Risotto with Fresh Fava Beans, Onions, and Fennel

1 lb fresh fava beans shelled
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 fresh "baby" fennel bulbs trimmed, and diced (reserve frilly tops)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds coarsely ground with a spice grinder
4 cups canned low-salt broth more or less (can be vegetable broth or chicken)
4 tablespoon chopped fresh fennel tops
1/2 cup chopped pancetta (optional)
Salt to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste

1.Cook fava beans in boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, cool and peel outer skins.

2. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and fennel bulb; saute 2 minutes. Add fennel seeds; saute 3 minutes. Add risotto. Stir in 1 cup of broth. As broth evaporates continue to pour broth in small amounts, letting the risotto absorb the liquid each time and stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. The process should take about 20 minutes to incorporate all 4 cups of broth. Just as the last cup of broth is being added stir in the fava beans. Continue to cook the risotto until all broth is absorbed.

3. Stir in pancetta (if used) and fennel tops. Take off the heat and cover. Allow to sit for about 2 minutes.

4. Mix in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Recipe

I got this from http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/, and using her table modified the GF flour to adjust for my allergies to soy and corn in addition to the gluten. It was great! And really simple. Since I am visiting family with my bread machine packed away I chose the convential oven method.

The original recipe calls for:

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3 parts brown rice flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
3 parts corn starch
2 parts soy flour
1 part masa harina

Her suggestions:

The masa harina in the flour mix for this recipe is usually available in the Hispanic sections of most grocery stores. Due to the way it is processed, masa harina is very absorbent and you cannot substitute corn meal or corn flour. You can purchase masa harina on Amazon.com if it is not available locally.

If you are allergic to corn then you can make the following substitutions in the flour mix: use tapioca starch instead of corn starch and almond flour instead of masa harina.

If you are allergic to soy, then you can substitute any of the following flours for the soy flour in the flour mix: sorghum flour, garfava flour, or quinoa flour.

If you are on a dairy-free diet, then you may use soy milk or rice milk. Just make sure that they are gluten free.If you are allergic to eggs, use the flax substitute listed in the recipe, or follow the instructions on your favorite egg replacement powder. When I use the flax eggs, the bread is usually slightly wetter than otherwise.

Always substituting, I used the following GF mixture:

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix
3 parts white rice flour (I also use Bob’s Red Mill)
3 parts tapioca starch
2 parts garbanzo flour
1 part almond flour


Really Good Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
1 Tbsp. bread machine yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ c. water (105 degrees or a little less than hot)

2 ½ cups of my gluten free flour mix
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1tsp. salt

3 eggs (or 9 Tbsp. water and 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed)
1 ½ Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar

1. Start by combining the yeast and sugar in a small bowl (I use the smallest in my set of three nested mixing bowls). Add the water while gently stirring the yeast and sugar. Let this mixture sit while you mix the rest of the ingredients – bubbles and foam should form if the yeast is happy.
2. Combine the flour mix, xanthan gum and salt in the largest mixing bowl and stir well.
3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.
4. By this point the yeast mixture should be foamy, so you can pour the two liquid mixtures into the flour mixture. Blend the dough with a mixer for 4 minutes.

Bread Machine Directions:
Scoop your dough into the bread machine and smooth the top of the dough. I bake my bread using an 80 minute setting that allows for 20 minutes of kneading, 18 minutes of rise, and 42 minutes of baking. However, since I don’t use the paddle in by bread machine, I’m effectively doing a 38 minute rise and a 42 minute bake. (The advantage of not using the paddle is that you don’t end up with a hole in the bottom of your bread.)

Conventional Oven Directions:
Scoop the dough into a greased loaf pan. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area until is is about 1 inch from the top of the pan. Then bake at 375 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.

The bread browned quickly, and the crust was quite dark when done, but REALLY good!

Plan on making more at first, the magic that makes fresh cooked bread disappear works the same for this as any gluten bread!

Gingery Rhubarb and Butternut Squash Bake

It was Thanksgiving and I wanted a side dish that was similar to baked yams, but not so sweet. I was also wanting to use some things that I was growing in the garden, especially the rhubarb which I had in abundance. This turned out sweet enough, and very different in taste. I liked it just as well the next morning added to my hot cereal.

1 Kabocha or butternut squash, peeled and sliced the size of apple slices that you'd put in pie
1 cup rhubarb, diced
1 small can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoon demerarra sugar (or brown sugar will do)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a lidded baking dish (cover in tin foil if you don't have a lid). Layer the squash, rhubarb, pineapple and ginger into the dish, or toss the ingredients in a separate bowl and then ladle into the dish, trying to arrange the squash slices so they are flat. Pour in the pineapple juice (if it wasn't added earlier) and dot with butter. Cover dish and bake for 1 hour until the squash is fork tender.

Toss together the pecans and demarrar sugar. Remove lid and sprinkle nut mixture evenly over the top. Bake another 20 minutes until the nuts are turning golden brown. Serves 6.

Nut Pie

This is a Caramelized Nut Tart recipe adapted from Bon Appétit magazine, December 1998 issue. I've been wanting pecan pie and this seemed like I could adapt it into a nice pie without the eggs or dairy ingredients. It was very popular, winning over the bakery made Pecan Pie that was brought to our Thanksgiving celebration. Homemade wins again.

Filling Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoons shortening (margarine or butter but I used Jungle Shortening)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds

1 recipe of Gluten Free Pie Crust

9 1/2 inch tart pan with removable bottom or rather shallow 9-inch pie plate

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll dough out on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9 1/2-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in and press, forming high-standing thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork.

Bake crust until set but still pale in color, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat. Boil without stirring until caramel is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Be careful not to burn the sugar.

Gradually whisk in coconut milk (mixture will bubble). Stir until caramel is smooth. Add shortening (or butter), honey, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Mix in all nuts. (Apologies for the blurry pictures - it was late at night).

Pour caramel mixture into crust. Place the pie on a larger baking sheet to stabilize and to catch any overflow. Bake until entire filling bubbles, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on rack before serving.

Coconut Bliss was too rich for this pie. Turns out Rice Dream tasted better with it. This was really very rich, only to be consumed in moderation. I would recommend cutting it into 8 or 12 slices.

Also, I've been thinking what a nice bar cookie this would make. I'd add a couple of more tablespoons of sugar to the GF pie crust, roll it into a 9x13 pan. Then I'd make the carmel but only used sliced almonds. I'd spread the almonds over the prebaked crust, and bake. Then I'd slice them into diamond shapes, just like at the coffee shop. If I try it, I'll add pictures.

Gluten Free Pie Crust

6 oz. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp. Xanthum gum
2 oz. shortening (Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil)
2 oz. lard*
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 Tbs. cold water
1 approximate teaspoon unfiltered apple vinegar with the rest of Tbs. cold water

*4 oz. of shortening seems to work just fine, instead of a ½ and ½ mix.

Weigh the flour, shortening and lard into a bowl on a kitchen scale. Add the other ingredients except for the water and vinegar.

Cut the shortening and lard together with the flour, xanthum gum, sugar and salt until it is like coarse meal. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Add the 2 Tbs. of water. Measure an approximate 1 teaspoon of vinegar in the Tbs. measure and fill the rest with cold water. Once all 3 Tbs of the water/vinegar is added, knead until the dough holds together. Sprinkle in more water if the mix is dry. Sprinkle the rolling surface with GF flour and roll out to desired shape. This transfers to the pan more easily if you wrap the dough around the rolling pin. Crimp or decorate and fill. Makes a single crust.

Just a few thoughts
I added the sugar to make the crust brown. Don't know if this is really necessary, or if it worked. I opted to use lard and the coconut oil as I wanted to see how it tasted. The little "rag cookies" (pie dough left over from shaping the crust, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked for 8-10 minutes) were very light and crumbly. If you can use butter, I'd probably recommend fats that are something closer to my original pie crust (not GF).

Rather nice with a glass of rice milk, but maybe next time I'll try less lard. (Later note: replacing the lard with coconut shortening worked just fine. I'll leave it up to the cook.) The shape held better than I expected. I was ready to fix a bunch of tears but only had one. Also, I'm guessing about the xanthum gum, seemed like the right amount to condition the dough and I am regularly using vinegar as a dough conditioner. I used this for an experimental pumpkin pie. The filling needs some adjustments, but the crust was delightful. Even my husband liked it.

Green Tomato Mincemeat

9 cups finely chopped green tomatoes (leave the skins on)
4 cups peeled, chopped tart apples (used 4 Granny Smith)
3 cups raisins
½ cup diced candied citron, lemon or orange peel
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 Tablespoons Lyle's Black Treacle
¾ cup unfiltered apple vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice


Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a large heavy pan. Cook mixture slowly until it is tender and thick, about 1 hour or more. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

To can, pour boiling mixture into hot, sterile jars, leaving ½-inch headspace; seal promptly. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Store in a cool dry place.

To freeze, pack cold mincemeat into freezer jars or containers, leaving about an inch headspace for expansion. Seal or freeze promptly.

Makes about 6 pints of green tomato mincemeat.

Trial and Error with the Soyabella

I admire all the bloggers who have success after success in the kitchen with gluten free cooking. For me, it's turning out to be much more of a learning curve. I can attest by this last picture of my favorite waffle iron.


I had mixed up a batch of GF waffles, straight from a purchased mix. And it solidly glued my favorite waffle iron together. I broke the handle trying to pry it open, and the rice flour simply won't come off of the griddle. Oh well. I've been reading that you shouldn't use a pan or waffle iron that's been used with gluten products because of gluten cross contamination. But I was sad to see my 15 year old waffle iron go. I still could have used it to make waffles for my husband.

Instead of buying a new waffle iron, I bought an Aroma fuzzy logic rice cooker. I use it regularly and I really love it. And it was only $40. My favorite function is the delayed cooking option. I can set it so the rice is hot and fresh just as I wake up in the morning. Really nice.

Something nice in my tea still alludes me. Now I don't "have to have" my morning cuppa in order to be sociable. But there's something civilized in my mind about a cup of black tea with milk that I can't shake. I like milk (but that's out of the question) and I even like soy milk (but that's also out of the question). I've finally settled for rice milk. But sometimes it leaves an oily slick on the top of the tea. Ick. I've been racking my brain about making rice milk myself, but have balked at all the processing it takes. And then I thought I'd found a machine to answer all my prayers.

I purchased a Soyabella on Friday. I was very excited about the product as the lady in the shop assured me that it made rice milk and nut milk with great ease. I certainly won't be making soy milk with it. I looked Soyabella up on the web and was impressed by all the praises for the machine. So I went back at my earliest convenience and bought it. Sunday I actually got to use it for the first time. But I would say the jury is still out on this one.

My first batch of "rice milk" came out unfavorably. Now, I'm pretty used to having a learning curve on something new - so when I poured out the end product that looked like curdled milk, I chalked up my disappointment to "learning curve". Now granted, there are no instructions in the booklet about rice milk. Only "rice porridge". Ah, now looking at the mess I realized that I had made a version of congee, and a not too appetizing one at that. I can say this with confidence as I had just had breakfast of a delicious homemade congee (made in the rice cooker overnight) with mustard greens and pickled turnips. I strained the "rice milk" through a gold mesh coffee filter and put the thicker rice bi-product aside. I flavored the "rice milk" with some agave syrup and vanilla and moved it to the fridge with the hopes that I would like it better when cold. Frankly it is stodgy and gelatinous and I could never imagine putting it in my tea.



I rinsed off the unit and put the soaked adzuki beans in the "soy milk" basket. It was then that I noticed the remarkable difference in the hole sizes of the "rice porridge" basket from the "soy milk" basket. Hmmm. Now I'll have to try the rice in the "milk" basket next. Again I fired up the Soyabella according to the instructions. This time, a gelatinous beany goo issued forth, a strange purple grey color and none too appealing. Ok. Why do lovely little red beans transform into purple grey? Another mystery. I flavored that with a little maple syrup, but it really didn't appeal much to me at all. Into the fridge to cool down and see if there was some magical transformation. Alas, none transpired. Well, I'd read a couple of experiments with adzuki bean milk that had also ended in disappointment, so I will add to the list.

However, in trying to decide if I should chuck it down the sink, I opted to use it in my pancakes this morning. And what I will say for adzuki bean milk is that it improved the texture of my usual pancakes.

Usually there is a graininess to rice flour pancakes. I miss the somewhat chewy tooth of a wheat flour pancake. This morning, they were nearly indistinguishable from my old pancake recipe. Not to mention, the other minor gripe I have with GF pancakes is that they never brown quite like regular ones.


Maybe I just had a good pancake karma fairy this morning, or I've learned a little on getting them to color up, but they really had a nice golden color when they flipped over. So while I may not drink adzuki bean milk in my tea or pour it over my Rice Chex, I might be using it in some baked goods to see if it continues to add some magic.

GF Adzuki Bean Milk Pancakes

1/2 cup Arrowhead Mills GF pancake and baking mix
1 tsp ener-g egg replacer
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp blue agave syrup
1/2 cup adzuki bean milk (enough to make it the correct consistency for pancakes, pourable but not that thin up to 3/4 cup)

Fry on a hot greased griddle, flipping only once.

Makes five 3-inch pancakes

Wonder if there are any strawberries in the garden?