Sometimes I think the man upstairs, the man with a plan, our Holy Father, God, whatever you would like to call him, has a very funny sense of humour. If you had ever said that a glutton like myself who wakes everyday if only to eat and cook, would become part of the gluten free / detox movement, I would have said you were insane.

Now serve up one delicious rosy-cheeked infant daughter with that intoxicating baby smell and a smile that brings tears to your eyes. Now add her food intolerances. Given the choice between all my favourite foods and my helpless perfect baby and I will stand by my little girl. This means due to lack of better options than breastfeeding, I have to keep her diet. BUT I do sometimes inwardly chant, “I love her more than hot buttered toast, I love her more than piave cheese, I love her more than poached eggs with hollandaise, I love her more than a nice frothy cappuccino in the morning”. I particularly chant these mantras after a long night of hanging out with a 4 kilo miniaturised version of myself.

Now also being the annoying type-A parent, I am also left wondering if perhaps there is a lesson in this. If this is happening to me for a reason. It is partially happening because I have been quietly sneering at all my recently gluten-free friends bragging about being migraine-free (despite never previously mentioning migraines and knowing the incidence of celiacs is 1 in 100 and reasoning that they can’t possibly all live in New York City, London and Hong Kong). By a change of fate I am now beside myself with gratefulness because these same gluten-free proponents have created a market for a range of wheat-free products I can now enjoy. And also because they have created a market for many previously obscure products I love such as chickpea flour, chestnut flour, white polenta, etc. I can hear the man upstairs chuckling to himself.

This may seem strange to you considering I am a trained chef, but when the doctor told me I could not eat dairy, eggs or wheat, my first thought was, “but what am I going to eat?” In the beginning the difficult part was the shame of having to explain the allergies to each and every restaurant I went to (the best places to eat are top end restaurants as they will accommodate anything without batting an eyelash.) Then the next challenge was preparing meals which all of us could (and would) eat. I went and bought Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook, “It’s All Good” (which I knew was dairy and wheat free) for inspiration. Putting your feelings about her aside, her cookbook is good. It gave me a lot of ideas for dishes I already make. I thought in a different way what to pair them with to make a menu and how to alter the recipes to make them gluten-free.

After much consideration for my gluten-free compatriots I will start to compile a page for the celiacs and gluten-free advocates to share with you all. Until it is done, I share with you a traditional dish from Puglia which has the same flavourings as pizza but does not do an injustice to the real thing by mimicking an inferior version of it. If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing carbohydrate based dish packed with flavour, look no further.

Recipe:

Pitta di patate / Pizza di patate (potato casserole with tomato, capers, olives and anchovy)

Pizza di patate is traditionally served as a starter but I also like it for lunch with a green salad. The flavours are the same as an enriched pizza alla marinara while the dish is traditionally free of dairy and egg. In most recipes a small amount of wheat flour is added but it can easily be omitted to make it wheat and gluten free.

Some people find anchovies too fishy, if that includes you then you can either omit them altogether or cook them into the sauce by adding them at the same time as the onions when making the tomato sauce. For illustrated step-by-step instructions, click here.

1 kilo potatoes, floury type, washed

60 grams plain flour (optional)

70 mls extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion, finely sliced

400 gram tin of plum tomatoes, drained and seeded, coarsely chopped or 350 mls tomato passata

80 grams black olives, pitted and chopped

2 anchovies, coarsely chopped

25 grams (2 tablespoons) capers, preferably salted (soaked in water and rinsed; if in brine, drained)

7 grams breadcrumbs (can use gluten-free variety)

Sea salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

Put the potatoes in a large pot of water covered by 5 cm by water and bring to a boil over medium heat. When the potatoes are cooked (you should be able to prick it easily through with a butter knife) then remove from the heat, drain, and peel the potatoes when cool enough to handle. Rice the potatoes or grate on the large grater and mix with the flour, 30 mls of the olive oil, 10 grams fine sea salt and black pepper to taste. Knead a bit to form a dough and set aside, covered.

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

In a small sauce pot over medium heat, add 15 mls olive oil and fry the onion gently, making sure not to allow it to colour, about 5 minutes. When the onion is soft then add the tomatoes and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of the drained tomato juice if too dry. Remove from heat when done and add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour 10 mls of olive oil into a 30 cm by 30 cm baking dish and use a brush or some bunched up cling film to spread the oil evenly all over the dish. Break off half of the potato dough and spread it evenly along the bottom of the dish. Spread the tomato onion mixture evenly over the top of the potato dough. Sprinkle evenly over top of the tomato the olives, anchovies, and capers. Spread the remaining half of the potato dough evenly over top of the mixture. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with 15 mls of olive oil and the breadcrumbs. Use a fork to drag wavy lines across the top of the potato mixture.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden on top. Remove, cut into 8 slices and serve.

If you know anyone with food intolerances or dietary restriction, please be sure to share this recipe with them.