Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook: Over 200 allergy-free recipes, from the ‘Sensitive Gourmet’. Antoinette Savill

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СКАЧАТЬ of the recipes in this book were once ‘conventional’ ones that that were totally hostile to my dietary needs. Having decided that I enjoyed them too much to give them up, I set about replacing the conventional ingredients with appropriate substitutes – for instance, sunflower and soya products replaced dairy, while corn and rice products replaced starch and cereals. Now, having familiarized myself with the fundamental problems associated with juggling ingredients, I can safely and quickly prepare menus to suit even the most restrictive of diets. This process of substituting ingredients is not only of benefit to those with food intolerances: medical opinion is now that we all eat far too much wheat and dairy products, so these recipes will be a healthy change for everyone.

      A lot of problems, I feel, come from the artificial colourings, additives, preservatives, pesticides and chemicals that are mixed with or coated onto many of today’s foods. These problems can, of course, be overcome by buying organic food and washing thoroughly or peeling off all the vegetable and fruit skins. Another problem stems from chlorine in tap water. Even people who do not suffer from the most common food sensitivities may react to this, so I recommend that you use filtered or boiled water for cooking and drinking.

      The nutritional value of our foods is very important, especially if you are on any restricted diet. Using this book, you will be able to construct well-balanced menus with plenty of starch, which provides sugar and fibre, to fill you up and make you feel contented. The decrease in consumption of fats will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, but I do advise using unsaturated fats that are unhydrogenated as this helps considerably in reducing cholesterol and heart disease. Remember it’s not the bread that is fattening, but what you spread on it.

      Carbohydrates are essential fillers and give you slowly released energy. You can buy very good breads such as gluten-free sourdough or corn bread, but take care to read the labels. This applies to everything we buy as, unfortunately, most foods have added wheat or yeast in them.

      Cutting out dairy products means losing a lot of protein, especially in the form of cheese. Yogurt is easier to digest than milk, so some people who cannot tolerate milk may be able to eat yogurt. I often use goat’s and sheep’s products, as these can be tolerated by many people who are susceptible to the ill-effects of other dairy produce. In addition, they now have very sophisticated flavours and textures – quite unlike 10 years ago!

      Soya is a particularly useful substitute for dairy products. Soya milk is a white liquid made exclusively from soya beans. You can buy it sweetened and with calcium, which helps to improve the taste. You can also buy soya yogurt and cream. Soya cream adds thickness and richness, but with all the optimism I possess I can’t get it to whip up properly. This makes it ineffective as a filler. A more workable solution is to always have a tub of (GF/WF/DF) Swedish glacé or Tofutti ice-cream dessert that can cunningly be used to fill meringues, roulades or other puddings.

      It is often the sweet finale to a meal, or particular celebrations that call for cakes and other sweet treats, that are a particular problem for those with food intolerances. For this reason, you will find a large number of desserts, cakes and sweets in this book. However, our consumption of refined sugars has increased dramatically in recent years and we need to restrict our consumption of these, so regard the wonderfully tempting sweet recipes in this book as providing you with a wide repertoire and not an excuse to eat a sumptuous dessert every night!

      Don’t worry if any of the ingredients in the book seem unfamiliar – they are all available at supermarkets, Italian delicatessens or health food shops. If you live some distance from a large town or city and none of these options are available or if you find it difficult to obtain the gluten, wheat and dairy-free products there are marvellous mail order companies around. You will find a helpful list of these on page 262. I have also included my list of ingredients, which might come in useful.

      A professional nutritionist has assessed every recipe in this book, so you can be inspired with absolute confidence. However, do please check each recipe before you start planning, shopping or cooking, as it would be extremely annoying to find at the last minute that it is unsuited to your specific needs.

       Symbols used throughout this book

       The following symbols are very important. They are your guides to what is in each recipe. You can use each recipe with complete confidence knowing that a professional nutritionist has checked each recipe.

       = GLUTEN FREE (Which is wheat free.)

       = WHEAT FREE (Which is not gluten free. However, check the recipe because you may be able to tolerate the oats or barley used.)

       = DAIRY FREE (This is lactose free.)

       = VEGETARIAN (This suitable for vegetarians but not vegans.)

       = ULTRA LOW FAT (This is extremely low in fat and suitable for people on special diets.)

      Any one, or all, of these symbols is printed at the top of each recipe. Please be sure that you are not allergic or intolerant to any other substances in the ingredients. Within the ingredients list in each recipe (GF), (WF) and (DF) indicates gluten free, wheat free and dairy free.

      Please note that unless otherwise stated, pint measures refer to British, not American pint (20 fl oz not 16 fl oz).

      Unless otherwise stated all spoon measures are level.

       CHAPTER 1 Soups and Starters

      Quick Seafood Soup and Rouille

       A deep nostalgia for the south of France descends on me each time I make this soup. It reminds me of sun-baked terracotta, wild thyme and chilled rosé wine.

       Serves 6

      CHEATING ROUILLE

      500ml/17fl oz/2 cups of (DF/GF) mayonnaise 1 large free-range egg yolk

      A dash of (GF) French mustard and (GF) chilli sauce/oil

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      SOUP

      1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

      2 tablespoons of olive oil

      4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

      2 bay leaves

      1 sprig of thyme

      200g/7oz/1 cup of canned tuna fish, drained

      800ml/28fl oz/3¹/₃ cups of carrot juice

      A СКАЧАТЬ