Pork Vindaloo

Oh, how I love Indian food.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be a happy woman.  Indian food is famous for its lush, thick sauces loaded with spices and unusual flavors.  While many American sauces are thickened with wheat flour, Indian sauces are thickened by cooking down finely chopped onions, often with tomatoes added.  Yogurts are often used as well along with spinach and potatoes.  The result is a sauce that cooks down and thickens on its own--without gluten or pastiness from a starch.  Indian food is the gluten-free person's dream-come-true! 

I am not Indian, but this is my humble version of Pork Vindaloo and I hope you like it.  It's rich with exotic spices and will perfume your entire house.  People passing by my windows always wonder what mysterious culinary feats are going on behind closed doors.  I like to keep them guessing!  The recipe is below but pictures help, so let's start with that.

Put your coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, dried red chillies, cinnamon stick, and cardamom seeds in a small pan.  Fry them dry until they brown a bit and pop.

Now grind the spices.  I use a coffee grinder that I have set aside just for spices.  I use a brush to get the spices out easily.

Add the ground spices to a blender along with the turmeric, salt, garlic, ginger, and wine vinegar.  Blend to a smooth, thick paste and then add the paste to the pork pieces.  Marinate for several hours or overnight.  Doesn't that paste look delicious already?

Heat your ghee (how to make ghee) over medium heat and fry the onions until they just begin to brown.

Then add the pork pieces and fry for about 15 minutes.  See how the pork is all covered with the onions and the marinade paste?  Mmmmm....the house is starting to smell good!

Add the tomatoes and fry until the liquid has been absorbed.  I used fresh tomatoes because they're in season right now.  Otherwise, use canned.  Then add the wine vinegar and water (and more salt if you like), lower the heat a bit, and cook until the sauce is a good consistency and everything is cooked through--about 10 to 15 minutes.

Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle on the garam masala, chopped green chilli, and chopped cilantro.  Serve with rice, a raita, and a salad.  This is a real winner!!

1 Tbs coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp mustard seeds

5 black peppercorns

5 cloves

3 dried red chillies

1 inch cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp cardamom seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

5 cloves of garlic

1-1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger root

1/4 cup of wine vinegar

1 pound or so of pork tenderloin, cut into bite-sized pieces

5 Tbs ghee (how to make ghee) or oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 pound of tomatoes (or a 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes)

1/4 cup of wine vinegar mixed with 1 cup of water

garam masala

chopped green chilli

chopped cilantro

In a small pan, fry the whole spices dry until slightly browned.  Turn off heat when they start popping.  Grind them in a coffee grinder, and then add all the ground spices to a blender.  Add the turmeric, salt, garlic, ginger, and 1/4 cup of wine vinegar to the blender.  Blend everything into a smooth paste.  Marinate the pork pieces in this paste for several hours or overnight in a zip-lock bag. In a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat, fry the onions in the ghee (or oil) until lightly browned.  Add the pork and fry until golden, about 15 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and fry until the liquid has been absorbed and oil appears on the surface.  Add the vinegar and wine mixture (and more salt if you like), lower the heat a bit, and cook until everything is tender and the sauce is a good consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Pour contents into a serving bowl and garnish with the garam masala, chopped green chilli, and chopped cilantro.

TIPS:  I have a coffee grinder set aside that I use only for spices.  It's a really good way to get the freshest spices.  I use a small brush to get the spices out once they're ground--it sure saves time!  The spices should be available in your local health store.  If you're lucky enough to have an Indian spice store near you, by all means go to it!

Some Late Tomatoes and Peppers

Well, here are some late tomatoes and peppers out of the hoop house.  There are still more tomatoes left, which I will pick in another couple of weeks.  For now, in this picture there are about 150 San Marzano tomatoes, 10 Italian peppers, some regular green peppers, and several dozen cayenne and jalapeno peppers.  And remember, this is late September!  I've been picking for a couple of months now!

I will dry these tomatoes in the dehydrator and make a few more batches of my famous "Spiteful Lass Cayenne Slather" and "Brazen Hussy Jalapeno Sauce" with the peppers.  :)  My customers just love those sauces, and so do I!

All told, I think I will have harvested about 1,000 San Marzanos from only 10 plants, at least 1,000 cherry tomatoes from five plants, and dozens of the juiciest Amish Brandywine tomatoes.  Plus I have harvested hundreds of peppers--sweet and hot--25 pounds of potatoes, dozens and dozens of cucumbers, beans, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, spinach, etc.  And I did all of this in a pretty small space--one 12 x 20 hoop house and another 3 x 20 raised bed.  Plus lots of mint and herbs growing in pots.  I wonder just how much I could grow and harvest if I farmed my entire little plot of land.  Much more than I could ever eat, that's for sure!

I've sold a considerable amount to some of the best customers a gal could ask for, and I've also canned dozens and dozens of half-pints, pints, and quarts of all kinds of foods from jams and jellies to pickles to salsa and sauces to delicious new potatoes.  I'm winding down on the harvest now, although I'm not quite done yet, but I think it's safe to say that it has been a great year!

Ah . . . Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese

Really.  This is the best--I mean THE best--macaroni and cheese that I have EVER had.  Period.  Ever.  And now you can have it too.  The 15 or so minutes spent at the stove are well worth it.

If ever there were a comfort food that is missed by gluten-free folks, this is IT.  Children, especially, miss their macaroni and cheese when they have to go gluten-free.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  In fact, this dish is so good, I swear that it actually outshines regular wheat macaroni and cheese by far.  When you have it, you’ll never even miss the other stuff.  I mean it.  Just please don’t tell the Wheat Muggles, or they’ll try to steal this great idea and the price of everything will go up, lol.

So let’s get started with a picture tutorial and the full recipe below!

 Let's start with the eight basic ingredients:  Gluten-free elbow macaroni, milk, cornstarch, cheddar cheese, butter, salt, pepper, and mustard powder.

Add your cornstarch, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and butter to a saute pan.  Then add your milk and stir.  In a separate pan, heat your water and cook the macaroni for 6 minutes.  It will still be somewhat hard.  Yes, 8 ounces of macaroni does not look like it will be enough.  But it will--I promise!  So don't get tempted to use the entire pound.

Heat the milk mixture on medium, stirring constantly (but lazily) until it boils.  Then stir and cook for one minute.  Basically you're just making a white sauce.  Turn off the heat and add your shredded cheese, minus a handful or two.  Stir well to melt it.  Then drain and pour your cooked macaroni into the cheese mixture, pour all of that into a greased pan, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and then bake at 375 degrees for half an hour.

And voila! You get baked macaroni and cheese!  See how the cheese you sprinkled on top has browned nicely?  Doesn't that look pretty?  Let it sit for five minutes before serving.  Was that easy or WHAT?

2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp pepper
2.5 cups milk
2 Tbs butter
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz gluten-free elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 2-quart casserole pan.  In a saute pan, combine cornstarch, salt, mustard, pepper, butter, and milk.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring, and let boil for one minute.  Turn off the heat.  Add the shredded cheddar minus a couple of handfuls.  Mix well to melt the cheddar.  In the meantime, boil water for the macaroni.  Cook the macaroni for 6 minutes ONLY and then drain.  Add the macaroni to the cheese mixture and mix well.  Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole pan and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

TIPS:  I've tried a lot of gluten-free pasta, and the ONLY store-bought one I care for is Tinkyada.  It blows the doors off the others.  Really.  There's that much of a difference.  Don't be tempted to use the full pound of macaroni.  Use your scale and measure out 8 ounces, otherwise you'll have a real mess in your oven.  I use a 2-quart Pyrex casserole pan for this recipe.  If you buy cheese already shredded, check to make sure that it doesn't have wheat flour added to prevent sticking.  If you forget to save out a couple of handfuls of cheese, you won't get the nice browning on top but it will still be delicious.

Let's Make Gluten-Free Granola!

Comfort food.  Yummy stuff.  That’s what granola is.  That sweet, crunchy goodness.  I love it.  For a while, I thought I had to give granola up because I’m gluten-free.  The problem is that conventional oats are often grown in the same field as wheat, harvested with the same equipment, and shipped in reused wheat bags.  But now we have RS ELISA certified gluten-free oats.  They are not grown in the same fields as wheat, and the farmers pledge not to harvest with the same equipment or transport with wheat.  Voila!  Problem solved.

But enough of that.  Bring on the granola!  The recipe is written out below, and here are some pictures to help guide you (and tempt you).

Here you see the nine simple ingredients:  Gluten-free quick oats, sliced almonds, ghee (how to make ghee), raisins, honey, maple syrup, raw sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and sea salt.

Add your quick oats, almonds, raisins, and sunflower seeds to a large bowl.  I place the bowl on a scale.  It makes it so much easier to just place everything in one bowl and not dirty measuring cups.

Add your ghee, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt to a small pan.  Again, I do this on a scale.

Heat the ghee mixture over low heat, stirring with a whisk until combined and melted.  Then pour that mixture over the oat mixture.  Mix well.  This takes some doing, but you want everything coated with the ghee mixture.

Place in a pan and bake at 300 degrees.  Here you see the mixture spread evenly and pressed down hard with the back of a spatula for its final 7-minute bake (see directions below).  This will ensure that it bakes and cools in one slab.

Let the mixture cool completely and then break apart.  Here you can see that it comes up in big chunks.  Store it in a zip lock bag, unless you eat it all before you get the bag open.  The recipe makes two pounds.  Doesn't it look delicious?

4 cups (363 g/12.8 oz) certified gluten-free quick oats
1 cup (170 g/6 oz) raisins
1/2 cup (48 g/1.7 oz) sliced almonds
1/2 cup (68 g/2.4 oz) raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (113 g/4 oz) ghee (how to make ghee)
1/2 cup (170 g/6 oz) honey
1/4 cup (78 g/2.75 oz) maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, and raisins in a large bowl. Combine ghee, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt in a small pan over low heat and whisk until melted and combined. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and mix well. This takes a bit of mixing with a large spoon, so be patient. You want everything coated with the honey mixture. Spread the granola out in a roasting pan. I use an 18x13 nonstick roasting pan. You can also use a jelly roll pan, but I like the roasting pan because it has higher sides. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and turn over the mixture well and bake for 7 minutes. Stir again and bake for another 7 minutes. Then stir well and spread evenly in pan. Flatten mixture down with the back of a spatula. Press well until it's one solid sheet. Bake another 7 minutes. (So you have a total baking time of 36 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool. It will be crumbly when you first remove it from the oven, so don't touch it. Let it cool and it will solidify. Break mixture into chunks and store. Makes two pounds.

TIPS:  I use Bob’s Red Mill certified gluten-free quick oats.  No, I don’t get paid to say that.  I just love these oats.  Use a scale for accurate measure and easier cleanup.  Ghee is expensive, so make your own.  You can use butter, but the cooled chunks won’t hold together nearly as well and you will have a “loose” granola.  It will still be delicious, though.

Heirloom Tomato Madness!

Here on my little homestead, I grow many tomatoes.  This year I grew cherry tomatoes, heirloom San Marzano tomatoes (the "Italian" tomato), and heirloom Brandywine tomatoes (the Amish tomato).  I ended up with well over 1,000 tomatoes from a total of 15 plants.  Not bad!  I eat them fresh, I can them, and I dry them.  Then I can enjoy the best tomatoes all year long.  A little gluten-free pasta, a little bit of homegrown tomato sauce, and I'm a happy girl!

What you see here is about 300 San Marzano tomatoes. There are 11 quarts of whole tomatoes (10-12 per quart) and 9 quarts of crushed tomatoes (about 22 per quart). It took me about 5 or 6 days to harvest, wash, and process all of these, but it will be so worth it in the winter! Now . . . it's time to start on apples . . . So many wonderful gluten-free foods in this world. :)