Over a year ago my boyfriend and I went gluten free. It wasn't for fad diet reasons though our change in diet did happen in the rise of the gluten free/raw/Paleo craze. My boyfriend actually has an intolerance that was causing him great illness, so in support I cut gluten out of my diet as well. It was sort of out of laziness because I didn't want to make two meals everyday. I didn't believe I had a problem with gluten, didn't want to believe it, because I loved toast way too much. I was known for smelling like toast, people. After cutting gluten out of my diet I had less joint pain from my arthritis, less edema, and overall, more energy. Giving up gluten was a struggle at first, but now it is second nature to us. Gluten makes me nervous because if I get into it my guts hurt....cramping, gas, and general blah for about 4 hours.
So I have come to learn how to cook without gluten and unless you are making baked goods, it is really an easy adventure. Once you learn all the different evil forms gluten shows up in your food it is easy to avoid it. We eat name brand foods more than specifically made GF foods and more and more companies are removing the one ingredient in their product that keeps it from being gluten free. It makes like easier and a bit cheaper and hell....it tastes better. A lot of store bought GF baked goods taste like shit and are dry and crumble in your fingers.
It is my hope to present some recipes here that you can enjoy whether you are on a special diet or not. The first recipe I am going to share is one that I found from Anthony Bourdain. I do believe his basis has always been classical French cooking and I did have to alter this recipe some so as to not die of a butter induced heart attack. My search for this recipe came after remembering a similar soup we used to make at a tea house in Seattle. This was the closest I could come to reanimating that soup
Sherried Mushroom Soup (a la Anthony Bourdain with minor changes)
6 T butter (I use about 3 T and it comes out great)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
12 oz of crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 cp chicken stock (you can use veggie stock if you like)
1-2 tsp thyme
salt
pepper
2 oz cooking sherry
Slice your onions thin, in a stock pot add 2 T butter and melt (be careful not to burn) and then add the onions. Cook until soft.
While your onions are softening, slice your mushrooms. You don't have to slice them too thinly because they will shrink up and leave the soup less hearty.
Add the other 1 T of butter (more if you think it needs it) to the onions and then add your sliced mushrooms. Sweat the mushrooms for 8-10 minutes. Towards the end of this process I like to add the thyme to the pot. The soup will get really fragrant. Add salt and pepper. Stir in your stock of choice and bring to a boil.
Once the soup has boiled, reduce to a simmer and add the sherry. Let it go for about an hour and stirring occasionally. Check the flavor and season more to taste if needed.
The result is a golden brothed, tasty soup. If you can eat gluten this soup would love a nice hearty crust of bread, but it is just as tasty without bread....even my kid will eat it. Enjoy!
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