An Italian Classic - Potato Gnocchi

I ran across this really great GF gnocchi this week. It’s very easy to make and you can serve it to friends who aren’t GF. They won’t know the difference. This recipe will feed 4. You can serve it with a pesto sauce with some toasted pignoli. Pictured here is toasted garlic. Make sure you use potato starch and not flour in this recipe. I always keep some handy in the freezer when guests come.

You will need:
1 lb potatoes (about one large potato)
½ cup white rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 egg

1. Boil the potatoes till tender. When cool, peel and chop into pieces place in a electric mixer.
2. Mix slowly all remaining ingredients with potato to form a stiff dough. The dough should form a ball and hold together when held in your hand. Remember you will need to roll this out so consistency is important especially when dealing with gluten free mixes.

Note: If your dough is dry and does not form a ball (could be caused by the moisture in the potato you use I used Russett or even the size of the egg you use), you may need to sprinkle broth to get the dough to hold together. Sprinkle it a teaspoon at a time and mix till you reach a consistency where you can grab a ball full of dough and it holds together. Use sparingly or you will end up with a watery dough which will fall apart when rolled and when boiled will fall apart. Best to keep the dough on the dry side with only enough wetness to hold it together when squeezed into a ball in your hand.

3. Take about a fistful of dough and roll out on a table with a little rice flour (sprinkled on the table to prevent sticking). Roll back and forth your dough, moving your hands slowly apart till you form a long tube a little smaller than a quarter.

4. Cut strip into ¾ inch pieces as pictured. Let the gnocchi rest and dry on dish towels till ready to cook. If you aren’t going to cook it immediately, you can freeze them sealed in a Ziploc bag and it will keep about 2 weeks.

6. Boil enough water to drop in gnocchi. Drop in gnocchi slowly, separating as they go in the water. Remove immediately as soon as they float, this takes about 2-3 minutes.

7. Drain well and run under cold water to prevent further cooking.

8. Add your favorite sauce and serve.

A Must Read for the Gluten Free world -"The Ultramind Solution" by Mark Hyman MD

For anyone who is food allergic and has been looking for an alternative solution to the brain fog, attention deficit, mood swings, acid reflux, autoimmune diseases, skin allergies and inflammation problems, this book is a must read. It is especially helpful if you’ve tried the conventional medicine approach and nothing has worked. Dr. Hyman takes a holistic approach to understanding how nutrition, simple changes in diet like the elimination of gluten and casein, with the proper balance of amino acids and vitamins can drastically change your health.

He explains how nearly 70 million people suffer from some form of digestive disorder with the cost of treating the disorders medically at $107 billion per year. New research in the prestigious journal “Science” confirms the connection of what you eat and how you feel that is being ignored by the rest of medicine. Filled with numerous stories of his patients who have benefited from his elimination diet of wheat and casein, the book is inspiring. One study cites the link between eating gluten to everything from depression to anxiety to autism and even dementia.

If 60% of the immune system is in the gut, it’s hard to not believe that for those individuals who have trouble with absorption through an imbalance of nature’s digestive building blocks be it genetic or acquired, enhancing their bodies ability to perform at normal levels through the proper amino acids, minerals and vitamins can only have a healing effect. This thinking aligns itself with the latest book by Michael Pollan called “In Defense of Food” who talks about how the food we eat is processed to the point where it is low in fiber and nutrients and rich in sugar and additives. Pollard describes nations of obese people who are also malnourished. Both books cite the importance of the Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet which sadly is stripped from our commercial food to extend shelf life - another reason for making food from scratch.

I have been trying the amino acids and vitamins (of course, along with the wheat and casein diet) for the last 5 days now. Today was the first day I had woken up in years without the usual stuffed up nose and finger stiffness– a very, very rare no medication day. Placebo effect – I doubt it. In any case, this regiment is something that I will continue especially if 5 days into it the effects are already slowly showing. This makes the search for gluten free and healthy foods even more exciting and important.

Also looks like he's got a website - www.ultramind.com

Ahh..FinallyWhipped Cream

I mentioned in the “Gluten Free Finds in Vienna” post, a non dairy product that is as delicious as real whipped cream under the name “SoyAToo”. This is the real deal. Without the junky ingredients of "Cool Whip" , whip it up and you got lots of volume without the soy taste. Check out how fluffy this looks. With each mouthful, you’d swear this was whipped cream. Whole Foods sometimes carries the spray can version which begs for a better delivery system ( you can’t get the cream out of without sawing the canister in half, which sadly I’ve done). If you can get the box version, it will be worth your while otherwise clamor for it at your grocery.

Gluten Free Finds in Vienna

Our search continues for gluten free inspiration of the world's classic dishes and these few weeks we are in Austria. Austrian desserts are plain and simple, beautiful to behold. A trip to the famous Demel’s bakery embodies the tradition that makes these desserts famous throughout the world. At the back of the restaurant, a glass enclosed area allows you to watch the chefs create their masterpieces. The creation of large 50 portion size strudels every 15 minutes is fascinating to watch as the chefs stretch the fabric like dough around freshly cut and flavored apples.(I'll publish the apple strudel recipe in an upcoming blog.) Unfortunately, it was difficult to find GF/CF desserts at Demels but the desserts are a feast for the eyes.


My search in Vienna, Austria for gluten free goodies was rewarded on a trip down the “Naschmarkt” the local market one Sunday morning. This is foodie heaven! A sea of stalls from the local fruit and vegetable farmers, European meat & Mediterranean seafood vendors and specialties from the Middle East and Baltic States will not disappoint your craving for any type of food.


My search was focused on alternative GF/CF foods which I found at almost the end of the market, a green and yellow painted store called “Biowelt at Naschmarkt” - the Austrian version of the health food store. Behind the glass case stood the camera shy owner proudly displaying her beautiful variety of cookies and pastries many gluten, lactose or sugar free. The case held beautiful “Florentiner” cookie studded with nuts (deliciously gluten and egg free), heart shaped "Dinkelherz" cookies which were wheat and yeast free, vegan “Linzer Auge”, triangular lactose free “Nussecke” as well as cookies made with dinkel or spelt flour. The store also had a good variety of gluten free flours, pastas, rice and milk free products. Definitely worth a trip especially if you are spending an extended time in Vienna.

I also found a product called “SoyAToo” a boxed un-refrigerated whipping cream from Tofutown.com in Wiesbaum, Germany. I’ve used this product a few times when I’ve been lucky enough to find it in California with superior results. Just enough natural stabilizers make this soy product whip up very impressively and used as a side to your gluten free apple strudel. You can probably try your local Whole Foods if you are searching for a alternative non dairy whipped cream.

Celebration of Austrian Desserts

We’ll start our tour of worldwide desserts in Austria. Many of the famous recipes we know today date back to before the 16th century probably the best known among tourists being the Apple Strudel. Up to the Renaissance, most desserts in Europe were made with honey as sugar was only affordable by the wealthy. Other famous Austrian desserts are the Sacher Torte first created at the Sacher Hotel, the Dobostorte named after European nobility and the Salzburg Nockerl said to celebrate the 3 small hills (or “Nockerln”) in the town of Salzburg near the Austrian border.

I’ll feature the Salzburger Nockerl because it is one of the most memorable desserts you can have in Austria, no one seems to ever forget the delicate 3 mounds of meringue on a bed of red raspberry sauce. Best of all, it is gluten free, low in sugar (only 4 tbsp) and easy to make. I use agave for most of my recipes whenever possible as it has one of the lowest glycemic values of the natural sugars without being chemically processed like Splenda. (More on agave on a future blog.) For this recipe, a little sugar must be used for the meringue to avoid weeping of the meringue after baking. The final result will have a soufflé like texture and taste light and heavenly.

Prepare the Raspberry Jam
2 baskets of organic fresh raspberries
¼ cup agave nectar
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup fresh orange juice
Mix half the raspberries, the agave nectar, lemon and orange juice in a pan. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes whisking to break apart berries. Remove from heat and add the remaining strawberries and coat. Set aside

Preheat overn to 400 degrees F.

Pour the warm jam into a baking dish. Oval, rectangular or square dishes are fine as long as they are large enough to fit 3 mounds of meringue.

For the Salzburger Nockerln
5 egg whites
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp powdered sugar or bakers sugar
1 tsp tapioca flour, sifted
2 tbsp Grand Marnier
Grated peel of 1 lemon

Mix together the 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, tapioca flour, Grand Marnier and lemon peel in a bowl.
In a mixing bowl beat together the egg whites with 3 tbsp of the sugar until stiff but not dry.
Take 1/3 of the meringue mixture and fold into the egg yolk mixture till blended. Fold remaining meringue in mixture.
Spoon meringue in 3 even mounds over the raspberry jam.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and enjoy immediately. Top with sifted powder sugar if desired.

In Search of A Decent Piece of Bread

One of the biggest frustrations with being GF is having decent bread. You know, bread that you can put in your toaster, top with jam or stuff with your favorite savory filling with mayo, lettuce and tomato. Gluten free store bought bread is often dry, crumbly and tasteless. All have the taste of compromise not quite meeting the gold standard of what bread should taste like. Wheat, with its complex DNA, gives bread that elasticity and depth that makes it comfort food for us. In these blogs, I will share with you tested recipes for artisan tasting bread as well as commercial products tried which come close. You can finally enjoy cutting into your own loaf of bread packed with nutritious gluten free flours.
Enjoy!

Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Wonderful Bread

After trying several packaged bread products, this one is truly impressive. With only 2 grams of sugar and loaded with over 5 different gluten free flours, this bread is a snap to make. You only need to add eggs, oil, your favorite milk (soy, rice or cow) and vinegar. The package comes with a pack of yeast requiring only a 5 minute proofing. The rising time recommended is 30 minutes although I like to go a full hour. Dough rises beautifully. (I admit not smoothing the top of these loaves with a wet spatula to give it a flatter surface before baking).

Out of the oven, the bread browns beautifully, the crust is crunchy and the center is slightly porous and elastic.

The crumb is firm but moist with a somewhat sweetish taste similar to Portuguese sweet bread.

This bread is worth the wait and can be shared with even your non gluten sensitive friends. They would never guess it was gluten free!

Note: Bread can be stored in the freezer immediately after baking. Use it within a week, thaw for about 2 minutes in the microwave and toast. After a week in the freezer the bread will become noticeable crumbly and dry.