Pie Monday

Who doesn’t love a good pie? A traditional British favourite, we are indebted to the Romans for bringing us this culinary classic following their conquest of our isle. Served up at football matches and at Michelin-star restaurants alike, the British public’s love affair with the pie seems to be standing the test of time.

Not so for the Coeliac. Suddenly you see the pie in a new, less-forgiving light. It is as though you’ve caught your beau in a clinch with someone else and this time, that someone else is your worst enemy: gluten. The pie has been deceiving you throughout your entire relationship. You feel betrayed. Angry. You glower at the pie and you wish that the British public didn’t love pies quite so much, but even more, you wish you didn’t love pies quite as much. Despite knowing what the pie has done to you, you still want it.

But wait…you still can have it! All you have to do is re-address your relationship with the pie by putting a permanent end to its dalliances with gluten and suddenly, you and the pie will be getting on better than ever!

After a lengthy separation of 6 months, I was finally reunited with the pie when I decided to make one from scratch earlier this week. It was my first attempt at pie-making and surprisingly, it turned out to be not only edible but actually really nice! It turns out pies are still great gluten free (and dairy-free if needed). I also made my pie low-FODMAP but feel free to alter my recipe as you like. I was particularly daunted at the prospect of making pastry from scratch after a previously disastrous gluten free pastry making experience in which my pastry ended up in a big blobby mush that I couldn’t prize off the work surface. However, no one was more shocked than I when my boyfriend, appointed as official pie-taster for the evening, rated the pie a success and declared that the pastry was the best bit! The moral of the story is that you definitely shouldn’t be put off from either making your own short-crust pastry or making a pie from scratch – it sounds a bit intimidating, but it is relatively straightforward and not as time-consuming as you might imagine.

Grace’s Gluten-Free Beef Mince Pie

Serves 4

For the Pastry:

125g Butter

200g Gluten Free Plain Flour

1 tsp Xantham Gum

1 Egg

Pinch of Salt

For the Filling:

500g beef mince

2 parsnips

2 carrots

1 courgette

Passata

250ml Vegetable Stock Cube

Cornflour

Pepper for seasoning

Olive oil

Preparation Method

1.      Make the pastry: rub together the butter, flour and xanthan gum in a bowl until it forms fine breadcrumbs. Crack the egg into the bowl and mix to form a dough with a round-bladed knife. Add in a pinch of salt. Wrap in cling-film and stick in the fridge for a few minutes whilst you prepare the pie filling.

2.      Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 if you have a fan oven).

3.      Slice the carrots and chop the parsnips into chunks and boil them in a pan.

4.      Whilst the carrots and parsnips are boiling, heat some olive oil in a pan. Add in the beef mince and fry until brown.

5.      Chop up the courgettes and pop them in with the carrots and parsnips. Courgettes cook very quickly so they only need a couple of minutes. Drain the veg and add it into the mince pan.

6.      Spoon in some passata (quantity is up to you depending on how tomatoey you like it). Pour in the vegetable stock. Add in a spoonful of cornflour to thicken. Grind in some pepper to season.

7.      Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for five minutes.

8.      Pour the mixture into a pie dish.

9.      Roll out your pastry onto a chopping board into a shape roughly similar but slightly larger than the pie dish. Turn the chopping board upside down over the dish and the pastry should hopefully peel away and drop onto the top of the pie dish. If this step goes a bit awry, don’t worry. As long as the top of the pie is completely covered with the pastry it will still taste nice so you can patch the pastry up as needed.

10.  Brush the pie lightly with milk and prick it in the centre with a fork.

11.  Cook in the oven for 25 minutes (or until the pastry looks golden brown).

12.  Serve up with plenty of mash potato to the hopeful delight of your friends/family/housemates/partner.

So there you have it, a gluten-free pie!

A quick pie fact to finish off: the apple pie made its first appearance in English literature in 1589 as the Elizabethan dramatist Robert Greene wrote in his poem ‘Arcadia’, “Thy breath is like the steeme [sic] of apple pies.” Steamy stuff all round!

Top 5 Gluten-Free Products

I just thought I'd tell you all about my top 5 gluten-free products that I am currently enjoying:

1. Sainsburies free-from porridge oats.

I've been enjoying porridge for breakfast made with these oats and lactose-free milk. The oats are so tasty on their own that I've found I haven't needed to add anything else in for flavour but you could try adding a dash of maple syrup, a handful of raisins or a spoonful of fruit compote.
I also used them in a crumble recipe at the weekend and they were an amazing addition to the topping for a twist on a typical British crumble. 

2. Warburtons Fruity Sandwich Thins


If you are a fan of Warburtons seeded or white sandwich thins then you will love the new orange and sultana thins. Handy as a quick breakfast or snack, these are delicious on their own with butter or with a mashed banana compote (simply mash a banana and add a sprinkling of cinnamon if you like and heat it briefly in the microwave). Alternatively, Warburtons has a great recipe search database where you can search for recipes by product. Here are their suggestions for the fruity thins ->
http://www.newburnbakehouse.com/recipes?product=4111&field_meal_type_value=All&=Search

Fruity thins as hot cross buns

3. Marks and Spencer Victoria Sandwich Cake

Shop-bought gluten-free cakes are often not worth the extortionate prices and leave you disappointed with the dry texture and over-sweetened flavour. However, the M and S cakes do not go along with this trend and this one is my particular favourite. If you have only recently been diagnosed, it is very similar to their 'normal' Victoria sandwich. The flavour is still the same with the soft buttery sponge and ample buttercream and jam - the only difference between the gluten-free version and the original is a subtle change in the texture. More gluten-free cakes like the M and S ones please!

4. Wholebake 9Bar Peanut (available from Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Sainsburies, Holland and Barrett, E H Booth, other health food stores)

These snack bars are really handy for a healthy tea-break or packed lunch treat. Handmade and free from gluten, wheat, egg and yeast, they are suitable if you also suffer from egg-intolerance. They are crammed full of healthy seeds and nuts and are entirely free from preservatives. They are also held together with golden syrup rather than honey and so could be a snack bar of choice for you if you are on the low-FODMAP diet and hence honey is off limits for the moment.

9bar peanut bar - both healthy and delicious!

5. DS Crispbreads

Finally, I have to give a mention to DS Crispbreads - they served as my classic staple food throughout my European and American ventures in the summer and when I go travelling again I will make sure there's plenty of these in my suitcase in case of an emergency. I'm still favouring them back in the UK as an alternative to sandwiches in a packed lunch. I love them simply with peanut butter spread on the top but you could also try them with cream cheese and smoked salmon, jam, houmous or anything else you can think of really. They go with sweet or savoury toppings and I think they should be permanent staple in any gluten-free kitchen cupboard!

Ultimate essential for any gluten-free traveller

So, there's my current top 5 - more to follow shortly as I'm trying out all sorts of new products after becoming very over-excited by the huuuuge Sainsburies free-from isle near my new house.

Low-FODMAP spaghetti bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is quick and easy if you are doing it 'normally' and there is no reason why a gluten-free AND low-FODMAP version can't be too. The main adjustment for low-FODMAP is just exclude onions and garlic but fear not, that doesn't mean you have to compromise too much on flavour.

Ingredients:

Gluten-free spaghetti
Beef mince
Passatta
Can of chopped tomatoes
Carrot
Spring Onion (green bit only for low-FODMAP)
Yellow pepper
Mixed herbs
Parmesan cheese
Cheddar cheese

I haven't included quantities here as it's up to you really depending on how much you want of everything. As a student, I tend to make more than I need and then freeze portions of the sauce as it is quick to reheat another day.

Method

1. Heat up some oil in a large frying pan. Add the mince and fry until brown.
2. Add in the spring onion, finely chopped carrots and yellow pepper.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and passatta.
TIP: Bear in mind passatta has quite a strong tomato flavour so add more for a fresher and sharper flavour; add less if you prefer a more meaty flavoured bolognese.
4. Stir in some mixed herbs and pepper to season. Add in a small amount of grated parmesan for a creamer texture. Leave to simmer on a low heat whilst you cook the spaghetti.
5. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water for about 15 mins.
TIP: Ensure not to over-cook the spaghetti as if this happens gluten-free spaghetti is particularly prone to breaking into pieces.
6. Drain the pasta and serve. Pour over the bolognese and then sprinkle over some cheddar cheese to serve.

DIETARY TIP: Remember, hard cheeses such as parmesan and cheddar are suitable on the low-FODMAP diet as they are low in lactose.

Hope you enjoy this quick and easy recipe!

Low-FODMAP chicken casserole

Hi all,

More travel reviews to come but in the meantime, here is a recipe for a low-FODMAP chicken casserole. I'm half way through 8 weeks on the low-FODMAP diet after being put on it by my dietician and so far it hasn't proved as tricky as I expected - you just have to get a bit creative in the kitchen and think about what you can have, not what you can't have.

This dish would definitely be improved with the addition of some onion so if you're just gluten free stick some of that in. Here is the low-FODMAP version I've been using - thanks to my mum for the recipe:

Ingredients (for 2 people, or double the quantities if you want to make lots to freeze)

2 chicken breasts (cut up)
4 streaky bacon rashers
Green pepper
Carrot
Can of chopped tomatoes
200ml chicken or vegetable stock (double check that the stock cube you are using is gluten free as note that some, such as OXO, contain gluten)
Cornflour for thickening

Method:

1. Fry the chicken and bacon until the chicken is lightly browned and the bacon is crispy. Boil the carrots.
2. Remove the bacon and chop into small pieces. Add it back into the pan along with the pepper - fry lightly. Add in the boiled carrots.
3. Add the can of chopped tomatoes, the chicken/vegetable stock and some cornflour to thicken. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat - simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Serve with some potatoes (mash/jacket potato/roast potato)

Variation: you could try adding some spring onion (remember, green part only if you are doing low-FODMAP) or varying the vegetables (courgette or aubergine might work well).