Gluten-free and fabulous

So last night I made dinner for a very good friend who has a gluten intolerance.

Luckily, my grandmother and both aunties are Coeliac (well, not lucky for them, but lucky for me) so I knew exactly what I could and couldn’t include in the meal.

Basically if you are Coeliac, you have to eat a gluten and wheat-free diet otherwise you’ll get gassy and vomit and have cramps and all kinds of other nasty side-effects.

My grandmother used to make the most unbelievably good pumpkin gluten-free bread… and I used to pray to God that he would make me Coeliac just so I had an excuse to eat this delicious ‘special’ food I’d discovered. Now that I am older and look at the price of gluten-free products on the shelves of the supermarket, I don’t feel the urge so much anymore.

Celebs and other notable people have made gluten-free diets trendy, but it has been part of my family’s life for as long as I can remember. It’s not a bad way to live even if you don’t have an intolerance; unfortunately it’s pretty costly.

So in the spirit of eating gluten-free, here is a tasty risotto recipe for you to try that isn’t hard at all and is really yummy.

Creamy chicken and mushroom risotto

Ingredients (serves 4)

50g unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 chicken breast fillets, cut into 2cm cubes
2 cups (440g) arborio rice
1/4 cup (60ml) white wine
1.25L (5 cups) chicken stock (you can get GF stock from most supermarkets)
1/2 cup (50g) grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
1 cup sliced assorted mushrooms
Thyme leaves
Olive oil, to drizzle

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to colour, then add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add wine and stir until rice has soaked up.

Add a ladleful (about 125ml/1/2 cup) of the simmering stock to the rice and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock mixture, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful, for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender yet firm to the bite and the risotto is creamy. At this point season with salt and pepper.

Add the mushrooms and a sprinkle of thyme leaves at the end and heat through. Finish with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil (optional).

From Taste.com.au