Truly magnificent cabbage

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Cabbage. It even sounds boring doesn't it? Like a dirty old wrung out dishcloth. The thing is, cabbage is exceedingly good for you, so I'm told at least. It contains all sorts of funky compounds that big up your healthiness, so a cabbage recipe that makes cabbage palatable (and more) is a very good thing.

How to make truly magnificent gluten free cabbage

One sweetheart or savoy cabbage cut it into 1 cm strips
1 handfuls pine nuts
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Steam your cabbage for about 6-8 minutes. Keep testing to ensure it doesn't get overdone - you need some crunch left. While it's cooking, toast the pine nuts on a dry pan until light brown. Crush half the pine nuts by rolling them with a rolling pin (or jam jar) on a chopping board.

Drain the cabbage, pour over a couple of glugs of olive oil, add the crushed and whole nuts, the lemon juice and season with black pepper.

Next time you tell em they're getting cabbage, you can surprise them with truly magnificent gluten free cabbage. And I won't mind if you pretend you made it up ;-) Let me know what you think.

Gluten free risotto - smoked salmon and ginger

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

Were risottos invented for celiacs or what? Risottos are gluten free through and through (as long as your stock is gluten free of course). This one is simple and subtly flavoured.

Gluten free risotto - smoked salmon and ginger

400g risotto rice (arborio or similar)
3 pints gluten free vegetable or chicken stock (or a little less - you can always make up the difference with hot water)
150g smoked salmon (from Scotland, naturally), sliced into 1cm wide slices
A large handful of pak choi leaves (chinese leaves or even watercress will do too), thinly sliced
1-inch of superfresh ginger, very finely shredded
Juice of 1 lemon.
Olive oil

Make the risotto in the usual way - heat the oil, then add the rice and stir until coated. Add the hot stock ladle by ladle until the rice is nearly ready. Throw in the smoked salmon, ginger, leaves, lemon juice, then bring back to the boil. Chuck in a couple of last ladles of stock and cover. Let the risotto sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Season (a good grinding of black pepper suits this dish).

Your finished gluten free risotto should be creamy and loose, and naturally, very tasty indeed.

Gluten free quinoa risotto

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Yeast free

I'm not sure if it's accurate to call this a quinoa risotto, but it's kinda like one, so what the heck.

Quinoa is a mile ahead of rice when it comes to nutritional value, and I reckon the taste and texture are pretty good too.

So here goes...

Gluten free bacon and leek quinoa risotto

1 large or 2 medium leeks, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic
6 rashers dry cure bacon, or lardons
400 g quinoa grain
Ground black pepper
8 fresh sage leaves
Couple sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil

Fry the bacon in a little olive oil until browned. Turn the heat down and add the leek, herbs and garlic, add a little more oil if needed then fry gently for 10-15 minutes. Pour in the quinoa and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Keep adding water until the quinoa is cooked (about 15 mins), then cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. You should leave enough moisture in the mix such that it is moist and loose after standing.

Grind a little fresh pepper in and there you have it. A gluten free risotto with highly nutritious quinoa.

Gluten free holidays in Vietnam!

My thanks go to Nitzan R, of Rehovot Israel for his story about eating gluten free in Vietnam. Not only has Nitzan been kind enough to spare the time to tell we fellow celiacs about how good Vietnam is for the gluten free diet, he has also provided us with a Vietnamese Celiac Restaurant Card so you can make your dietary needs known without having to wrestle with the local language.

Thanks Nitzan! :-)