The Top Italian Cookbook of Gluten Free & Cruelty Free Cuisine

By Antonella Michelotti

Eating well and cooking good food is what most people desire.

This is a fact.

However, when body vetoes some foods and ethics vetoes others

then a lot of experience and creativity are necessary to always have

new healthy & delicious foods on our tables.

I looked unsuccessfully for a real Italian cookbook of only gluten free

and cruelty free recipes, so I decided to write one myself. The ingredients in this book are: thirty years of experience; an excellent knowledge of raw foods and their effects on the organism; endless creativity and the Italian cuisine, and in particular Tuscany, which is part of my DNA.

It was an intriguing challenge to handle food with the limitations of a gluten free diet for health and vegan by choice, without ever losing focus on taste and pleasure.

Get in touch with this new way of cooking and you'll learn how to make every day dishes amazing and even more surprising.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Youcanprint
• Release date: Oct 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9788892686335

Book preview

consequence.

Introduction

How it all began, the origins of this book

My name is Antonella Michelotti.

I am from Tuscany, I love good food and good cooking . Common sense tells me that nature is the best teacher. Good food has been my profession for 30 years.

I opened and managed for nearly three decades, restaurants reviewed by Italian guides and specialized press, where I cooked personally.

I always made my best to offer a pleasant and exciting experience.

I experienced more and more with avid curiosity and the traditions of every country I visited has enriched my knowledge.

Once I discovered my gluten sensitivity I have worked hard to understand what the best nutrition for me and for all human beings is, without losing focus on the pleasure of taste because love for good food has never left me.

Through my experience, my intolerance and my ethical convictions,

I gradually changed my way of cooking and eating, always focusing great attention on good food and fine dining.

This is why I wish to share my idea of cooking, gluten-free and cruelty free food good for our well-being and of the environment.

Therefore, I opened the blog www.cucinaresuperfacile.com and decided to collect my favorite recipes in this book.

Now my hair is silver, but giving people pleasure through taste is still my mission in this life!

www.CucinareSuperFacile.com

Why cruelty free?

The reasons for the vegan or vegetarian choice may be many.

Therefore, I will only tell what was my insight and the information that has induced me to stop eating animals overnight, without any effort.

Everything started with a movie, very well made and documented, on the devastating impact that intensive farming of cattle and pigs has on the planet which hosts us.

The data were worrying, talking about thousands and thousands liters of water to make a steak of a pound to get on my table.

My true Tuscan heart missed many beats that day.

The images were disturbing and, even if the information could be queried, the images spoke for themselves and spoke of animals treated like 'things', as totally devoid of feelings, emotions and pains.

The seed of doubt was then planted in my head.

Only a few hours later, with precise synchronicity, I saw the photo of a well laid dining table, and on the plate in the foreground I read the caption

'Who is on your plate?' .

My mind was made up. I was horrified at the simple idea of cooking a stew with, for example, my beloved cat Felipe.

I could not find, and I still do not find, any difference between our pampered furry companions and the animals intended for human consumption. Both are sentient beings, which means that they experience feelings, emotions and pain.

That said, I do not intend to proselytize but, if only a reflection was stimulated, I have not written in vain.

Why is it wise not to eat gluten?

In ancient times, when in Mesopotamia people began to cultivate wheat to obtain a food, which today might be called similar to bread, the wheat grains contained an enzyme that protected the body from the toxicity of gluten.

Nature itself seemed to wish to protect the body.

With the implants and with the modifications that wheat has suffered over the years, the percentage of gluten contained has increased enormously and, unfortunately, the precious enzyme-protector has gone.

Now the organisms perceive the gluten in all its toxicity.

Symptoms of gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are subtle and hardly recognizable.

The alarm bells can be for example:

• digestive problems such as a swollen and noisy tummy;

• problematic intestinal functions: sometimes diarrhea and

• sometimes constipation;

• a phenomenon called keratosis-pilaris: raised pores like goose-bumps that appear on the back of the arms. This occurs when the body has difficulty in absorbing gluten properly;

• heavy and foggy head after meals, also with a feeling of tiredness and drowsiness;

• dizziness, unstable equilibrium;

• stiffening of the joints similar to rheumatism;

• aching and creaking joints.

Even the sudden mood swings and a tendency to depression may depend on the mal absorption of gluten as well as frequent headaches, fatigue and hormonal imbalances.

Symptoms are really very hard to detect.

The cereals containing gluten: wheat, spelt, rye, kamut, barley and even oats, although to a lesser degree, often generate phenomena of intolerance (gluten sensitivity), and sometimes of real allergy (celiac disease).

The only known therapy is to abstain from eating foods containing gluten.

Many gluten free products designed for coeliacs by the food industry, are commercially available.

Unfortunately, apart from their being quite expensive and not particularly satisfying from the point of view of pleasure and taste, they are also rich in starches that turn into sugars, in the organism.

This can lead to problems of hyperglycemia.

In my opinion the best solution is to change your habits, choosing food that is not industrially made but naturally free of gluten and cooking it properly.

It improves not only the body’s well-being, but also the quality of life.

Appetizers

A good start to a meal is important.

If the palate and gastric juices are properly stimulated,

each course will be appreciated at its best

and it will benefit the digestion.

In my opinion,

it is better to start with raw vegetables.

The following recipes has been selected with care.

Avocado, Valerian Salad and Walnuts,

with balsamic vinegar dressing

The Avocado is a very ancient plant, very appreciated by the Aztecs and the Maya, 5000 years ago. It is really a precious food, very rich in proteins (more than the cow milk!), it is also considered one of the main sources of vitamin E.

Gluten free, no starch, no sugar, it is perfect for the nutrition of coeliac and diabetics.

It is a powerful anti-hunger: it seems to be able to give the brain the

information that the body has received all the necessary nutrition and create a sensation of satiety. Very interesting !

It is a versatile ingredient of many successful recipes, it is an excellent appetizer, light, exquisite and nutritious. The valerian salad is delicious and tender, very easy to digest, rich in mineral salts and vitamins, to be eaten only raw, it is also often used as appealing edible decoration.

Avocado, valerian salad and walnuts. Serves each person.

• a perfectly ripe avocado;

• a large handful of valerian Salad (lamb’s lettuce);

• walnuts, quantity to taste;

• sea salt;

• extra virgin olive oil.

Balsamic vinegar dressing:

• a cup of balsamic vinegar,

• two tablespoons of cane sugar.

Clean and wash the valerian, gently dry it with paper towel and place it on a dish, or tray.

Peel the avocado, slice it and put it on the valerian, add as many walnuts as you like, a pinch of salt, a few drops of balsamic dressing reduction and extra virgin olive oil.

The reduction of balsamic dressing is a valuable sauce in the kitchen.

I suggest you prepare a little quantity of it and keep it in a jar.

It is possible to find something similar ready in the supermarkets but it is so easy to make that I suggest you make it yourself. Here’s the recipe:

Pour a cup of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan, the most inexpensive and young you can find in the supermarket, together with two tablespoons of brown sugar, let simmer until it is reduced by half.

That's it, that's all!

It's a real wild card, you'll see! It can be used for salads of all kinds but also to enrich vegetable soup, grilled or baked vegetables and more.

Bagna Cauda 3.0

Bagna Cauda is a real delight and typical of the Italian region Piedmont.

The word is quite explicit: it is a hot sauce for dipping vegetables of various kinds.

The original recipe for Bagna Cauda calls for an abundance of anchovies dissolved in extra virgin olive oil and a quantity of raw garlic slices.

The cuisine of the third millennium tends to lighten the recipe, sometimes because our stomachs are no longer used to these 'strong emotions' but also because the conviviality has changed and social circumstances do not allow one’s breath to have a strong smell of garlic.

I have always been greedy of Bagna Cauda, so I tried to give this delicious recipe, a more current and lighter interpretation.

I will never stop repeating that my mission is to combine the well-being with the pleasure of food and I am proud to I admit that I often succeed.

First of all let's see how to treat the garlic to neutralize its side effects: the green sprout should be removed from each clove and the cloves should be boiled in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, until they are well cooked. In this way, the allicin, which is mainly responsible for the difficult digestion and 'antisocial' breath, remains in the cooking water.

The cooked cloves can also be preserved in oil to be used for any other recipe.

The original Bagna Cauda recipe uses several anchovies, at least three or four per person, in this version which I call 3.0, cruelty free and lightened,

I replace the anchovies with precious Sicilian capers preserved in sea salt.

Well, now, let's see how to prepare the sauce.

Bagna Cauda 3.0. Ingredients and doses for each person:

• 4 o 5 garlic cloves prepared as mentioned above,

• a heaping tablespoon of capers preserved in sea salt, well desalted,

• three tablespoons of light extra virgin olive oil,

• your favorite vegetables.

The Bagna Cauda is quick and easy to make: blend the garlic with the olive oil and the capers until the sauce is thick and creamy.

Do not add salt, capers are already very tasty.

I recommend you do not use pickled capers, not even because of distraction.

Personally, I have selected, as suggested by the tradition of Piedmond, the following vegetables: cardoons, Jerusalem artichokes and red peppers.

Prepare the cardoons, (see chapter ‘How to’) and cut it into small pieces.

Cut the red pepper into quarters, remove the inside seeds and filaments and cut it into strips the size of a finger.

Peel the Jerusalem artichoke with a potato peeler, and cut it into pieces.

Pour the Bagna Cauda in a pot of terracotta with a candle underneath, and light the candle to heat the sauce.

Place your selected vegetables around the terracotta pot containing the Bagna Cauda, bring to the table and, with your fingers or a fork, dip the cut vegetables, one at a time, in the Bagna Cauda.

A timeless goodness, made suitable to our time.

In Italy, in Piedmont it is common to accompany the Bagna Cauda with a glass of young red wine, Nebbiolo or Barbera.

I vote for the Nebbiolo

and I hope you will agree with my choice.

Broccoli and Cashews Cream Spread

My microscopic kitchen garden, this winter is generous with its abundance of small and very tasty broccoli.

Just to be sincere, it produced virtually only broccoli, therefore I have to use all my creativity.

The products of my creativity are not always successful, but in the case of this broccoli and cashew cream spread, I am so satisfied that I share the

recipe with you with real joy.

Broccoli and cashew, cream spread cream.

Ingredients ad doses for 500 g of product.

• 400 g broccoli cleaned and washed,

• 50 g raw cashews, easy to find in any supermarkets,

• 100 ml rice milk,

• 4 or 5 cloves of garlic,

• salt, chili pepper,

• extra virgin olive oil,

Soak the raw cashews for a few hours.

In a large pan, fry the chili and the garlic cloves without the green sprout in oil until they are golden brown.

When they are golden brown, add the broccoli, and salt.

Do not use just the broccoli florets, but also use the leaves and stalks, which you peel and cut into pieces, as they are the most nutritious and tastiest part of the broccoli.

Let the broccoli cook covered with a lid, occasionally adding hot water until completely cooked.

They should be soft and well-cooked, almost a puree.

Leave the broccoli to cool until it is lukewarm.

In the blender, pour the rice milk, the rehydrated and drained cashews, the broccoli, now lukewarm, and blend for a few minutes.

You'll get a smooth cream, tasty and buttery thanks to the cashews.

This broccoli and cashew cream spread proved to be very versatile.

It is a true delight when spread on seed cracker, an excellent appetizer or a really greedy snack.

I used it successfully also to season potato gnocchi, which I enriched in vegetable protein by adding a spoonful of pine nuts.

Cabbage, white Cabbage Salad,

Kümmel flavored

The white cabbage, is the light green ball, almost perfectly spherical, easy to find ,in any season, in the supermarkets and local markets, and should not be confused with the savoy cabbage, also excellent.

The white cabbage salad, is almost universally considered one of the healthiest foods and is one of the few leafy salads which becomes more tasty when it marinates with its seasoning, as it does not lose consistency, and remains crispy. I like to prepare it as follows:

White Cabbage Salad, Kümmel flavored. Serves 6/8.

• a compact cabbage ball of about 800 g

• Kümmel seeds two spoons,

• raisins four tablespoons,

• pine nuts, two tablespoons.

The vinaigrette:

• four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar,

• two tablespoons of agave syrup,

• whole salt,

• 1 or 2 garlic cloves,

• extra virgin olive oil.

Cut the white cabbage into quarters, remove the core from each quarter, taking care to leave the leaves still compact. With love, patience and care, by the help of a sharp knife, cut the white cabbage into thin strips, widthwise, which means in opposite direction to fibers and ribs.

Transfer the cabbage, thinly sliced, in a salad bowl and add Kümmel seeds, raisins and pine nuts in the quantities you prefer.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the white cabbage rest, while you prepare the vinaigrette for the dressing.

In a glass jar with an efficient cap, mix four tablespoons of vinegar, two tablespoons of agave juice, a teaspoon of salt and one or two garlic cloves, peeled, deprived of the inner sprout and sliced in fillets.

Stir well to dissolve the salt before adding four or five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Shake the jar to obtain an emulsion.

I suggest to prepare a quite good amount of this vinaigrette and store the jar in the refrigerator, as it is an excellent seasoning for various salads.

Season with this vinaigrette, the white cabbage fragrant of Kümmel, raisins and pine nuts, at least half an hour before serving.

This cabbage salad, Kümmel flavored, is a perfect starter but it can also be brought to the beach, on the boat, to any picnic or as packed lunch.

Eggplant and Almonds Sauce

Summer, the time of eggplants. The years I spent in Sicily made me fall in love with eggplants, which can be prepared in almost every possible way.

I realized that they are very versatile and can be transformed in a lot of different things.

A really easy way to enjoy the eggplants is this rough eggplants sauce, excellent for seasoning buckwheat or corn pasta, but also suitable as starter or for an aperitif, as accompaniment for raw vegetables.

This dose will be enough to season the pasta for 4 or 6 people but, if you wish to make a little more, you can store it in the fridge for a few days, in a sealed container, covered with a little olive oil.

Eggplant and almonds sauce. For approx. 500 g of product.

• two fresh eggplants, the type you prefer;

• a cup of peeled almonds soaked in water for a few hours;

• a tablespoon of capers preserved in salt, well desalted and rinsed;

• fresh parsley;

• a lemon, organic;

• garlic;

• sea salt, red chili pepper;

• extra virgin olive oil;

• two spoonful of cider vinegar.

Peel the eggplants, cut them into large pieces and put them in a colander with salt to lose their vegetation water.

After an hour, well squeeze the pieces in your hands and pour them in a pot with boiling water acidulated with cider vinegar.

Do not salt the water, the eggplant are already quite salty!

Ten minutes of cooking time will be sufficient

Drain the eggplants out from the water with a perforated ladle and put them back in the rinsed colander, put a weight on top to eliminate as much water as possible.

Pour the drained peeled almonds into a blender and blend at short pulse. Squeeze the capers in your hands, and then add them, the eggplants and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the mixture.

Blend for a short time. You'll get a very rustic compound.

Separately, cut the