I recently attended a fun and interesting cooking demonstration class with Chef Tony Chiodo, organised by The Coeliac Society of Victoria and hosted by Enoteca Sileno.  It was a very enjoyable and informative afternoon; Tony cooked 3 yummy gluten free dishes – crumpets, gnocchi and chocolate pots with orange and polenta biscuits – that were not difficult to make, as well as providing lots of additional handy tips about gluten free cooking. 

Tony started experimenting with gluten free cooking a number of years ago, when he found he felt better eating gluten free and using whole and natural foods.  He now uses a number of different gluten free flours and grains in cooking and over time has learned how they behave differently.  For example, some flours are good for binding and thickening, while others can be used to provide additional fibre to a dish.  The dishes Tony cooked during the demonstration were delicious and as a good teacher, he provided simple and clear instructions so that we can make them at home.  He also answered many questions from the full class and discussed what other ingredients we could substitute in the dishes to suit our individual tastes.  Tony has recently written a cookbook, Eating Well, which is largely gluten free.

So, it was a great way to spend a cold winter’s afternoon.  The class certainly encouraged me to do more cooking at home and experiment with the wide range of gluten free flours and grains available these days.  Enoteca Sileno were wonderful hosts.  They offer a range of Italian cooking classes throughout the year and also have a fabulous Italian restaurant which includes many gluten free dishes on the menu.  (It is one of my favourite restaurants for those in Melbourne!) Thanks to The Coeliac Society of Victoria for organising the day.  The class was so popular, it was repeated in the afternoon.  The Society regularly arranges classes and events to assist people living on a gluten free diet, as do the coeliac societies in other states.

Furthermore, as a result of the class, we have added the Italian Bi-Aglut gluten free plain flour to our list of products.  This was one of the main flours Tony used in his dishes.  We already have the Bi-Aglut pastas in stock, great gluten free pasta imported from Italy, so this will be a good addition.

Jodie

For further information:

• The Coeliac Society of Victoria – www.vic.coeliacsociety.com.au
• The Coeliac Society of Australia – www.coeliacsociety.com.au
• Tony Chiodo’s website, Eating Well Daily – www.eatingwelldaily.com.au
• Eating Well by Tony Chiodo – available at Enoteca Sileno and other selected book stores.
• Enoteca Sileno – www.enoteca.com.au

The last few weeks we have been busy sampling new products. As you will see in our new products section, our list continues to grow!  Thank you to those people who have told us about new gluten free foods they have also discovered.  We always like to hear about new products and we try to get them in where we can.  It is amazing how many manufacturers are producing such delicious gluten free foods these days.

Next month we celebrate our first birthday! We are getting quite excited about reaching this important milestone. Keep an eye out for our newsletter next month for a special offer we are planning to celebrate it.

Keep reading below for our monthly recipes and specials. 

Happy Eating!

Jason & Jodie

www.glutenfreelife.com.au

Gluten Free Expo in Sydney

The NSW Coeliac Society is running its annual gluten free expo this month. If you are in or can get to Sydney, head along to the showground and sample some tasty gluten free food! If you do come across something that is particularly scrumptious, drop us a line at admin@glutenfreelife.com.au.

The show will be held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

• Friday 22 August 2008 – 4pm – 8pm
• Saturday 23 August 2008 – 9am to 5pm

More details at www.glutenfreeexpo.com.au 

Recipes

Baked tomatoes

• 1 tsp Massel Vegetable Stock Powder,
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 tbsp gluten free crumbs 
• 6 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 roma tomatoes

Preheat oven to 180oC.
Holding the halved tomato, squeeze out the seeds. Place it, cut side down on inclined cutting board to shed as much vegetable water as possible.
Combine crumbs, half the stock powder, parsley and garlic.
Place the tomatoes, cut side up in a non-stick over proof container. Sprinkle the inside of each with a tiny dash of sugar.
Dissolve the other half of the stock powder in 3 tablespoons of water.
Fill each tomato with the crumb mix.  Pour 1 tablespoon of the stock gently onto each filled tomato. Then pour remaining stock into the bottom of the container.
Bake 30 mins until the liquid has evaporated and the topping appears golden.

Source: www.massel.com.au

Almond Bread

• 150g F.G. Roberts’ plain flour
• 125g castor sugar 
• 3 egg whites   
• 185g whole roasted almonds

Warm oven to 180C
Grease and base line 8×26cm bar tin.
Beat egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar a little at a time and beat until dissolved.
Fold in sifted flour and nuts.

Spread mixture into prepared tin and bake for about 30 minutes until firm to touch.
Turn on to wire rack to cool.

When cooled, wrap in foil and refrigerate for 24 hours (this helps reduce the loaf from crumbling).  Remove from fridge, and slice thinly. Place slices on flat trays in a single layer and bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.

Source: www.soyproducts.com.au

Sweet pie pastry

• 1¾ cups F.G. Roberts’ plain flour
• ½ cup castor sugar
• 100g chilled butter, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cold water, more if required

Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl.  Add the chopped butter and mix with hands (a crumb like mixture will form).  Mix in the egg slowly.  Add water and continue to mix with hands until mixture just comes together.  Place mixture on a lightly floured board and knead.  Flatten pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll until about 1cm thick or until fits prepared dish.  Put in greased baking dish and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.  Top with your favourite pie filling and bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned.

New products

Daisy Kisses – House of Biskota  

Delicious shortbread type biscuits with a jam centre. Each pack contains six biscuits.
$5.60

Vanilla Cake Mix – Select Foods 

Vanilla flavoured cake mix. Wheat, gluten and yeast free.  Add your own flavouring. 
Only $3.95.

Fruit & Nut Delight snack bars – Go Natural  

Now available in a handy pack of 5 – perfect to keep in the pantry for school or work lunch boxes!
$6.27

Gluten Free Baking Powder – Lotus 

Lotus gluten free baking powder is made without sodium, cereals, gluten, or aluminium. Baking powder can be used instead of self raising flour. In most recipes, 2 – 2.5 level metric teaspoons can be used for each cup of plain flour. 
$4.80 for 150g.

Also coming soon:

Livwell apple pies, Bi-Aglut gnocchi, Carmen’s muesli, and more from the House of Biskota!

Monthly Specials

Amaretti Biscotti – Orgran 

Almond flavoured biscuit from Orgran.
$2.97, save 23 cents

Tortilla Wraps – Empower 

Gluten free lunches made easy – just add your traditional sandwich fillings.
$5.99, save 66 cents

Fried Rice Noodles – Changs

Great addition to salads (see our Crunchy Asian salad recipe from a previous newsletter)
99 cents, that’s a huge 27% off!

Gluten Free Muesli – Soland

$3.50, save $1.30 (limit of 2 packets per customer until sold out)

Popcorn, Original Sweet and Salty – Cobs

Cobs organic popcorn is lightly salted, slightly sweet! Made from Australian grown organic corn, it is cholesterol free, gluten free, free from genetically modified ingredients, and has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
$3.85, save 35 cents

Healtheries Simple Indulgence Peanut Crunch bar

Go nuts over Healtheries Simple wheat and gluten free Peanut Crunch! Enjoy the feast of peanuts smothered in delicious milk chocolate. Contains no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners. 
$1.65, save 30 cents

First of all it is important to remember that many foods are naturally gluten free including all fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, rice, potatoes, herbs and spices, legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils) and polenta.  This means that you can create numerous dishes based on these foods that taste great and are already gluten free. 

Then there are a number of products that are direct substitutes for foods that normally contain gluten (wheat, barley, rye or oats) such as gluten free pasta, cereals, sauces and confectionary.  For example, soy sauce naturally contains barley, but soy sauce based on tamari is gluten free.  This gluten free product be used a direct swap for soy sauce in a recipe.

Finally there are the foods which may need a mix of ingredients to replace foods with gluten.  These are typically foods based on wheat flour where often a mix of gluten free flours is needed to replace the wheat.  Gluten is a binding agent in cooking and therefore, without this agent, different ingredients are required.  Fortunately, there are many products available these days that do this substitution for you.  There are a number gluten free sweet and savoury biscuits, a range of packet mixes for cakes, muffins, pizza bases, bread and pancakes. The mixes use a variety of gluten free flours to make them taste good and most closely resemble the wheat based original.  You can also buy ready made gluten free plain or self-raising flour (such as FG Roberts or Casalare) that can often be substituted for normal flour in many recipes. 

Enjoy cooking gluten free! If you have a recipe that you have created and want to share with the world, please send to us and we’ll publish them in one of our newsletters.

Want to make your own fruit bread?

Just add 1 cup of your favourite dried fruit or mixed fruit, 3 teaspoons of mixed spice and 1 teaspoon castor sugar to a bread mix – Basco, Orgran, Well and Good – and bake in the oven as per the mix instructions.

Slicing gluten free bread

We all know that gluten free bread crumbles more easily than normal bread, as it doesn’t contain gluten, a key binding agent. So when you want to slice your fresh gluten free bread that you have made or bought, one way to assist less crumbling is to put it in the fridge for a day so that the bread becomes firmer. It should be easier to slice after this. This goes particularly for bread with fruit or nuts in it, as these can add to more crumbling. For best results, use a sharp knife preferably .

Make your own pita chips!

Bake Empower tortilla wraps in some olive oil in oven 180 deg for about 10 mins until wraps become crispy. Break wraps into small chip pieces. Sprinkle over grated cheese and herbs or lemon pepper. Bake for another 5 mins until cheese is melted.

A common question we get asked is ‘are all gluten free foods also wheat free?’. Well, the simple answer is YES. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. So any food that is labelled gluten free will automatically not contain wheat. The only exception to this is glucose syrup derived from wheat. This is used in some gluten free products. It is still gluten free, as the glucose syrup is so highly refined that the gluten is actually destroyed in the manufacturing process. If you have a wheat allergy or intollerance, you may need to avoid this ingredient if you are extremely sensitive.

For further information, see www.allergy.org.nz/

Buy wheat free food online at Gluten Free Life. Ingredients are listed for each product.

We are very excited to announce that you can now order fresh bread from our website! We have sourced some fantastic gluten free bread from a small bakery in Melbourne, Knead Bakers. The bread is lovingly hand-made in true artisan style. Each loaf weighs 750g, so is larger than most brands of gluten free bread available in supermarkets. Prices range from $6 to $7.50.

Choose from seven different varieties:
· Plain white loaf
· Olive and rosemary
· Fig and walnut
· Seeded loaf
· Sourdough
· Cornbread
· Buckwheat soda bread

The baker at Knead, Angela, is an experienced pastry chef who worked in London for four years with one of the world’s top pasty chefs. She started making gluten free bread based on demand from customers and has spent time perfecting the loaves. Knead have also consulted a local naturopath to make sure that the bread suits a variety of dietary needs.

Ordering information:
You will need to place your order for bread with us by 12 noon each Friday. We pick up the freshly baked bread each Monday morning and send it to you via courier or Australia Post. Most customers should receive the bread within one to three days. The bread keeps well for 7 days, however we recommend putting in the freezer as soon as possible.

Surely a little bit of gluten won’t hurt? Well, that depends. If you have coeliac disease, then yes, even a small amount can do damage. However, if you are gluten intolerant your body may be able to cope with small amounts. This article explains why.

Coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is an abnormal immune response to ingested gluten. Normally, our immune system functions to protect us from disease by producing antibodies against foreign, harmful microorganisms and other microscopic particles. In coeliac disease, the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies as harmful the enzyme that helps to break down gluten, and produces antibodies against it. This leads to inflammation of the small intestine lining, which decreases the amount of nutrients absorbed by the body. Without absorbing all the nutrients that the body needs, other problems may also develop, for example, osteoporosis(from a lack of calcium).

The inflammation of the small intestine lining also leads to undigested food passing through to the large bowel. In some people, this causes gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, cramping and diarrhoea. However, it is important to note that there is no relationship between the severity of the symptoms and the damage being done to the lining of the small intestine. So, someone with little or no symptoms may have significant damage to their small intestine lining. For this reason, it is crucial that coeliacs do not ingest any gluten.

Gluten intolerance

In contrast, gluten or intolerance is a digestive system response to gluten, rather than an immune response. Generally, the severity of the symptoms is proportional to the amount ingested. Symptoms of gluten intolerance include nausea, stomach cramps, heartburn or reflux, diarrhoea, and bloating.

For example, individuals who suffer from gluten intolerance will suffer more severe symptoms when ingesting larger amounts of food containing gluten. If they eat only a tiny amount, they may not suffer any symptoms.

Conclusion

So, regardless of the severity of symptoms experienced, someone who has Coeliac disease should not ingest gluten, as unseen damage may occur to the small intestine lining.

Someone who has an intolerance to gluten, may be able to tolerate small amounts of gluten, depending on the severity of their gastrointestinal symptoms, without any significant internal damage. Over time, they may be able to work out how much their body can cope without symptoms.

References

http://food-allergies.suite101.com/article.cfm/food_allergies_vs_food_intolerance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_intolerance

Don’t want to miss out on hot cross buns at Easter?

Gluten free buns from Simply Better Biscuit Co were given a score of 8/10 by The Age hot cross bun taste test – this was a much higher score than many hot cross buns made with wheat flour! Other brands that are gluten free include Livwell and Lifestyle Bakery.

Here are a few links to blogs / forums that have recipes if you wish to make your own:

• ABC local radio
• Vogue forums
• Gluten Free Gossip

I have been looking at a few great websites lately that have gluten free recipes. If you are like me and don’t follow recipes to the letter, it’s always good to at least get some inspiration. Here are a few sites that are worth having a look at:

• Gluten-Free Girl does a lot of blogging about gluten free issues and has put all her recipes into a blog called Recipes from Gluten-Free Girl.
• An Australian site is Best Gluten Free Recipes. They have quite a good selection of simple to make meals.
• Rosemary’s Gluten-Free Recipes has 26 recipes available, including an Australian favourite – Anzac biscuits.

If you know of any more sites, just add a comment to let us all know!