Simple Substitution: Fried Chicken

I'm convinced KFC is using some sort of subliminal advertising in their tv spots because lately I've been craving fried chicken. I decided to haul out my trusty Betty Crocker recipe book and try my hand at creating GF fried chicken. Betty's Oven-Fried Chicken seemed perfect, a few ingredients and the oven-frying should result in less clean-up. I would recommend this recipe for warmer months, because I quickly set-off the smoke alarm and had to open all the windows! Luckily, it was a warm day. And the chicken came out great, completely worth the effort and vigorous kitchen towel waving.

Oven-Fried Chicken

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour mix
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• one piece broiler chicken

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and melt the butter in a rectangular pan, I found a casserole dish made for easy handling. Mix the flour, paprika, salt and pepper together. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Place chicken in the butter former skin side down (I removed the skin before coating in flour) in pan. Bake 15-20 minutes. Turn chicken, bake another 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool.

The Art of Simple Substitution

A rather belated Happy Earth Day to everyone!

This year, my Earth Day wasn't spent communing with nature, but rather with artist and peace activist Robert Shetterly. The Honors College brought Rob, best known for his series of paintings entitled Americans Who Tell the Truth, to campus for the annual Rezendes Ethics Lecture and he was absolutely amazing. As a person, as an artist and as an inspiration. His talk, titled the Ethics of Collateral Damage, juxtaposed his well-known paintings of national heroes, local crusaders and historical figures with another project called Collaterals exploring the unknown human faces behind the term "collateral damage." While calling attention to the civilian toll in Iraq and elsewhere, his talk also made essential points about Americans expectations from and relationship with our government:

"It should be obvious that when a government has lied to its people about the reason for taking them to war … then you should realize that unalienable rights as a term is a smokescreen, a mass narcotic that induces denial and hypocrisy, and a term which is viciously defended not because it’s a point of truth, but because it masks a lie.”

Certainly food for thought. Rob also brought a sampling of six paintings from his Americans Who Tell the Truth series now numbering 135 and set to grow with the addition of several notable truth-tellers, including Jim Hansen. His ability to capture his subjects likeness and spirit is incredible. I was particularly excited to see the just completed portrait of Chris Hedges, author of War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning- the Honors Read selected by my class. *star struck*

After the lecture, we took Rob out for dinner at Woodman's Bar and Grill, a favorite local spot in Orono. Small, local places like Woodman's are great for celiacs. The kitchen is small and usually the chef is flexible. I used simple substitution once again, asking to substitute rice for the pasta in the Shrimp Napoli- a delicious combination of shrimp, sun-dried tomato and mushrooms in a pesto sauce. Yum!

A Matter of Simple Substitution

Sometimes we get lucky and a regular recipe can be transformed into a gluten-free recipe by simply substituting gluten-free ingredients. Simple substitution. Some recipes lend themselves easily to simple substitution; others, unfortunately, don't. Last night for dinner I transformed two regular recipes into a delicious gluten-free meal using simple substitution. On the menu: Pasta with Sausage, Basil & Mustard and Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Yum!

My menu was inspired by spring cleaning. In the fall, friends gave me a bag of Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta shells that I discovered behind my pasta collection. Earlier in the week We Are Not Martha (http://www.wearenotmartha.com/- check them out!) featured a delicious sounding pasta recipe that seemed the perfect use for my hoarded pasta. I'd never tried this brand before and I was very impressed by the texture and taste. I will definitely be looking for more of this. Secondly, I discovered I had finally saved enough heels and broken pieces from my preferred Kinnikinnick White Sandwich Bread to make Bread Pudding- hooray!

Pasta with Sausage, Basil & Mustard

• 16 oz gluten-free pasta shells
• one package al fresco roasted garlic chicken sausage
• 3/4 dry white wine (I used Black Swan Chardonnay)
• 3/4 heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons grainy mustard
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced basil

How I made this recipe gluten-free:
This recipe was easy to transform, I substituted two ingredients: the pasta (obviously) and the sausage (less obvious, always be careful of fillers). For the pasta I used a package gifted and recommended by a friend, the Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Shells mentioned above. I would highly recommend this product and here's a picture to help you find it:

Second, I used a gluten-free sausage: al fresco's Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage. I like this sausage not only because it is clearly labeled gluten-free (I love it when companies take the guess work out of labeling reading), but also because it's all natural and delicious. Even my picky, picky sister who does not like sausage loves this product:


Easy. Now on to the recipe:

Start boiling water for the pasta (whatever brand you choose, follow the package instructions), drain and set aside.

Cut the sausage into small pieces. Saute in olive oil until golden brown. Add the wine to the skillet and allow to reduce (about 5 minutes), be sure to scrap the bottom of the pan to get all the flavor into your sauce. Add the heavy cream, mustard and red pepper. Stir and let everything hang out for a few minutes.

Add the pasta and basil to the skillet. Fold everything together and serve. Easy and delicious.

Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

• 2 1/4 cups milk
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
  
• 5 cups cubed gluten-free bread
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons whiskey

How I made it gluten-free:

Another example of simple substitution, I merely exchanged gluten-free bread for the French bread called for in the recipe. I love bread pudding, I store heels and broken pieces from my sandwich bread of choice (Kinnikinnick White Sandwich Bread) in the freezer until I have enough to make bread pudding.

Note: I substituted lactaid for the milk called for in the recipe, I often do this in baking because, like most celiacs, I'm lactose intolerant and this recipe called for a lot of dairy product. I didn't substitute the cream in the first recipe because lactaid milk would not have thickened properly to make the sauce and I felt the amount of dairy product wouldn't bother me. It's a bit like playing Russian roulette, but I've figured out what my body can handle.

Now the recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread into smallish cubes, whatever that means to you.

Lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, cinnamon and sugar. Whisk together. Stir in the bread cubes and allow them to soak up the mixture. (At this point you might add raisins. I hate them, so I didn't) Pour into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, start preparing the whiskey sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, do not allow to simmer! Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.

Mix water and egg. Add slowly to melted butter. Stir in sugar.

Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly (really, you cannot leave this alone for a second) until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey. Cool for 10 minutes.

Serve over warm breading pudding - yum!