Category: Gluten Free Italian

Skillet Chicken and Penne

Before I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, easy skillet meals like this were my go-to for busy weeknights.  There was a time when I thought I would never enjoy meals like this again, but little did I know!  Delicious gluten free pasta and breadcrumbs are widely available so today I can still enjoy some of my old favorites.  I love that this dinner can be pulled together in a hurry.  It’s such a versatile recipe, you can substitute whatever veggies you have on hand, even leftover or frozen veggies will work.

This post contains affiliate links.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Boil a pot of salted water for the pasta.  Cut the chicken into cubes.  Place in a bowl and toss with breadcrumbs to coat evenly.  Cook the chicken in a large, nonstick skillet with olive oil.  Turn to brown all sides.  When cooked through, remove and keep warm.

Keep the veggies separated.  The carrots will take longest to cook, while the zucchini will only need a few minutes.  Toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper before adding to the skillet.  Add the carrots in first.

Cook the pasta to 1 minute less than package directions.  While the pasta cooks, finish the veggies.  Add the onions and bell peppers next.  With 5 minutes left for the pasta to finish, add the zucchini.

Add the chicken back to the skillet with the veggies, toss well and add a splash of white wine.  Let it reduce, then add 1/4 cup of chicken broth.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with a little reserved pasta water if needed.  Finish cooking 1 minute longer, tossing together to blend the flavors.

Transfer to a serving platter, finish with grated cheese and garnish with Italian parsley.  Serve with more grated cheese.

Notes ♪♫ I used Rummo gluten free penne in this recipe, it’s a rice and corn blend with great taste and texture.  If you’re missing the “chew” of wheat pasta, give it a try!

Print This Post Print This Post

Frutti di Mare

Frutti di Mare (Fruit of the Sea) is a wonderful entree for seafood lovers, made with several types of shellfish and served over pasta.  An Italian classic, I have often enjoyed this dish when dining at a nice restaurant.  Would you be surprised to know that this is an easy meal to recreate at home, and that most of the ingredients are naturally gluten free?  The only substitution needed was gluten free pasta!

This post contains affiliate links.

I used Jovial brown rice spaghetti, but you could also use gluten free linguine or fettuccine.  I had most of the seafood in my freezer.  Buying frozen is a great way to save on the cost of shrimp, scallops and squid rings.  The little neck clams were purchased fresh that day.

2 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup white wine, use what you have on hand
  • 12 little neck clams, cleaned and rinsed
  • 6 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 6 jumbo scallops
  • 4 oz. squid rings
  • 1 cup (8 oz. can) tomato sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 4 oz. gluten free pasta, cooked and drained
  • Italian parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Cook the pasta to 2 minutes less than the package directions, drain and set aside.  Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, then add the red pepper flakes and cook one minute more.

Add the white wine and the clams, then cover immediately.  Cook covered for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, shrimp, scallops and squid rings.  Season with salt and pepper and stir well.  The clams are just beginning to open.

Cover and cook 3 minutes longer.

Finally, add the drained pasta back to the pan, cover and cook 2 more minutes to heat through.  If any clams have not opened at this point, discard them!

Finish with a pat of butter, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with Italian parsley.

Doesn’t that look delicious?  Another restaurant quality meal made right at home, completely gluten free!

Notes ♪♫ Use real wine in this recipe, do not use cooking wine (it’s loaded with sodium and who knows what) and of course you can’t drink cooking wine! 😉

Print This Post Print This Post

Tomato Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage

Making soup is one of my favorite ways to clear the pantry.  This wonderful fall soup is a great example of what you can put together from little bits of this and that from your pantry and freezer.  I had a cup of dry beans, some frozen chicken sausage along with the fresh roasted tomato sauce that I made earlier (in case you missed that post, catch it here).  Of course you can use a can of fire roasted tomatoes and canned beans, but don’t shy away from cooking beans from scratch, it’s easy and they are a healthy and nutritious addition to winter meals.  Just follow my step by step instructions!

4-6 servings

This post contains affiliate links.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

I had a cup of dry beans in the pantry left over from another recipe, a mix of Borlotti and Great Northern.  You can use whatever beans you prefer (see notes).  Soak the beans overnight in cold water.

In the morning, the beans will have almost doubled in size.  Drain and rinse them, and return to the pot.  Cover with cold water and add 2 bay leaves.  Simmer 2 hours on low heat.

Notice that I started with cold water.  One of the secrets to tender beans is to cook them slowly and gently.  The heat is on very low the entire time, so the water comes to temperature slowly.  When it does reach a boil, I keep it on a very low simmer.  Also note that I did not add salt.  Salt toughens the beans, so we only add it during the final hour of cooking.

After a 2 hour simmer, drain the beans and discard the bay leaves.  Wipe the pot clean to remove all moisture and add one tbsp. olive oil.

To kick up the flavor in this soup, I added 2 chicken sausage links from my freezer pantry, one hot and one mild.  You can use pork sausage, ham or whatever protein you prefer, just be sure it’s gluten free.  Dice the sausage into 1/2″ pieces and cook until any liquid has evaporated and the meat is nicely browned.  Pardon the shaky photo but you get the idea!

Remove the sausage, cover and set it aside until the soup has finished.  Leave any fat and browned bits in the pot and add another tbsp. olive oil.  Add all of the veggies and season with salt and pepper.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Now add back the beans, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, sage and thyme.  Cover and simmer (keep the heat very low) for 1 more hour.

To finish the soup, stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional but I like the spicy kick) and return the sausage to the pot to heat through.

Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh chives and serve with grated cheese.

We really enjoyed this soup, even though it was quite warm this first weekend of autumn!  I’ll be sharing more of my favorite soup recipes in the coming weeks, and I hope you will come by again to see what’s cooking in my Cucina!

Notes ♪♫  Beans are a naturally gluten free food.  However, be wary of the mixed bean packages as some contain barley.  I always rinse my beans thoroughly to limit risk of any cross contact during processing.

Print This Post Print This Post

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Last weekend I was gifted a bag of garden tomatoes.  They were a mix of  different colors, shapes and sizes.  Some were perfect, others had blemishes.  They sat on the counter for a few days while I decided what to do with them.

I’ve read several articles about roasting tomatoes for sauce, but have never tried it myself.  I must admit that I prefer the convenience of canned tomatoes, but with this bowl of fresh garden tomatoes in front of me I was inspired to give it a try.

This post contains affiliate links.

The preparation was simple.  I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and rubbed it with olive oil.  I cut the tomatoes into 3/4″ slices and placed them skin side up on the oiled baking sheet.  I drizzled them with a little more olive oil, added a few garlic cloves and sprinkled with gluten free Italian seasoning.  I roasted the tomatoes for 2-1/2 hours at 250º.

When I removed the tomatoes from the oven, the skins were split and blistered.  I used tongs to gently lift off the skins and discarded them. I also removed the garlic.

Then I picked up the corners of the parchment and poured the tomatoes and juice into a sauce pot.

I used a stick blender to puree the tomatoes into a smooth sauce.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of roasted tomatoes and garlic!  As you can see, the sauce is orange in color.  Quite different from the red canned sauce that we usually purchase.

My tomatoes yielded just under 2 cups of sauce.  It really gives you an appreciation of how many tomatoes are needed to fill a large sauce can.

So now my roasted tomato sauce is in the refrigerator waiting to become part of another meal (check it out here)!

Notes ♪♫ Canned tomatoes are one of the few processed foods that I indulge in.  My mother always used Hunts Sauce and I prefer it to this day, maybe because of the memories it brings.  Muir Glen is another favorite brand, especially their Fire Roasted Tomatoes which by the way are a fine stand-in for this very recipe!

Print This Post Print This Post

Polenta

If you are gluten free like me, you might be looking for a change of pace from the usual potato and rice sides.  Enter Polenta!  Today I’ll teach you how to prepare this humble porridge and offer a few ideas on how to serve it.  The cooking method is very much like making risotto, and can take a full 40 minutes for regular, coarse ground corn meal.  For busy nights you can also find quick cooking polenta that takes much less time.  Whichever you choose, be sure the polenta is labeled gluten free.  Here’s how to make it…

This post contains affiliate links.

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups water, divided
  • 1.5 tsp. salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup gluten free polenta
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Preparation:

Heat 5 cups of water in a saucepan.  In a second saucepan, combine 3 cups of the heated water, salt and bay leaf.  Gradually stream in the Polenta, whisking with each addition.  Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat, stirring frequently.

As the liquid becomes absorbed, add the remaining water 1 ladle at a time.  Continue to stir frequently until it reaches the desired thickness, about 40 minutes for regular and 5 minutes for quick cooking polenta.  At the end of the cook time, remove the bay leaf and stir in butter and Parmesan.

Yes, it’s that easy.  So now that you have made a batch of Polenta, how will you serve it?  You could simply enjoy it with extra Parmesan as a side dish.

Or top it with Crock-Pot braised beef for a hearty Italian dinner.

Another option, Beef Short Ribs with Polenta is a beautiful fall dish!

And finally, my personal favorite, the leftovers!  Once cooked, Polenta will begin to firm up almost immediately.  Before that happens, pour it into a baking dish lined with parchment paper.  Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.  Later you can slice it into wedges and grill for about 8 minutes per side.

I hope I’ve given you a few new ideas for your gluten free dinner rotation.  Try a new dish and keep your menu interesting!

Notes: ♪♫ Polenta is made from coarse corn meal.  While corn itself is gluten free, cross-contact with other grains that contain gluten may occur during processing.  Be sure to check ingredient labels and if polenta is not labeled gluten free don’t hesitate to contact the manufacturer.

Print This Post Print This Post

Gluten Free Garganelli Pasta

Garganelli are large, tube shaped pasta, formed by rolling squares of dough around a wooden dowel, using a gnocchi board to create the ribbed surface.  It’s a labor of love, that will reward you with the fresh pasta you have been craving, sans gluten.

This post contains affiliate links.

4 Servings

Pasta Ingredients:

Preparation:

Combine all of the pasta ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  You should easily be able to remove the dough from the paddle and press it into a ball.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit for 15 minutes on the counter, allowing it to hydrate.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces.  Work with one section at a time, keeping the rest covered so it doesn’t dry out.  Press the dough into a flat disc, and use a pasta roller to roll the dough out into thin sheets.  I used my Kitchenaid® pasta roller attachment.  Starting with the widest setting, I passed the dough through the roller a few times then gradually decreased the thickness to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th setting.  Lay the sheets of pasta on wax paper that has been lightly dusted with flour.  As you can see, the gluten free dough is very delicate.  You won’t be able to roll it as thin as a wheat dough without tearing.  Fortunately, this pasta shape is very forgiving.

Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the sheets of pasta into 2″ squares.  Eyeball it, and don’t worry about the edges being uneven.  I’ll show you how to hide them!

Flour a gnocchi board and wooden dowel.  Now, start rolling the squares diagonally around the dowel.  Start rolling from the ragged edge, so that it is tucked inside.

When you get to the end, press to seal.  See how the perfect, pointy edge is on the outside.

Slide the pasta onto a baking sheet that has been lined with wax paper and dusted with rice flour.  When it’s time to cook, you can easily pick up the wax paper and slide the pasta into the pot.

Aren’t they beautiful?  Using a dowel (get them at any craft store) ensures that the shaped tubes are roughly the same size, even though my squares were quite uneven.  Jagged edges are tucked inside and we have crisp ridges on the outside to soak up a sauce.  Cook fresh pasta for 3 minutes in a large pot of salted water, be sure water is at a rolling boil before you add the pasta, and put the cover back on so the water returns to temperature.

When they begin floating to the top, they are done.  See how the Garganelli keep their shape when cooked?  Still, treat them gently.  Use a spider strainer to remove the pasta to a skillet and toss with your favorite sauce.

Print This Post Print This Post