Gluten Freebird! or Hunting the Wild Sausage

  Hello, my little Foodies!!  Well I have a good recipe for you today.. GLUTEN FREE!!
  Here is my deal, I invited the children over for Father's Day and as every year I planned a barbeque- I had hamburger, hot dogs (gluten free Hebrew National), keilbasa, chicken sausages florentine (means they have spinach in them), all the things to make potato salad, macaroni salad (gluten free and no one knows), peppers, onions and mushroom to saute for burgers.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature was bored with my every year BBQ for Father's Day because we got rain!  No ordinary rain but rain of Biblical proportions!  and our grill is not exactly top of the line so when it rains you cant cook outside.  Ok so what to do??? Being quick thinking and creative (but mostly desperate).. I made up my own recipe!  Of course!  and here is what I came up with:

ok so I cooked it in a flat bottom wok..dont be a hater


Sausage Caccitore

Some Italian recipes are named after various occupations or trades. 'Cacciatore' literally means 'hunter' in Italian, and this 'hunter style' dish makes good use of mushrooms, onions tomatoes and herbs. Hunting the wild sausage!! get your mind OUT of the gutter! 

I looked in my fridge and surmised what I had- 

Chicken Sausage with spinach- Gluten free
Tomatoes -I used 6 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Peppers- I used 4 red, green and/or yellow  (I always use red and yellow as I cant eat green peppers)
Onions - 1 really large Vidalia onion. coarsely chopped
Mushrooms about a pound sliced
and I had potatoes and garlic, basil and Italian seasoning
1 big can of tomatoes, crushed or diced

see where this is going?

Smash the garlic clove - easier to take out of the oil later.
Heat a few TBSP of good quality olive oil in a pan. When it is hot but no smoking add garlic and saute till soft and remove.  Add peppers and onion.. cook for 2 minutes, add mushrooms.. cook for another minute or so. Throw in plum tomatoes.  Cut up the sausage in 1/2' (I never really measured.. sorry)  slices on a diagonal. Add them to the pan, stirring constantly. Next add a can of tomatoes, seasoning and basil. Cut up the potatoes in chunks and add.  Now here is the tricky part- you need to cook this til the potatoes are soft.. so watch it- you may have to add more canned tomatoes, or wine, water is a very last choice. Don't let anything stick or burn.  

These proportions are rough- add more of what you like- take out what you dont.  

This was a rousing success, as I had a huge pot and most of it was eaten.  I served it with a side of fresh angel hair pasta, with olive oil, garlic and parsley( not gluten free). And of course- fresh grated cheese and a big green salad.    I know I know.. potatoes AND pasta... my kids love pasta- and since the recipe was gluten free I wanted potatoes to give it more substance for me (and I never eat sausage- so for me it was veggies and potato)

I Like Big Buns & I Cannot Lie! RECIPE FOR JAMBOTA naturally gluten free

Hi, me again.  And yes I do love rolls and buns and almost all carbs.  Which makes it tricky when you cant eat wheat.  And I know about substitutions for wheat flour.. BUT remember I wont cook with any weird ingredients or too many ingredients.. so leaves a lot of gluten free recipes in the dust.. As you know if you have read this blog I LOVE PIZZA!!  And believe me gf pizza is interesting.. the crust lacks.. well everything!  So What I do is make everything pizza!  I take my cheesy crusty chicken from the last recipe.. place in a baking pan.. add sauce, and tons of mozzarella cheese.. you can add any pizza topping you like- they all work.  so basically anything I can put sauce and cheese on I do.  I will not tell you I don't miss the thick chewy crust of pizza, but when you are faced with 3 days of pain and bloating.. for me its a no brainer.  NO WHEAT.

So you see there i am stuck between Celiac's Disease and Gluten Intolerance. Not a great place to be honestly.  I wont lie to you and say it doesn't matter.. I am Italian of course it matters!!  Most of the foods I love are off limits.  And quite frankly.. it bites!  If I am not careful my diet will consist of gluten free corn chip and salsa.. and gluten free cinnamon chex.. not together of course.  

Now all fresh fruits and veggies are naturally gluten free. Good News- so here is a recipe you will like.. Its gluten free and very yummy.. I loved this before I was gluten free

JAMBOTA

( an Italian Veggie Stew)

You can be saying a stew in summer?? Is she nuts.. has the lack of gluten gone to her brain??

But you see this is made from fresh veggies- my Nonna made it with whatever was in the garden and in summer that is plentiful!

so here goes!

Ingredients in any amount you choose- My Nonna never measured a damn thing when cooking- this recipe I never do either- I cook it till its the consistency I want and the amount and type of veggies varies as to what is in the fridge-  however I will give you guidelines

Olive Oil -enough to coat the bottom of the pan

1 Onion, chopped coarse (big chunks)

1 clove of garlic minced (or you can smash it and remove it later- if you dont like things garlicky)

1 or 3 or as many as you want Red Sweet Peppers-sliced

1 or 3 or as many as you want Green Sweet Peppers-sliced (this is entirely optional.. if green peppers make you sick.. just eliminate them- doesn't effect a thing)

4 small zucchini or 2 large one.. opt for small they taste better imho- cut into 1/2 moons

3 or 4 chopped tomatoes (more if you like more)

add some chopped fresh basil (I use 4 or 5 leaves but I love basil or a few shakes of dried-basilico as my Nonna called it _ I thought that was special Italian basil growing up... I was wrong

chopped fresh parsley- umm how about using a few TBSP

I always add some tomato sauce.. about a cup or so- you want the veggies a little soupy- but thick.. so it depends on how juicy your tomatoes are- you can also add canned tomatoes, but that kind of defeats the fresh veggie thing we got going on.

NOW get creative- whats in your garden- green beans ?? very good- add those

baby potatoes?? very good- blanche, dice and add

carrots?  ditto - blanche, dice  and add

eggplant cut in chunks and add

Now you get the idea!!

Coat the pan with olive oil. Heat and saute onions and garlic till the garlic is fragrant -dont brown or burn- no no no- if you do start over!

Next add peppers, cook a minute or 2 and add the zucchini, basil, parsley, tomatoes, sauce, and any other veggies you want.. cook till the hardest thing so soft.. get your mind OUT of the gutter.

In other words if there are potatoes.. till they are soft, carrots same.. normally its till the zucchini is soft if you don't have root veggies in.

Serve hot with a good fresh grated romano or parmesan cheese. YUM YUM YUM

DO NOT USE Cheese in a can or plastic container- seriously that has no resemblance to cheese.

This is a meal in itself.. one of my favorites.

For the carnivores out there.. serve with some grilled chicken or whatever you like grilled-- just dont mix the meat in.

Now there are some very weird Jambota recipes on the net-- really weird!!

Guidelines-

 there is no meat in this- ever!

there is always zucchini in it

there are always a large assortment of veggies

I know, I know.. your grandmother made it with hotdogs or some such!! That does not make it authentic.. it makes it YOUR grandmother's recipe!  This is mine.

Jambota was a recipe made by poor people who ate very little meat, because they couldn't afford it. As most Italian peasant food it is scrumptious.  And I laugh to see in in some la di dah restaurant for 20.00 a portion.. ha.. I say

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Chi mangia bene, mangia Italiano!