SOUP!!!

In Reply to my sisters request for soup recipes I have decided to share about one of my newest gluten free creations :) This ones not for those with allergies to dairy but is gluten free. I was wondering about how I would make a gluten free chowder and decided that I would substitute Sweet rice flour instead of wheat flour when making my roux. I made allllllllooooooot of chowder so the recipe I post will make alot of soup but you can reduce the amounts however you like.

Kyle's Spicy Chowder

4 medim yellow onions diced
10-14 med carrots diced
1 bunch celery diced
4 cobs fresh corn (cleanly cut corn off of cobs and reserve both corn and cobs)
6-8 Tablespoons olive oil  1/2 Tablespoon Salt, 2 teaspoons freshly ground peppercorns, 1T Cayenne, 1 1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, 1/4 cup fresh dill
4 jalapenos diced small
3-4 bunches green onion diced

10-12 Yukon Gold Potatoes 1'' dice
3 large cans clams with juice or 3 dozen fresh clams
(If using fresh clams scrub well and then put in cold water for one hour.
Then put them in saucepan with water and cover and cook until clams open 8-10
minutes and discard those that don't open. Save water and clams and strain water
through double layer of cheesecloth to get rid of grit.)

2 packages bacon (pay close attention to all ingredients you buy as there may be gluten in some products you may not expect including meat and dairy products)
2 packages mild italian sausage

1 1/2 cups butter
sweet rice flour (can be found at most local Vietnamese or Korean markets)

2 quarts cream
1-1 1/2 quarts milk

• Open cans of clams and drain reserving both clams and clam juice in seperate containers. Strain clam juice through cheesecloth to get rid of grit.
• Take diced potatoes and put in clam juice (season well with salt and pepper) add corn cobs and bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender
• Cook bacon and sausage at 350 in oven untill done and set aside to cool. cut bacon into medium dice and sausage into large dice. Add both bacon and Sausage fat to soup before adding your roux.
• put olive oil in very large soup pot and cook on medim heat until hot. Add onions, carrots, celery, jalapenos, and corn. add spices. Saute until carrots are tender.
• Melt butter on low and then romove from heat. Add sweet rice flour slowly to butter and mix until it forms an opaque paste and does not shine. Set aside
• Add cooked potatoes and clam juice to vegetables in large soup pot. Take some of the liquid and add it to your roux and mix well and then add that to your large soup pot and mix well.
• Add milk and cream and mix well while continuing to simmer
• Add green onion, more fresh dill, bacon, and sausage and season with salt, peppe,r and cayenne to taste and then let simmer on low till flavor is released and soup is rich.

(All measurements are currently an approximation because I normally don't measure while cooking my own recipes at home.)

I really like spicy food but if you don't like it spicy then you can omit the jalapeno and cayenne if you like but I say be adventurous and BRAVE THE SPICE :) spicy=full of flavor. Also spicy foods boost your metabolism.

I Eat With My Hands

I have always been intrigued by other cultures and how they revolve around food. While In India I first learned what it was like to eat with my hands. It was fascinating to be enveloped in a world where the every day normalcies of my life as I knew it no longer existed and I loved it! I dove right in as I was eager to attempt to learn this knew and intriguing method and while my fingers fumblingly attempted to adapt to this new practice.

During one meal a gentleman at the far end of the table announced, "I don't see why you use a fork for everything" and while raising his hands as if to display them to his guests exclaimed, "This is Fork and knife from God" and then while raising his fork said, "I don't know where this fork has been but I do know where this hand has been." We all laughed and then laughed some more.

Even though I was having an amazing time the food I was eating was having an impact on my body. I soon learned that I could no longer eat so many of the things that I had come to love because of my gluten intolerence and sensitivity to both corn and dairy. What I have learned though is that there are so many cultures who have such a variety of things that I can eat. From curries to sushi to Injera in Ethiopia. There are so many things that can be gluten free and taste amazing as well. The standard American diet is full of  wheat, corn, dairy, and various other glutenous breads. From Pizza to pasta to your everyday morning doughnut. We have to experiment in order to find some way of making gluten free flours into something that tastes like these things we could once eat. Granted it can be done and we can still enjoy our American food without gluten, corn, or even dairy but there's a whole world out there full of so many more things that we can eat.

While living in Ethiopia I came to love Injera (picture below). Injera is a spongy fermented flatbread made from Ethiopia's staple grain Teff and you eat it with your hands. It took me three months to learn that they were adding Barley to the mixture just before the fermentation period was over but in many places in Ethiopia it is only made with Teff. Imagine an entire country where almost everything is Gluten free and is amazing.

Everywhere you go you will still have to take precautions in order to stay healthy, but don't be afraid to venture into the Eastern world's vast amount of gluten free foods. There are so many cultures with mouthwatering food just waiting to be eaten. Check out your local markets within your cities international district to see what you can find. While eating gluten free, dairy free, corn free or all or any other allergens you are sure to either start cooking for the first time for yourself or start cooking more.

Have fun with it. Begin to explore what's out there. Currently I'm enjoying venturing into making pizza, sushi, curry, and soups. There's so much to explore. Just remember, don't be afraid to eat with your hands.