STOCK POT GRAVY GLUTEN FREE

OMG! The Best Ever Free From Gravy!!!

Losing the freedom to eat without fear (grain allergies) has been a humbling experience that has taught me to respect ingredients more and pushed my boundaries, luckily for me already some how being a 95% paleo follower for the last 8 years has made this restriction easy!  Saying that I do miss pasta with a vengeance 🤣 Oh to have a bowl of orrichetti (little ears) pasta or a gorgeous sour dough sandwich.

This gravy has a optional third twist turning it into a luxurious French sauce.

This is a two stage cook that I do at the same time.

Ingredients

(serves 6)

STAGE ONE

12 chicken wings

Sea salt

2 carrots rough chopped

1 onion quartered 

3 sprigs thyme

1 bulb garlic halved

Glug olive oil

2 ltrs water

Place all ingredients in a deep roasting tin, place the chicken wings in last keeping half the wing exposed out of the water to crisp up adding great roast chicken flavour to the stock, roast at 200 C / 392 F for 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven, using a potato masher crush all the wings in the roasting tin releasing all their flavour, strain in to a jug and reserve on the side.

STAGE TWO

1 chicken carcass and giblets

25g butter

50ml olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 leek chopped

2 carrots chopped

2 ribs celery 

4 cloves garlic

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

10 black peppercorns

500ml dry white wine

1 ltr water approx

Sea salt and white pepper

In a large deep saucepan on a medium heat melt the butter and olive oil, add the onions and gently soften for 15 minutes, add the garlic and soften for a further 5. Inured, next add the chicken carcass and giblets, leek, carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaves, cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes then crank up the heat add the wine and reduce by half, add the chicken wing stock and top up with water to make 2 litres overall, bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/3.

Strain the gravy, add back some of the carrots, leek, onion and garlic and blitz the gravy to thicken using the vegetables as the thickener, add more of the veggies if you require a thicker gravy, taste and season with salt and white pepper to taste.  That’s your gravy done.  If you want to elevate as a sauce over chicken or fish or even in a pie then the French twist is a luxurious step up.

The Twist (optional)

A creamy veloute, a luxurious butter roux using the above stock base and cream gravy.

25g butter

25g plain flour

500ml chicken stock above plain or veg thickened

250ml double cream

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 pinch saffron optional

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and gently cook stirring most of the time for 5 minutes, this is cooking out the flour.  Using a whisk start adding a ladle of stock at a time whisking all the time to incorporate into a smooth sauce, repeat until you have a medium thick sauce, consistency of thick double cream, add half the cream, saffron if using and the mustard, whisk to combine, bring to a gentle simmer, taste and decide if you want a thinner sauce if so according to your taste add more stock for a lighter sauce or more cream for a richer creamer sauce, season to taste with white pepper and sea salt, this sauce is great for fish and chicken on a plate or stuffed into a pie.

VEGAN CABBAGE SPRING ROLLS

Gluten Free

Almost a No Cook !

A great spring roll without the carbs or gluten, one of natures best wraps, cabbage, not only a perfect parcel but adds another level of flavour.  So many variations of fillings you will never get bored of these.  Serve these with a flavoursome dipping sauce of soy sauce, mirin, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil and wasabi.

Ingredients

(makes 12)

12 whole cabbage leaves

400g bean sprouts
2 carrots julienned 

3 spring onions julienned 
4” piece ginger julienned

1/2 yellow pepper finely julienned 

1 tsp wasabi paste

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

First bring a large pan of water to a simmer, season with salt, blanch the cabbage leaves for 90 seconds, remove and drain on paper.  That’s all the cooking required.

Mix the wasabi paste, soy and sesame oil to form a paste.

Prepare all the spring roll ingredients and place in a pretty line up on your work top ready to go.

Take a cabbage wrap spread a tiny smear of the wasabi paste mix on the cabbage leaf just below the top center of the leaf, then start to place a small amount of each ingredient in the centre top third of the wrapper, to wrap, fold over the left side to the center and then the right side to the centre then just roll up all the way keeping the left and right sides tucked in.  Repeat until you have used up all the ingredients.  That’s it.

Dipping Sauce

Mix all the ingredients together

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 drop of sesame oil

1/2 tsp shaoxing wine

1 red chilli finely sliced

TURMERIC ROAST POTATOES

Inspired by a Bombay potato recipe I learned that most roast potatoes in India are always tossed in turmeric and spices and often served with a fresh tomato chutney, theses did not disappoint.  The key with turmeric is not to over use this spice, it’s a flavour you want in the back ground, use too much and it has strong pungent dominate flavour.

Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients 

(serves 4)

1 kg King Edward potatoes peeled and quartered

50ml olive oil

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch black pepper

2 tbs fresh chopped coriander 

Tomato Chutney

2 skinned and deseed tomatoes finely chopped

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1/2 shallot finely sliced

1 clove garlic finely sliced

1/2 tsp curry powder

1 pinch sea salt

First make the tomato chutney, mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

Pre heat your oven too 200 C / 392 F, bring a deep pan of water to a rolling simmer, add a pinch of salt and the potatoes, simmer for 10-15 minutes until almost fork tender but with some resistance.  Drain and leave to steam dry for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.  In a roasting tin place the olive oil, turmeric and garam masala, toss the potatoes in the oil and place in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 C.

After 30 minutes turn the potatoes and reduce the oven temperature to 180 C /  356F, sprinkle over the tomato chutney and cook for a further 10 minutes until the potatoes are crispy.  Toss to serve and sprinkle over the coriander, that’s it.

These are great as a side dish and also great with a lemon yogurt dip too.