gnocchi is made, you can either drop them carefully in boiling salted water to cook and eat immediately or freeze for later. Cook them in small batches. You know they’re done when they float up to the top of the pot. Serve them with pesto or even just a drizzle of good quality olive oil and a sprinkle of herbs.

When I froze mine, I stretched plastic wrap over the baking sheet full of pasta and set it in the freezer for overnight. The next day I removed the baking sheet and slipped the frozen gnocchi into a freezer bag and returned them to the freezer.