Date Night – Page 2 – My Gluten Free Cucina

Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks are slowly braised with aromatic veggies in this perfect dinner for two that can be enjoyed in any season. The recipe fits right into my busy day. After some initial prep, the meal is mostly hands off until dinner time. It’s easy, and the entire dish can be cooked in one pan, so cleanup is a snap!

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White beans are a traditional accompaniment to this dish. I opted for canned beans to save time.

Choose lamb shanks weighing about 10-12 oz. each, they will shrink during cooking. Use a deep, oven safe skillet or braising pan with a cover. A Dutch oven would also work well.

2 Servings

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks, about 1-1/2 lbs. total
1/4 cup white rice flour
3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup gluten free chicken broth
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. thyme
15 oz. can cannellini beans
1/4 cup gluten free chicken broth

Preparation:

Place 1/4 cup rice flour in a food safe plastic bag, add the lamb shanks and shake to coat. Discard any excess flour.

Heat a deep, oven safe skillet or braising pan with olive oil and brown the shanks on all sides. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 1/4 cup white wine to the skillet. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half. Season again with salt, pepper and thyme.

Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, along with the onions and the carrots.

Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours at 300°, turning once. See how the shanks have cooked down?

Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the skillet with an additional 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes.

Doesn’t that look delicious? The meat was so moist and tender, the beans full of flavor from the braising liquid. This meal was SO good, I must make it more often!

Notes ♪♫ Use fine ground white rice flour to coat the lamb shanks, it works well for browning meat. Save your expensive, gluten free all-purpose blends for another recipe.

Originally posted 04/08/2019 Updated 05/29/2022

Air Fryer Ribeye Steak

Can you really cook a steak in the air fryer? This is a question I had never even considered, until the day my stove malfunctioned.

I love a good ribeye, and my cooking method of choice has always been the reverse sear, which produces a perfectly cooked steak every time. Read about it here.

Now without a stove, I turned to my other appliances. Microwave, crock-pot, or air fryer. Yes, I was worried about ruining a perfectly good (and expensive) steak. I did some research and decided to try the air fryer.

The verdict, excellent! It turns out that yes, you can cook a steak in the air fryer, and it was delicious!

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Ingredients:

1 lb. ribeye steak, about 1-1/2″ thick
gluten free steak marinade (recipe here)
cooking spray

Preparation:

Marinate the steak for 2 hours before cooking. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a non-reactive dish and add the steak, turning every 30 minutes.

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400º. Remove the steak from the marinade and place on a rack for a few minutes to drain off the excess liquid (if you have a basket style air fryer just pat your steak with paper towel before cooking).

Add 1 tbsp. of water to the bottom tray of the air fryer. Add the steak and cook 8 minutes per side.

Continue cooking until your steak reaches the desired temperature. I prefer medium (pink in the middle), and it took a total of 21 minutes for mine to reach 145º.

Time will vary from one air fryer to another, so be sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer.

Also keep in mind that if you are cooking other things in the air fryer at the same time, it will extend the cook time. I had carrots and potatoes in the air fryer, and it took 30 minutes for the potatoes (started 10 minutes before the steak), and 20 minutes for the carrots.

Important! Always let the steak rest 5 minutes before slicing. Place it on a warm plate and cover with foil. This allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the steak moist and flavorful.

Doesn’t that look good? No one went hungry while waiting for the new range to arrive.

Notes: ♪♫ This dinner serves two, and the fit was just right in my 3-shelf air fryer. Potatoes on top, carrots in the middle and steak on the bottom. You can rotate the shelves during cooking for even results. Remember that items on the top shelf (closest to the fan) will cook faster, so watch that they don’t burn!

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Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp and Roasted Vegetables

Did you ever have a restaurant meal that was so delicious you were inspired to recreate it at home? This is one of those meals, after just one taste I knew that I had to make it myself! An elegant dish that is both comfort food and fine dining rolled into one! The steps are easy to follow and the results are impressive. It’s a bit time consuming for a weeknight, but you can speed things up by making the risotto ahead of time. I also used a bit of butternut squash left over from another meal, and for a special garnish, I toasted a few pumpkin seeds.

2 Servings

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Ingredients:

1 dozen large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 medium cauliflower, chopped into uniform pieces
1/3 cup pureed butternut squash (reserved from another meal)
1 cup cooked risotto, (see basic preparation here)
Old Bay® seasoning
2 tbsp. butter, divided
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cups gluten free chicken broth, or more as needed
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds for garnish

Preparation:

Chop the cauliflower into uniform size pieces, about 1-1/4″. Rinse, toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil, and season with Old Bay. Roast at 425º for 20 minutes. You should see some browning around the edges.

Heat a cast iron braising pan or heavy skillet with 1 tbsp. butter. Add the shrimp and peas, and sprinkle with Old Bay.

Cook the shrimp for several minutes, just until they turn pink.

Add the roasted cauliflower to the skillet.

Warm the cooked risotto in a small saucepan with the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter, then stir in the butternut squash puree. If it’s too thick add 1/3 cup chicken broth.

To plate, make a bed of risotto and top with the shrimp and veggies. Garnish with a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds.

Isn’t that beautiful? What a great meal to make for your special someone. I think it was even better than the restaurant version! If you’re hesitant about making risotto, be sure to give my Basic Risotto recipe a quick read. It’s easy and you’ll be an expert in no time!

Originally posted 9/08/2019 Updated 2/03/2022

Cioppino

I have always wanted to prepare the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes (La Cena Della Vigilia) for Christmas Eve. I love seafood and have visions of my dining table laden with seven different courses, showcasing all my best recipes from appetizers to chowder to the main course.

But what if your holiday gathering is a small one, or the family just doesn’t share your enthusiasm for seafood? After some contemplation, I arrived at this downsized, one dish nod to The Feast of Seven Fishes. A rich Cioppino, or seafood stew that is full of bright vibrant flavors, topped with a crab cake. Yes, there are seven fishes in this bowl, and it was a feast indeed!

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To keep this recipe simple, head for the freezer section! In past years I have used this frozen seafood medley from Whole Foods. It has four types of seafood (shrimp, scallops, squid and mussels) already prepped and ready to go! It’s available sporadically, so if you can’t get this in your area, look for scallops, shrimp and squid rings in the frozen section of your grocer.

To complete my seven fishes, I bought a dozen fresh littlenecks and flounder from the frozen aisle. I topped it all off with a crab cake made with canned crab.

Not only was this meal perfect for a small gathering, but also easy to prepare!

The Seven Fishes

Crab (fresh, frozen or canned)
Flounder (fresh or frozen)
Shrimp (fresh or frozen)
Scallops (fresh or frozen)
Mussels (fresh or frozen)
Squid (fresh or frozen)
Littlenecks (fresh or frozen)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium sweet onion, minced
1/2 rib of celery, minced
1 cup gluten free fish stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. gluten free Worcestershire sauce
12 Littleneck clams
16 oz. fresh or frozen seafood
8 oz. canned crab meat
Italian parsley for garnish
1 tbsp. butter for finishing
gluten free spaghetti, pasta or risotto for serving
crab cakes (see recipe link below)

Preparation:

Prepare the crab cakes (recipe here) and keep warm.

Cioppino:

If using fresh mussels or clams, scrub and rinse well in cold water. Discard any that are opened before cooking.

If using frozen fish, thaw before cooking. You can improve the texture by soaking it in milk.

In a large, nonstick skillet (use one with a cover) melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the celery, onion and garlic.

Sauté 2 minutes then add the tomatoes, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, stock, white wine and the spices. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Add all of the seafood. Cover immediately and cook 6 minutes.

Discard any mussels or clams that did not open! Stir in pasta with 1 tbsp. butter.

Serving:

Cioppino, with its flavorful tomato broth is delicious served over risotto. You can also serve it as a zuppa with crusty bread, or over gluten free pasta as I have done here. Garnish with Italian parsley and top it off with a skewered crab cake.

Notes ♪♫ While fresh fish is wonderful, using frozen is a great timesaver in the kitchen. Look for frozen shrimp, scallops and squid, along with a white fish, like cod, sole or flounder. All are widely available in the freezer section.

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Gluten Free Pappardelle Pasta

Making pasta from scratch is a labor of love, and something I haven’t done in a very long time. In fact, since my Celiac diagnosis in 2017, I have primarily used box pasta in my recipes. Not that that’s a bad thing, as we have so many great options today. But fresh pasta is such a treat!

So, this past weekend, it felt really good to get out the KitchenAid and make these beautiful Pappardelle noodles. If you are gluten free and missing fresh pasta, this recipe is one you must have in your collection!

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Although you can make pasta entirely by hand, there are some helpful tools you can buy to make the job easier. Here are a few that I used in this recipe.

It takes minutes to make dough in a stand mixer, and I used the pasta roller attachment to create sheets of pasta.

As KitchenAid has yet to make a cutter attachment for Pappardelle, I used a pastry cutter. It can be adjusted to cut pasta sheets into perfectly even strips, especially helpful if you want to make a wider noodle like Pappardelle.

I used a pasta drying rack to hang my noodles. This rack has been in my kitchen for many years BC (before Celiac). So, I covered the wooden arms with plastic wrap to prevent any gluten contamination. Looks like I will be ordering a new rack, or two!

I made a small batch of just 2 servings for this post. Dinner was so delicious, next time I will make more! The recipe can be scaled, to make a dinner for two or a family size platter. I give you the measurements below for 2, 4, 6 and 8 servings.

Ingredients:

gluten free flour blend (I used, and recommend Better Batter)
olive oil
salt
eggs
egg yolks

*SHOP BETTER BATTER AND USE MY PROMO CODE MGFC30 FOR 30% OFF YOUR NON-SALE PURCHASE!

INGREDIENTS:	2 Servings	4 Servings	6 Servings	8 Servings
Better Batter Flour	70 G	140 G	210 G	280 G
Olive oil	3/4 tsp.	1-1/2 tsp.	2-1/4 tsp.	3 tsp.
Salt	1/8 tsp.	1/4 tsp.	3/8 tsp.	1/2 tsp.
Egg	1 large	2 large	3 large	4 large
Egg Yolk	1	2	3	4

Preparation:

Egg yolks give the pasta a silky rich texture and beautiful color. Begin by separating the eggs. Reserve the whites for another use.

Combine all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Weigh the flour, accuracy is important! I used (and recommend) Better Batter Original Gluten Free Flour to make the pasta dough. Results may differ if you use another brand, or you may need to adjust the measurements.

Pat the dough into a ball and sprinkle with flour. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough into sections. For this 2 serving batch, I divided the dough into 4 pieces (adjust if you are making more). Then take one section at a time and press into a disc.

Use a rolling pin or a pasta roller to roll each disc into a long thin sheet. If using a pasta roller, remember that gluten free dough is more delicate and prone to tearing than wheat dough, so you will not be able to roll it as thin. Sprinkle the dough with extra flour as you pass it through the roller to help avoid sticking and breakage. I was able to roll mine out to the 3rd setting.

Lay the pasta sheets on lightly floured wax paper. Use a knife or pizza wheel to cut the sheets into 3/4″ ribbons. I used a pastry cutter to create perfectly even strips.

Separate the noodles and hang to dry for up to one hour. They are best enjoyed immediately, but you can refrigerate if you are not ready to cook.

IMPORTANT: Always follow food safety guidelines. Egg pasta should be refrigerated within one hour and frozen if you need to store it for more than one day.

I always make my sauce first, so it’s ready when I finish making the pasta.

When it’s GO time, fill a large pot with water, salt generously and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pappardelle with just a drop of olive oil, stir well and cover so that the water returns quickly to a full boil. Cook for about 3 minutes, pasta will float to the top when it’s done. Remember fresh pasta cooks quickly, be careful not to overcook!

Use a spider strainer to gently remove and drain the pappardelle and arrange on a serving dish.

Toss with sauce, and grated cheese.

Notes ♪♫ Pappardelle pairs perfectly with rich, meaty sauces like Bolognese Sauce. Learn how to make a Traditional Bolognese Sauce in this post!

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Traditional Bolognese Sauce

When people say food is love, this is what they are talking about. A big pot of Bolognese Sauce, simmered all day on the stove! Pasta Bolognese is served in fine Italian restaurants everywhere, but you don’t have to go out to dinner to enjoy this traditional Italian favorite. Read on and learn how you can make it right at home!

Patience is the key to this recipe! A real Bolognese is not a quick meat sauce that you throw together in a hurry. In fact, you will invest an entire afternoon. But what a meal! Special enough for guests or a romantic dinner for two. Here are the step by step, easy to follow instructions. Take your time and don’t rush the process!

Notice I didn’t title this post “Gluten Free” Bolognese Sauce? That’s because it was always gluten free, there is nothing to change except the pasta you serve it with!

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6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion minced, about 1 cup
1 carrot minced, 1/2 cup
2 celery stalks minced, 1/2 cup
2 large garlic cloves minced, 2 tbsp.
3 oz. pancetta, minced*
fresh ground pepper
1/2 lb. ground veal
1/2 lb. ground beef (90% lean)
2 tbsp. tomato paste*
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup 1% milk (or whole milk, or cream)
14.5 oz. can whole tomatoes in juices (or tomato sauce)*
1/2 cup gluten free broth (beef or chicken)*
fresh parsley for garnish
grated parmesan cheese, for serving

*Always check labels when purchasing stock, canned tomatoes and prepared meats.

Preparation:

To begin, you will make a “Soffritto”, a mixture of equal parts onion, celery and carrot processed to a fine mince. This is the base for so many Italian dishes! Add the veggies to an electric chopper and process. Measures are approximate, but you should end up with about 2 cups total of minced veggies, including the garlic.

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven on medium low heat. Add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Chop the pancetta into fine dice or pulse a few times in the processor.

Add it to the pot and continue cooking slowly for 10 more minutes.

Divide the ground beef and veal into 4 pieces and gradually add the meat to the pan, stirring and breaking it up with a spatula after each addition.

Allow some of the liquid to evaporate before adding more meat, you want it to brown, not steam. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

After about 20 minutes the meat should be well browned and starting to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. Clear a spot in the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir the tomato paste into the meat.

Add the red wine, and use a spatula to loosen up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and stir them into the sauce.

Simmer 3 minutes to allow some of the wine to cook off, then add the milk (or cream), tomatoes and stock.

Cover the pot, but leave the lid slightly ajar so that the sauce thickens as it cooks. Keep it on the lowest simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Curious about this gadget? It’s a heat diffuser, perfect for maintaining a long, slow simmer without burning. I use it for all my soups, sauces and gravies. It is a must have for this recipe!

Look at this thick, hearty sauce! Can you imagine the aromas filling your kitchen?

Now just cook up a batch of your favorite gluten free pasta and ladle with Bolognese sauce. Top it off with grated cheese and garnish with Italian parsley.

Notes: ♪♫ I see you eyeing that pasta! It’s Pappardelle, a wide ribbon shaped egg noodle that is classically paired with Bolognese sauce. It is homemade and yes, it is gluten free! Learn how to make it in this post, your family will love you. ♥

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Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pasta

Look at that pasta! The dough is enriched with egg and pumpkin puree, giving it a beautiful color and texture. Yes, it is from scratch, and completely gluten free!

In the years before my Celiac diagnosis, I prided myself on my homemade pasta. I made endless batches both by hand and with my KitchenAid®. It’s been a while, but with the cooler weather I decided it was time to try it again. This fall inspired pumpkin pasta was easy to make and I was so happy with the result!

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I don’t make huge batches of pasta anymore, but this little test batch is enough for a nice dinner for two. The recipe is scalable, so you can adjust it to make a small dinner or a feast for the family. I give you ingredient measures for 2, 4, 6 and 8 servings.

I used a Malloreddus board to create the ridged shape. You can find them at specialty shops like Fante’s. Similar to a gnocchi board, it’s a cool little gadget to have in your collection! Did you know that traditional Malloreddus pasta is made with semolina? Of course, that is off limits on the gluten free diet!

So, for this pasta I used Better Batter Original Gluten Free Flour, and wow, just wow! The resulting dough was beautiful and silky smooth. It was so easy to work with, reminiscent of the Italian 00 flour that I would have used back in the day. Most importantly though, the pasta cooked beautifully and had great taste and texture. Even the leftovers remained al dente. Now that is a gluten free success story!

Shop Better Batter and use my Promo Code MGFC30 at checkout to receive 30% off any non-sale item!

Ingredients:

Better Batter Original Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
Olive oil
salt
egg
pumpkin puree
extra flour for dusting

INGREDIENTS:	2 Servings	4 Servings	6 Servings	8 Servings
Better Batter Flour	70 G	140 G	210 G	280 G
Olive oil	3/4 tsp.	1-1/2 tsp.	2-1/4 tsp.	3 tsp.
Salt	1/8 tsp.	1/4 tsp.	3/8 tsp.	1/2 tsp.
Egg	1 large	2 large	3 large	4 large
Pumpkin Puree	1 tbsp.	2 tbsp.	3 tbsp.	4 tbsp.

Measure your ingredients according to serving size. Be sure to use a scale to weigh the flour. Whisk the egg, pumpkin, olive oil and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and mix with the beater attachment to form a smooth, soft dough.

Gather the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature. This is a good time to wash the mixer bowl and attachments. 😉

Lightly dust a cutting board with flour. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into 4 pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into a rope. This is the moment when you know you have a good gluten free dough. It rolls out beautifully without crumbling or breaking.

Cut each rope into 1/2″ pieces.

Using your fingers or a bench knife, gently roll each piece over the pasta board to create the ridges.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and dust with flour. As you form the pasta place it on the baking sheet.

Important- Always follow food safety guidelines. If you are not going to cook the pasta immediately, refrigerate until ready.

How to serve it

You can dress this beautiful pasta with a simple brown butter sage sauce that comes together in minutes. I grew sage in my container garden this year and it is amazing with browned butter. If you don’t have an herb garden, try to find fresh sage at the market (or just leave it out).

INGREDIENTS:	2 Servings	4 Servings	6 Servings	8 Servings
Butter	1/2 stick	1 stick	1.5 sticks	2 sticks
Fresh Sage Leaves	8 leaves	12 leaves	16 leaves	20 leaves

When ready, set up a large pot of salted water for the pasta. Bring the water to a boil while you make the sauce. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet.

As soon as the butter begins to foam, add the sage leaves.

As you stir the butter, you will notice the white solids beginning to separate. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to push them to one side of the pan, skimming off as much as possible. Watch carefully that the butter doesn’t get too dark. Remove from the heat when it is just beginning to turn brown. This shade is perfect.

When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes for al dente. The pasta is done when it floats to the top (taste to see if you like the texture).

Use a spider strainer to remove the pasta and add it directly to the sauce.

Toss well to coat for 30 seconds and transfer to a serving platter.

More Serving Ideas:

This pasta is sturdy enough to hold up to a thick and chunky sauce, like my Harvest Pasta Sauce. Made with tomato, carrot, squash and pumpkin, the flavors pair beautifully with the pumpkin pasta, perfect for a fall inspired dinner. Enjoy it as a side dish or a main course.

Notes ♪♫ Not all gluten free all-purpose flours are created equal. In fact, they can vary greatly in terms of ingredient content. You can try other brands, but I strongly recommend you use Better Batter Gluten Free Original Blend for this recipe. It was absolutely perfect for making pasta, and what a pleasure to have a smooth silky dough that doesn’t crumble in your hands. I also used this all-purpose flour to make a gluten free version of My mother’s Italian Wine Biscuits. Try it, you will not be disappointed!

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Italian Skirt Steak Rolls

This is another bucket list recipe that I have had on the back burner. It’s one of those dishes that is so easy to prepare but looks like you fussed for hours. The little bundles of steak, prosciutto and cheese are amazing!

Skirt Steak Rolls may remind you of another bundled meat dish, Bracciole. But while Bracciole is simmered in tomato sauce for hours on low heat, these Skirt Steak Rolls are cooked very quickly over high heat.

Was it difficult to make this recipe gluten free? NO, because the ingredients have always been gluten free!

When starting the gluten free diet, you may be tempted to throw away all your old cookbooks- don’t! There are so many recipes that you have eaten all your life that were always gluten free or just need a change of one or two ingredients. In time you will realize there are so many meals you can enjoy that are gluten free with no crazy ingredients to purchase!

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For this recipe I used an oven safe grill pan, to sear the steak rolls on the stove top and finish them in the oven. One pan for easy cleanup!

Ingredients:

1 lb. skirt steak
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 oz. prosciutto
2 oz. sliced provolone cheese cut into strips
ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

First gather your ingredients. Mince the garlic and parsley and combine with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Leave a few sprigs of parsley for garnish.

Lay the steak out on a cutting board covered with plastic wrap and trim away any white membrane or visible fat.

Cover the meat with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/4″ thickness.

Cut the steak into strips, 6-8″ long.

Spread the garlic mixture evenly over the steak.

Layer the steak with prosciutto slices and top with cheese.

Now roll each piece into a bundle and secure with toothpicks. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350º and season the meat bundles with fresh ground pepper. I don’t add salt, because the cheese and prosciutto have plenty of sodium.

Coat an oven safe grill pan with olive oil spray and heat to medium (you can also do this step on an outdoor grill). Begin cooking the steak rolls in the hot pan, about 1 minute per side.

When you have some good color on the outside, transfer the pan into the oven to finish cooking.

Remove them when the internal temperature reaches 135º for medium (use a thermometer). Tent with foil and rest 5 minutes before serving (temperature should reach 140º after resting 5 minutes). The key to this recipe is not to overcook the meat. A quick sear in a hot pan then finish it off in the oven, done.

Garnish with fresh parsley, and dinner is served. I made a side of peas and a simple risotto.

Notes ♪♫ When choosing cold cuts, I look for gluten free brands like Boar’s Head or Primo Taglio. When just a small amount of prosciutto is called for in a recipe like this one, it can be convenient (and safer) to purchase in a sealed 3 oz. package rather than having it sliced at the deli.

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Gluten Free Chicken Tenders Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca is one of those restaurant classics that I have had on my recipe bucket list. It can be made with chicken or veal; I’ve even had it as an appetizer with jumbo shrimp! Today though, I’m keeping it simple. I’m using chicken tenders, easy on the pocketbook and easy on the prep! Each tender is wrapped in prosciutto with a beautiful fresh sage leaf tucked in. The bundles are then simmered in a sauce made with shallots, chicken broth, lemon and wine.

The inspiration for this post was a beautiful pot of sage from my herb garden. I’m really proud that I grew it from seed!

Fresh sage is really the star of this dish, really different than dried! If you don’t have an herb garden look for it at the market.

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Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken tenders, 5-6 pieces
fresh ground pepper
fresh sage leaves, whole plus 2 tbsp. minced
6 slices of prosciutto, or 1 per tender
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 cup gluten free lower sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup white wine (I used pinot grigio)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
juice of 1/2 lemon
remaining half lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Preparation:

Line your counter with wax paper and lay out the prosciutto slices. Place one whole sage leaf on the lower half of each slice.

Place one chicken tender on each sage leaf. Sprinkle with the minced sage and fresh ground pepper.

Roll each into a bundle.

Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tbsp. each of butter and olive oil. Place the bundles seam side down in the skillet and cook for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through. See how searing the prosciutto has sealed the bundles, no toothpicks or twine needed!

Transfer the tenders to a platter while you make the sauce.

Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and stir in the shallots. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the corn starch for about 30 seconds. Stream in the broth and the wine. Bring to a simmer, then finish with the butter, lemon juice and parsley. When the butter has melted, return the chicken to the skillet. Toss with the sauce, then cover and cook several minutes longer to heat through.

Transfer to a serving dish and spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh sage and lemon wedges.

I served it with roasted potato slices and sugar snap peas. So simple and delicious! This recipe is proof you can still enjoy traditional Italian favorites on the gluten free diet!

Notes ♪♫ Since the prosciutto in this recipe has plenty of salt, I did not add more to the recipe. If you aren’t limiting sodium, then sprinkle away!

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Gluten Free Veal Piccata

I wrote this post a few years ago, it was inspired by a meal that I had at a local restaurant. I don’t eat out very often, so this was a real treat. Of course, the restaurant had gluten free options, and in fact most of the menu could be made gluten free upon request. I ordered the Veal Piccata that night, and it was SO good! I enjoyed every single bite, and from that moment I was determined to recreate the meal at home. Here is my version and I dare say it was just as good as the restaurant!

I am fortunate to live in an Italian neighborhood, where thin sliced veal cutlets are readily available at local markets. This is a huge time saver, since I did not have to pound the cutlets to the right thickness. Look for veal cutlets that are 1/4″ thick, or you can place them between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet. If veal is not available where you live or just not in your budget, you can make this recipe with chicken.

4 Servings

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Ingredients:

16 oz. thin sliced veal cutlets
1/4 cup white rice flour
fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil + more as needed
1/2 cup gluten free chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine (I used pinot grigio)
1 lemon, divided use
4 tsp. capers
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley

Preparation:

Divide the lemon in half, cut one half into slices for serving and reserve the other half for its juice.

Pat the cutlets dry. Dredge them in rice flour, shaking off the excess. Season with fresh ground pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Cook the cutlets 2 minutes per side in a single layer. Cook in 2 batches if needed.

Set the cutlets aside on a serving platter while you make the sauce. Add the stock, wine and lemon juice to the skillet and bring to a boil. Simmer 1 minute, then add the capers, parsley and butter.

Stir to cook 1 minute longer, then return the veal to the pan and heat through, turning once.

Plate the cutlets and spoon some of the pan juices over the top.

Serve with lemon slices.

Notes ♪♫ I copied my restaurant meal right down to the sides- roasted potato wedges and garlic green beans. I’m so glad I did! This recipe is perfect for date night or when you want to treat yourself to something special.

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The Seven Fishes

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Was it difficult to make this recipe gluten free? NO, because the ingredients have always been gluten free!

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