Gluten Free Pasta

Before my diagnosis with coeliac disease, my diet had always been quiet balanced for my mind however this pasta lover was at a loose end.  Pasta was a huge family favourite and featured regularly in my weekly dinner menu.  But now no pasta - my heart was broken!

I was not able to find gluten free pasta readily in the larger supermarkets, in fact I could not find any.  I had read about a health food store in my local area that sounded like it stocked a variety of products that were wheat and gluten free as well as organic and free from preservatives and other nasties.  When I first visited this store I felt a huge sigh of relief.  I had a couple of gluten free pastas to choose from and there were a couple of breads as well.  My main aim of that visit was to find pasta that was going to fill the void that I now had in my diet.

I remember that I found a rice pasta and on first cooking it I was not too pedantic about the cooking time.  Alas it turned a little gluggy, but I soldiered on and did my best to enjoy the pasta with bolognese sauce that I had made.  Whilst it was not the same as the wheat pasta that I had enjoyed all of my life I was a little disheartened but was not going to let this beat me.  I tried cooking that pasta again a few days later and this time was very particular about the time and all was fine.  The consistency whilst different was something that I knew I would get used to.

Gradually over time, I researched new varieties of pastas that quickly became available and found that the pastas that were a blend of rice and corn, for example were of a much better consistency and were not as sensitive to a second or two of extra cooking - this was fantastic.

I also had great luck with the vegetable based pastas which were a nice change.

All of these pastas were nice, however I really did miss eating spaghetti.

The Italians have so many different varieties of shapes of pasta that are used along side different types of sauces.  The more lumpy or chunky a sauce is, the better is goes with pasta shells or spirals as the sauce is able to be caught in the crevices of the pasta shape, hence you can eat and enjoy your pasta and sauce together.

The more creamy sauces go well with the spaghetti, fettucini and linguini pastas as they coat the long strands of pastas very well.

A few years after my diagnosis San Remo released a range of gluten free pastas, one of which was a spaghetti.  Naturally I bought a packet immediately and dinner that night was spaghetti bolognese.

I carefully cooked the pasta according to the directions on the packet - how was it going to turn out?  How would it taste?  Would it fall apart?

When straining the pasta all looked well the pasta was perfectly cooked.

I piled it into the bowl and topped it was the bolognese sauce and parmesan cheese:  now was the moment.  The first mouthful was utter bliss.  It was divine!  I felt as thought I had reached my pasta nirvana at last!

I must admit that whilst the Orgran brand is great, the pasta was still not the same in consistency and taste as wheat pasta and this is what I was really craving and missing terribly.  When the San Remo pasta was released I tried it all and have had great success with each type and have not looked back since.

My Bolognese Recipe

This bolognese recipe is one that originally is from the Classic Italian Cook Book by Marcella Hazan, but I have tweaked it slightly so it is a little more like the bolognese sauce my mother makes - always a popular request for birthday dinners!

1 medium size onion, diced

1/2 medium sized carrot, grated

1/2 stick of celery, finely chopped

a good pinch or two of salt

a good grind of pepper and nutmeg 

500g beef mince

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 glass of red wine, preferably the wine that you will be enjoying with your meal

400g tin of diced Italian tomatoes - Italian tomatoes are best

1 tablespoon of tomato paste - this is optional, my mother always puts a generous spoonful in as she like the intense tomato flavour it adds but this is entirely up to you

1 fresh sprig of rosemary

1 fresh sprig of sweet basil

1 fresh sprig of oregano
1 fresh bay leaf

1 small bunch of parsley, finely chop the leaves and the fine stalks only to finish off the sauce before serving

Gently fry the onion in some olive oil, celery and carrot and add a small pinch of salt at this point.  Fry until soft, then add your mince and brown slowly, breaking up the mince so that it is of a fine consistency with no lumps.  

Add your herbs and some more salt and a grind of pepper and a really good grind of nutmeg.

Add your garlic and fry a little before adding your wine.  Cook the wine  to allow the alcohol to cook off - you only need to simmer it for a little is this is enough.

Add your tinned tomatoes and if you like, add the tomato paste at this point.

Simmer the sauce for at least half an hour to allow all of the flavours to mingle and mellow.  I try and let this simmer for as long as possible and adding a little water as required to prevent the sauce from drying out.  
I find that when the sauce simmers for one and a half hours to two hours the flavours of the vegetables, herbs and the beef all mellow together and make the most delicious and satisfying bolognese sauce.

Brands of Gluten-free Pasta:

San Remo

http://www.sanremo.com.au

Orgran

http://www.orgran.com/

Buon Tempo

http://www.buontempo.com.au/index.htm

Why write this blog?

I have created this blog for all the people out there that have been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease;  have children that have been diagnosed with coeliac disease;  or those who are wanting to avoid gluten in their diet.

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease eleven years ago and when I found out it was a huge relief to finally know what was wrong with me.  I had acute anaemia to the point that I had weekly iron injections in an effort in increase my iron levels.  My exhaustion was indescribable;  I had trouble climbing a set of stairs without feeling drained!

Once I had my diagnosis, I felt as through a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders but then it hit me - what on earth was I going to eat?

I read so may books and articles on coeliac disease whilst they told me what it was and what I could not eat, they didn’t really tell me what I was able to eat and how to cook without gluten.  I felt as though it was the end of me enjoying food.

I grew up in a house where the discussion of food and what we were going to eat for the next meal was a big part of family life.  My mother all gave us freedom in the kitchen and encouraged us to cook dinner and activities in the holidays was the baking of cookies and snacks.  For me, being able to cook anything well was something that was so easy and I took for granted.  But now being given the challenge of cooking gluten free, I was not feeling terribly confident.

I found that my first few trips to the supermarket after my diagnosis were rather lengthy.  

I had joined the NSW branch of the Coeliac Society and they were so helpful.  I cannot express the relief and hope that talking to the ladies there gave me.  Their ingredients list was the most useful tool and a resource that I have virtually memorised.

Reading through the ingredient list of all of my usual products, so many of them I found that they contained gluten, but so many other rather nasty products.  I had always thought that I had a healthy diet but this was a real learning curve!

In the years since my diagnosis, there have been so many more products available not only at heath food stores but also in supermarkets.  Now you can buy gluten free products at supermarkets both big and small, in cities and also in country towns and surprisingly all over the world.  The news of gluten free eating is spreading and every time I travel to a new place I am always pleased when I find new products to try and restaurants to eat at.  

In my upcoming blogs, I will explore these topics through my own experiences travelling, cooking, eating and shopping gluten free.  Stay tuned!

Contact:

Coeliac Australia
http://www.coeliac.org.au/