Gluten-free Gourmand

One of the things that I promised myself after returning from Hiatus 2015  was that I'd figure out how to make Cochinita Pibil.  It's kind of a regional specialty in the Yucatan and all the restaurants compete for the title of "Best Cochinita."  So I made it yesterday for the first time.  Here's the method: Chicken Pibil 1. Go to a cute Mexican store.  I chose Mercado Don Pancho on Alberta because it's like a portal to another world.  Why spend so much money on a plane ticket when you can just go to the Mercado and be instantly transported to another country?  There I purchased a small package of Achiote for

The biggest drawback to the gluten-free diet is the expense.  Wheat is the cheapest food that you can buy, and having it off your list guarantees a higher ticket at the grocery store.  Here's a quick list of the easiest and least expensive gluten-free meals out there.  Some of them are even naturally gluten-free, and they are all delicious! Pasta Carbonara Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Rice Oxtail Soup   Rice Pasta with Marinara Sauce Roasted Vegetables with Bacon If you have a favorite cheap and easy gluten-free meal, leave a link or a recipe in your comments!

Gazpacho is a great summertime dish. Gazpacho is a chilled tomato soup from Spain, where it's usually listed under salads on the menu. Although not all versions are gluten-free, this typical one is naturally gluten-free and vegan. If you're like me and you have plenty of garden tomatoes, this recipe is for you! Gazpacho I start out by peeling and seeding the tomatoes. I tried to skip this step once, but found that the tomato skins lend a weird texture to the soup. Some people don't mind the seeds, so you can choose whether you want to seed it or not. Here's the easiest way to do it: take a big pot and fill it with about 2-3" of water (enough to cover the tomatoes). Set to a boil. Cut a small X in the bottom of: 2 lbs tomatoes When the water is boiling, put the tomatoes in. Boil for 30-60 seconds. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. The skins should be well-split. Set the tomatoes aside to cool. In a blender or food processo...

Thanks to Linda from the Gluten-free Homemaker for hosting the What's for Dinner? Wednesday (Gluten-free Style) carnival blog. This week's theme is dessert, my favorite part of any meal. Now, don't get me wrong; I don't really like sugary/sweet things. I like my desserts to taste like their ingredients, not like sugar. Cooking gluten-free can be hard for me because I often find that I can't cut out as much sugar from a recipe as I used to when I used wheat flour. Fortunately, there are still several recipes that I have always loved that I never had to change when I went gluten-free. I already have a pretty good collection of recipes for sweets on this blog, but I thought I'd share my Creme Caramel Recipe today. It's naturally gluten-free, and there are some variations too. Most notably, there is a pumpkin variation. It's amazing!

A couple of weeks ago I was grilling a steak and making my roasted vegetables for a friend when he made a confession to me: his doctor suspected that he might have a wheat or gluten sensitivity and recommended that he go on a gluten-free diet. I was overjoyed. I have to admit that I get a sense of schadenfreude when my friends have to go on a gluten-free diet. Selfishly, I want more people to commiserate with. More importantly, I want people to do what I did: to figure out what is making them feel bad, and find an elegant solution to their problem. In honor of my friend, I immortalize a few of my tips for those who are just starting on the gluten-free diet. Find a gluten-free friend. They will know where the safe places are to eat in your area, the good products to buy at your local store, and the the stuff to stay away from. Take it easy at first. You may have to cut out additional foods - don' t let that get you down. You may be able to re-introduce them later. ...

This week in preparation for doing my post on Pasta Carbonara I had a pancetta breakthrough: it's much cheaper to buy at the butcher shop! I'd been buying the packaged stuff that was shipped from Italy or who-knows-where. I saw some at Chop Butchery in the City Market on NW 23rd Avenue in Portland, ordered some, and was shocked at how inexpensive it was. Plus, they will slice it for you however you want. I always get it "very thin," which is how Italians do it. What is pancetta ? It's Italian-style bacon. Pancetta is a cured pork belly that has not been smoked. It is sometimes rubbed with juniper and herbs and it's often rolled and cased. How does pancetta taste ? Cooked, pancetta adds a savory flavor that infuses whatever you're cooking it with. Since it's not smoked, it's milder than American bacon. It's usually sliced very thin, and can give you a very crispy, almost flaky texture. Raw, it can be kind of chewy and greasy, but ...

How I often pick seafood is by what looks good at the fish market. I create my recipes and ideas from the ingredients rather than forcing my shopping list to bend to the will of my recipes. This method proves itself over and over when selecting fresh fish. This week I found some really nice bay scallops that were very reasonably priced at my neighborhood New Season's. I really like the taste and texture of fresh scallops. They really have a lot of inherent flavor that I like to accentuate in my scallop recipes. The trick to getting the texture right is to cook them with high heat, and not for too long. This recipe was surprisingly fast to make. For once, I actually made the whole meal, including prep work, in the time it takes to cook the quinoa - about 20 minutes. Start your quinoa fist then prep the other ingredients, and cook. The quinoa can sit for quite a while in the pot if necessary after it's done, but the scallops are really quick to make and should be served r...

On weekends, I like to have some kind of hearty egg dish for brunch. As my loyal readers may have gathered by now, I love Mexican food. Combine brunch and Mexican food, and what you get is chilaquiles. Similar to migas, chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish served in the morning using the leftovers from last night's cooking. It is pretty simple, and usually involves corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, cheese, and egg. I make it with tortilla chips instead of corn tortillas when that's all that I have around. If you do make it with tortillas, let them fry a bit in with the chorizo or in oil before adding the other ingredients. I don't really measure anything when I cook this, so all quantities are approximate. I tried to get a good photo of each step this time to give you a visual of the quantities. This "recipe" is one serving. The timing is more crucial than the quantities on this one, as you don't want the tortilla chips to be too cruchy or too so...

In Mexico, they serve ceviche everywhere on the coast. They serve it in restaurants, and vendors sell it from coolers on the beach (not recommended!) It is actually made without cooking the fish, but the lime and any other acids in the juice "cook" the fish in a chemical process without heat. As with any recipe, but especially when raw fish is concerned, buy your ingredients some place that you trust. I get my fish from New Season's in NE Portland or at Umajimaya in Beaverton. Both places have fish good enough to eat raw. If you want to do a shrimp ceviche, the shrimp should be cooked, but otherwise you can follow this recipe. There are lots of variations to this recipe, but I tried to make it like they serve it on the Pacific coast of Mexico. This dish is usually considered an appetizer, but I could eat it all day. I am not going to give quantities for this one, as you can adjust the ingredients according to your taste. Start by buying the fish. About a qu...

When I realized that I would have to be on a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life, one of my primary thoughts was: I can still eat steak. In fact, when people try to have pity on me for my dietary restrictions, I tell them that I love my diet: it includes steak, potatoes, and ice cream. You probably don't need instructions on how to cook steak and potatoes. I'm mentioning it for What's for Dinner? Wednesday not because I think people need to know more about steak and potatoes, but because I sometimes like to remind myself to keep it simple. Simple is delicious. For more gluten-free dinner ideas see Linda at the Gluten-free Homemaker. My friend and I bought all the main ingredients for this meal at the Portland Farmer's Market. The herbs were picked form the garden - they miraculously survived the winter. First I cleaned and prepped the potatoes. We put a dry skillet in the oven at 400 degrees to heat up. I mixed some walnut oil, salt, sage, and thyme toget...

Here is a recipe that is surprisingly simple. It's a good recipe for making dairy-free. Simply substitute all of the milk and cream for coconut milk. I would imagine that a full-fat almond milk would taste lovely in this recipe too, though I haven't tried it yet. This is my own modification of the Joy of Cooking's recipe. The trickiest part of making this recipe is in preparing the caramel sauce. It has few ingredients but it takes some patience and attention. Place in a saucepan, preferably one with a light-colored inside: 3/4 cup sugar Pour over the top: 1/4 cup water Heat the mixture slowly, swirling the liquid occasionally until it clarifies. Increase the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes, covered. Uncover the pan after the two minutes is up and watch it boil until it begins to darken. At this point start swirling the syrup in the pan again to cook it evenly until it turns a dark brown. If you smell burning immediately remove it from the heat: yo...