CELIAC Archives

Celiac/Coeliac Wheat/Gluten-Free List

CELIAC@LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Bobbie Proctor <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 7 Jan 1998 11:24:25 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (41 lines)
<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I made a ham & potato casserole recently, using imported Italian
prosciutto ham, which is not smoked and is cured with salt and no
other additives. Pricey, but gf and extremely intense in flavor, so
that you need very little of it in a dish. Another Italian cured meat
I have learned to use is pancetta, a kind of bacon that is cured only
with salt and not smoked; this bacon substitutes nicely for strip
bacon either alone or in a recipe, being a little milder in flavor,
and it is nitrite- and nitrate-free, as is the prosciutto ham. I
don't know whether any domestic brands of these meats are safe
(unless you live in Italy!), although I occasionally see
additive-free bacon, sausage, etc. at health food stores. Prosciutto
and pancetta may be found in lots of gourmet delis, and of course in
groceries specializing in Italian foods.

Italian food has a lot to offer a gf diet, even without pasta (of
course, gf pastas are available with a bit of effort, but I've never
been a pasta freak, so I rarely bother). Risottos, polentas,
beautiful vegetable dishes, and many seafoods and meats may be
prepared in an Italian style with no gluten worries at all. I used to
avoid Italian cooking shows, because they always seemed to be making
pasta, but I got hooked this summer while recovering from surgery
with nothing to do but play with the tv remote and pet the cats. The
great thing about many Italian recipes is their simplicity; several
chefs emphasized that a dish tries to bring out the best of one or
two ingredients, rather than trying to make the involved symphony of
flavors you find in a lot of French cooking. Plus, most Italian
dishes rely more on olive oil than animal fats, and use meats more as
flavoring than as a main dish, so such meals are more heart-healthy,
as well. (This post is not an endorsement of any one cooking style or
brand of food, but just  to call attention to a cooking style many
celiacs and others may have thought they had to abandon. Not so!)

In fact, since I went on the gf diet, I have found myself eating a
lot of foods I would never have thought of trying before, because I
once kept to my old standbys. Now my diet has more variety than ever.

Good health and good eating!
Bobbi in Baltimore

ATOM RSS1 RSS2