South Africa a Gluten-Free Guide
July 19th, 2010
Leopard eyes the horizon for something gluten-free...
Before leaving for South Africa for World Cup, I was a bit concerned about what foods I’d have to eat. Turns out South Africa is the most gluten-free friendly place I’d ever been. From the airports to the supermarkets, there were gluten-free options everywhere.
At Cape Town International airport, the international terminal cafe had options of pasta and pizza made gluten-free. Not only was that option amazing but I was more amazed that the cafe took the time to train their staff to properly cook the pasta. I had a gluten-free linguini and there was no gummy texture, tasted just like regular pasta.
All across South Africa there are convenience and supermarkets called Spar (http://www.spar.co.za) . They’re everywhere, from small towns to airports to the big city, you couldn’t get away from it. They have dedicated aisles for organic and gluten-free items, snacks to full meals, everything to satisfy the most discerning palate.
Seafood Platter at Meat and Seafood Mongers, Guateng
Nelspruit we found a little pizza place in the Riverside Mall, called Panarotti’s Pizza (http://www.panarottis.co.za), that made a gluten-free handmade pizza crusts too. The malls have a variety of food from spiced chicken, Indian and Asian fare so it’s not hard to find good options that are gluten-free.
Springbok Carpaccio
All over the country I found cheap and delicious seafood. In a small area just outside of Johannesburg, Guateng, I stayed at a little B&B called Outlook Lodge. Just around the corner from it I found this wonderfully priced place called Meat and Seafood Mongers in Benoni, Guateng area. Check out the picture of the Queen Platter I got and it was only about $10 US dollars. Impressive to say the least. I ate, loved it, and had leftovers to fill me up later.
Heading south to Cape Town by the V&A Waterfront there are a host of seafood and local fare fine dining. We stopped at Karibu (http://www.kariburestaurant.co.za) and enjoyed this Springbok carpaccio special. The meat was very tender and not very gamey at all. Local foods like Bredie often consist of rice, meat and vegetables, so for the g-free foodie, you’ll do just fine. I ordered a Waterblommetjie Bredie (try saying that 3 times) which was lamb and a sea flower. Tasted soo healthy and hearty I loved it, the photo doesn’t do it justice.
There’s so much more I brought back from SA, but I’ll save it for another blog. Stay tuned. Congrats to Espana, they were my favorite to win!
Ame Restaurant Hits the Target
May 25th, 2010
Skillful hands make lots of gluten-free options at Ame, SF
Several nights ago I had a fantastic dinner that hit high marks at Ame (pronounced Ah-may) Restaurant in San Francisco, CA. It wasn’t hard deciding to go to this Michelin rated restaurant that serves up California Japanese fusion. Located in the St. Regis Hotel in downtown makes this dining a great place to meet up before a night out. They have a full sushi bar, lots of sashimi, but don’t expect California rolls, it’s just not that kind of place. Fresh seafood dishes and an extensive wine list make this place completely gluten-free friendly.
Here are some of the items that I savored.
Special crudo of the day, Red Snapper with lemon, olive oil, and sea salt – So fresh, amazingly melt in your mouth light and fantastic olive oil to let it slide into your belly. Carpaccio of Wagyu Beef with Arugula Salad and Fried Drakes Bay Oysters – The oysters are not gluten free, but everything else is delectable, I still don’t know how they get that beef so thinly sliced. Special main course of Halibut with a lemongrass coconut foam with puree of potato and veggies of radish and roasted cauliflower – The cooking technique was excellent. The fish was insanely moist all over, light, flavorful and the sauce not as strong as one might expect.While dining here I couldn’t stop thinking about Le Bernadin in New York and how similar some of the techniques and delicacy towards fish there was. It’s a tough comparison, since both really delivered on food. For me it came down to the service. Le Bernardin is a lot more fussy, brighter environment yet less intimate setting. I loved that Ame was a bit darker, felt more casual and the tables were more spread out so you weren’t just placed in a large dining room. For San Francisco, I am shocked at how there isn’t as much talk about this place. There isn’t a week where someone isn’t mentioning Gary Danko, yet a superb place like Ame never gets thrown into conversation. High marks for Ame and next time I’ll know to spend some time at the lounge having a drink beforehand to really soak up all of the St. Regis.
Sow the Button Mushroom Tapas
May 13th, 2010
Barely had a chance to take the photo before it was almost gone.
When I get invited to someone’s place for dinner in less than a day and I know I have to bring something, I always turn to this trusty little Tapas book I bought for $3.99 at Marshalls. It’s one of those books that has huge pictures, little text, and 80% of the recipes are less than 30 minutes to make. What’s not to love. Back to the dinner. So I flip through my book and remind myself that on my friend’s dinner menu is mussels and homemade pizza. So rather than a heavy dish I go with a nice accompaniment of Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms, a total classic Spanish tapa dish.
Oh and did I mention, it might be the easiest thing to make if you’re in a pinch. Here’s how it goes:
8 oz package white button mushrooms 8 oz package brown mushrooms (all white mushrooms or mix chanterelles and local variety work fine, but I like a little to keep the shape uniform) 2 small chopped carrots (not necessary, but only because I like the brown and orange color combo) 3 tblsp olive oil 1 garlic clove dash of lemon juice salt pepper to taste Clean the mushrooms trim the bottoms and keep them whole. Any obese mushrooms can be halved or quartered if they’re a whale. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add garlic to infuse the oil a bit and lightly brown Add the mushrooms and carrots and let it absorb the oil, Heat is on high still Once it’s absorbed, turn heat to medium low. This is where you let the veggies sweat it out. Once they’ve shrunk and juices are released, turn the heat back up. 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and sprinkle salt pepper and if you like parsley or even a little green onion.Fet. (That’s done in Catalan.)
PF Chang’s Has a Great Wall of Gluten-Free Food
April 20th, 2010
PF Chang's Gluten Free menu satisfies all types of Chinese chain bistro cravings.
Last week I found myself in Walnut Creek, CA looking for something good and something gluten-free to eat. Around the corner from the Apple store, and Sur La Table, there are a bunch of chain restaurants to choose from. There’s Il Fornaio, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and PF Chang’s, a Chinese Bistro, all within a block of one another. After a quick search, the choice was obvious, PF Chang’s was and seems to be the only chain major restaurant that has a dedicated Gluten-Free menu. Check out their impressive online menu at www.pfchangs.com/menu.
There’s a total of 28 items, ranging from appetizers, to main entrees and even dessert. I ordered the Gluten Free Egg Drop Soup, Lettuce Cups, and Mongolian Beef. They substitute flour with corn starch, and soy sauce with wheat free soy sauce, making each item taste delicious. I know Chinese food and I was really surprised that everything was so good. They even plate g-free items on different plates so you don’t get them mixed up with other regular dishes. Also try out the local specials, in the East Bay it’s $39.99 for a four course meal for two people. Totally worth it and the menu allows each person to choose their own dishes so mixing up gluten-free and regular items for a companion work out just fine. For a major chain restaurant I throw up 2 woks to them and hope more people try out this menu.
Food ‘O the Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage
March 18th, 2010
Easy boiled corned beef, cabbage and potato
There’s no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than to have a nice hearty gluten-free corned beef and cabbage dish. Trader Joe’s offered a gluten-free seasoned corned beef. Just adding in some simple ingredients make this age old meal a cinch. (Well I didn’t really make this myself but I did eat it all after a friend slaved over it and me lucky charms scored me the simple recipe).
3-4 lbs corned beef 2 lbs red potatoes whole 1 cabbage head, trimmed and quarteredCook the corned beef in a big stock pot with about 3 quarts of water. Cook for an hour. Place the cleaned potatoes and cabbage wedges in the pot and fill with enough water to cover it all. No other seasonings are needed since the meat is fully flavored and the cabbage has a ton of naturally great flavors. Let simmer.
Wait 4-5 hours and you’re ready to eat. The meat should be cooked through, breakable by fork and veggies soft to the touch. So tasty and I’m wondering why I don’t eat this more often. Oh yeah maybe because it takes half the day to cook. Happy St. Patty’s to all.
White Fish and Celery Stir Fry
January 28th, 2010
Stir Fry For the Shy Guy
White fish time again. It was another one of those what’s in the fridge days and not wanting to leave the warm cozy living room to get more food. I came up with white fish with diagonal cut celery, carrots and red peppers. Fried together with lemon pepper, stock and splash of cooking wine finish this gluten-free meal. You could eat just this or have a side of brown rice.
Check out some good stuff about yummy celery below. If you ever make it up to Napa or Sonoma I last saw some wild celery bushes and they smell absolutely amazing. I think they need to start making that into a Bath and Body lotion.
CELERY * www.acupuncture.com
Nature: cooling Actions: tonifies kidneys, stops bleeding, strengthens spleen and stomach.
Leftover Soup For The Soul: Gluten Tales
December 7th, 2009
Homemade turkey soup is mmm gluten-free good.
Here’s an idea for that leftover turkey leg or bones after the holiday. Throw it in some water with celery, onion, carrots and even a piece of ham if you have it and boil for a couple hours. I turned the last bones into homemade turkey chicken soup, added some pasta more meat and voila a warm soup for my soul. I never read one of those strange books, they seem strange and they have a book for seriously every relation you could have….well except for the eczema and gluten-free soul. It would lament about breads and pastas and no one would buy it. On that note, Happy Holidays.
Bagel Burger and Home cut Fries
December 4th, 2009
This past week I made an organic beef burger with onions, cheese and a gluten-free bagel. It was really juicy, since I grilled it and put in an extra tablespoon of water into the pound of meat. That’s the secret, well not so secret now, trick to keeping a burger juicy. I also made my own home cut fries with onion, salt and olive oil baked into them. Easy and good meal.
Turkey Day Dishes Gobbled Up
November 29th, 2009
[singlepic id=116 w=320 h=240 float=right]I love Thanksgiving and all the great food and good times with the family. You start to see the trends in how the generations cook and the way the menu changes as we get older. This year it was all about great homecooking and health conscious yet tasty choices. Being gluten-free on Thanksgiving isn’t so bad, except for a gravy substitute. Some of the T-Day (gluten-free) menu is below.
20 lb Turkey (This could be the largest one yet) Baked Ham with Honey Sugar Glaze Steamed Sticky Rice (replaces traditional stuffing and uses soy sauce and oyster sauce substitute) Creamy Pumpkin Soup Garlic Mashed Cauliflower (better than potatoes, tastier and even healthier) Sweet Potatoes with Toasted Marshmallows Vegetable Mix Sweet Yellow Corn Mushroom Medley Cranberry Sauce Brown Top Bread Rolls (Normally I’d snag one and butter it up even more, but I had to pass)Desserts
Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie (There was a regular crust and a gluten-free crust that was really good and crunchy) Mascarpone and Cherry Rice Pudding (This tastes just like the one at Rice to Riches in New York) Tres Leches Cake (I couldn’t eat this but I wasn’t interested anyways) Peach Jello and Ice Cream Pie (Well this one looked pretty, and apparently the recipe is just as the title sounds) It jiggled. Fruit, lots of it.Drinks
Italian red wines Martinelli’s Apple Cider (Man, I could live off of this it’s sooo addicting) Lychee Vodka Cocktails (My family doesn’t shy from a little cocktails to start the night) Blue Moon Beer (I didn’t have any but I did like this before with a slice of orange)All in all a great dinner and besides the gravy change I had no problem with it at all.
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Cafe Mariposa Bakeshop Sweet Sweet Gluten-Free
November 25th, 2009
Chocalate chip and nutmeal cookies from Cafe Mariposa. I want more!
In a rare find I was taken to Cafe Mariposa, a gluten-free bakeshop in Oakland, California. What, a bakery with gluten-free breads, desserts, bagels, cookies and pizza??! How is this so? This bakeshop was in a brick flanked building in a quiet neighborhood. What seemed quiet on the outside with an excess of hybrid and bio diesel vehicles, became a busy and bustling little bakeshop cafe on the inside.
I felt like I found a lost treasure. I was so excited I bought cookies, a slice of pizza, frozen bagels and frozen pizza crust. I went a little crazy. The cookies purchased were the chocolate chip and nutmeal cookies. In comparison to regular flour cookies, I really couldn’t tell the difference. Good chewy soft texture with nice sweetness are still in my mind. Ahhhh. The pizza was good too, the crust was a rice flour and didn’t crisp the way a regular pizza does but the cheese and toppings were flavorful and satisfying. Remember the lumpy one from Pizza Amore and Conte’s slightly better version. This one was cooked fresh at noon and the cheese was real cheese.
I still have the bagels and the pizza crust to try at home. If you’re in the neighborhood whether you’re gluten-free or not stop by and pick up a dessert. I have heard rave reviews of their flourless cake from non-gluten free (wheat loving) people.
5427 Telegraph Ave
Ste D3
(at 55th St)
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 595-0955
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