Allergy Travel in Italy: A Wedding in Montepulciano

Navigating restaurants abroad in a country where you don't share the same language as the locals can be very difficult. I speak very little Italian but luckily my uncle and aunt who I was there visiting were able to help. Italians are familiar with gluten intolerance and celiac disease, and in fact there were many occasions on which I saw GF options. Dairy and nut allergies, however, are decidedly rare over in Italia. It didn't help that we were in a very non-tourist-y area where barely anyone spoke English. One night when Bran and I were having dinner without my relatives we actually ended up getting my uncle to call ahead to a restaurant where he knew the owner. They arranged for there to be something I could eat and it was an amazing meal. We had a mound of barbecued goat skewers, hearty bowls of pasta, and fresh melon for dessert at the local family restaurant called Longhorn in Pescara, Abruzzo. 

We visited Chieti, a nearby town, one afternoon. This was one of my nonno's favorite towns and he often spoke of how many fond memories he had in Chieti. I had been several times as a kid and was eager to go back. We went during siesta without thinking about how all the restaurants would be closed for lunch, and when we finally did find a couple places they were unwilling to accommodate my allergies. I think the issue was that they didn't understand and my translation cards were not enough of an explanation. Oh and did I mention it was about 45C? Luckily there was a grocery store open and we were able to buy some fruit, juice, and water to hold us over. Grocery stores are often my saving grace while on vacation.

Dining out in Pescara (below) was a little easier because my relatives were often around and had arranged restaurants for the family to eat in each night. It's a city where fishing is a main industry and the harbour is lined with boats and beach clubs. We found a cafe that had great Wifi signal and planted ourselves there during siesta most days to get some work done. They made a great Americano coffee, but we also learned that Americano is the name of the cocktail below that we accidentally ordered. 

We also visited the beautiful town of Loreto which I really regret not having been able to spend more time in. Penne was also on the list although I had been there in the past. Both are quaint mountainside towns with stunning views and impeccable ancient fixtures and details. 

Loreto

And of course there was a beautiful wedding, the main purpose of our trip. The ceremony took place in an ancient stone church and the reception was a day-long event at a restored villa on the mountainside. I managed to stave off my anxiety throughout the seafood and grill buffet courses but once we got to the sit-down dinner I began to get anxious. Seafood is rarely prepared with dairy products like cheese or butter in most regions of Italian cuisine. In fact, some may be offended if you ask! My dad notoriously got in trouble by a chef in Italy several years back when he was telling her (he speaks Italian) about my allergies - she swore to him there was no way seafood and cheese would ever meet in her kitchen.

There were several courses of pasta and each of them had a creamy sauce that the waiter said was made with olive oil but I was convinced was made with butter. I immediately got a vision of an ambulance trying to scale the mountain to get me, ruining the wedding, and having to be resuscitated in the extreme heat. I did end up getting over it and tasting about a tbsp of pasta, but I gave myself a D for how well I managed my fears at that point. As soon as the dinner was over I had a glass of wine, relaxed, and we danced to the live music while the sun set over the ocean view. 

It’s All Easy (and delicious)

This weekend I invited one of my closest friends, Joella, into my kitchen to test out Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook, It’s All Easy. The book is a collection of simple recipes that will feed a family and can be made quickly on a weeknight. Imagine a book for home cooks who are also busy parents and have a million tasks to accomplish after work.

I’m a fan of Gwyneth so before we dive in I’ll admit I’m biased. I loved The Royal Tenenbaums and Shallow Hal, I scroll through Goop from time to time, and I think conscious uncoupling is the most rational way to handle a split.

…And I envy her friendship with Mario Batali who I used to watch on TV all the time as a kid.

Upon opening the book there were some recipes that jumped out at me immediately. The chicken piccata, which we did make, looked stunning. The photographs in this book are top notch and create a whole atmosphere for the reader. I love that she included shots not only of the food but of her home, her interactions – her lifestyle.

I strongly agree with her statement that food doesn’t need to be complicated to be good. Several of her recipes are ones my nonna always makes, or ones I gravitate towards on weeknights. I pretty much never eat out unless I’m so exhausted Bran feels I’m at risk of fainting. And that is a very rare occurrence. I just love to cook, it’s what I do. I look forward to it at the end of the day, I often plan what I’m going to cook the night before, and I feel very satisfied when I hear murmurs of approval when others eat my food. Joella also cooks at home all the time, especially since she’s striving to incorporate more protein into her diet.

So let’s jump right in. We made three recipes from the book: Jessica’s coconut latte, lemon and herb pasta with cherry tomatoes, and chicken piccata.

Coconut Latte
We began with this recipe because we needed a little pick-me-up after work and before we poured the wine. How delicious does a coconut latte sound? I love that this recipe didn’t have to be altered to suit my allergies in any way. Very simply coconut oil, sugar, and espresso, all ingredients I already had on hand. We both loved the rich flavor of this drink and I actually went on to make Bran and myself one on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Once we were woken up we poured some wine and got ready to start cooking. Joella chose the soundtrack for the evening. We listened first to Koop Island and then some early Norah Jones (a favorite of both of ours). Our strategy was to begin the chicken and pasta in unison and hope they also finished cooking at the same time.

Chicken Piccata

Look at your food lovingly

Chicken in a delicate lemon and herb sauce with capers and lemon slices. I’ve had this dish many times before or variations of it using white wine or some broth. We sauteed the chicken breasts after dredging in flour, then added lemon slices and juice, capers, and Earth Balance vegan spread instead of butter. Again it was super easy to use substitutes for allergens, the only allergen being butter. The chicken was tender and saucy and we ate the entire plate. I could easily see myself recreating this meal some other time or especially if I had a group to feed. We served it on a bed of arugula.

Lemon and Herb Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Once again, this recipe was conducive to eating allergen-free. We just left out the parmesan but stuck to the recipe otherwise. It was a lot of food. You could easily serve a whole family with this dish and then have some leftover for lunches. It’s Sunday night and I still have a container full in my fridge. My only negative comment is that I felt like I needed a paella pan to simmer the pasta and tomatoes together. Joella also had a point of criticism as she thought it could have been more flavorful. It’s likely that the parmesan would have made up for that. In future I’ll add more garlic and some lemon.

We created a warm, cosy atmosphere to suit the book and meal. Then Jo got very tired of waiting for me to finish taking photos and we finally sat down to eat.

And we then we dug in! In a big way. It was somehow already 11:30 and we were starving, although we have a habit of talking so much when we’re together that we always lose track of time. Clearly this night was no exception. After scarfing down a huge helping each we settled in to watch the new season of Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.

What we loved
This book really is great for anyone living with food allergies like myself.
There were tons of beautiful photographs that inspired me to cook.
Gwyneth gave us a window into her life which made the book feel very personal.
The recipes really were easy and used accessible ingredients.
Portion sizes were ideal for serving a family.
There are a ton of recipes in this book. A ton!

Our ratings
Accessibility of ingredients: 10/10
Flavor level: 8/10
Stunning photographs: 10/10
Covetable lifestyle and killer interior design skills: 15/10
Jessica Seinfeld’s coconut latte: priceless.

It’s All Easy sells for CAD $42.00. It’s hardcover bound with dust jacket and is available at Indigo in store or Indigo.ca

Sugar-Free Baking With Rya

Over the weekend I invited my good pal Rya into my kitchen to bake some sugar and allergen-free sweets. We flipped through the books above and selected a couple recipes that sounded delicious.

I Quit Sugar, by Sarah Wilson
The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking, by Reinhart and Wallace

They're really beautiful books

We used a few specialty products that can be found at any Whole Foods, specialty/health food store, and even at some run of the mill grocery stores
- Enjoy Life flour blend
- Date Lady pure date syrup
- Let's Do Organic coconut flakes
- Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread

We began with a very simple recipe from I Quit Sugar.

Coconut Chips: free from dairy, nuts, peanuts, soy, egg, sugar, gluten
First we toasted a good helping (about 1.5 cups) of coconut flakes for around 5 minutes on medium heat and seasoned with a sprinkle of salt and cinnamon.

Then we put them in a bowl...

...and ate them. How wonderfully easy? They were an awesome finger food that went well with the cinnamon pumpkin seeds I had out as well

There are so many recipes in this book that we wanted to make, especially a coconut cream that I know Rya is eager to try out. We really liked that the author used a lot of crossover ingredients so that you won't be stuck with a specialty ingredient that you'll never use again.

Next we moved on to The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking. From this book we made a batch of jam thumbprint cookies and substituted the flour mix the recipe called for with Enjoy Life gluten and allergen-free flour. We also made our own jam and used The Date Lady pure date syrup instead of sugar. 10 points for us!

These cookies are free from: gluten, dairy, nuts, peanuts, and sugar

Rya cracked a few eggs into a large mixing bowl

Then she added melted Earth Balance and whisked well

After mixing in the dry ingredients she picked up 1 tbsp dollops of dough and rolled each one into a ball

Then she laid them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and punched a well in the centre with her finger

We had prepared some jam ahead of time by simmering 2 peeled, cored, and diced pears with about 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries and 1 tbsp of date syrup for 40 minutes. Then we blended it in my handy Magic Bullet before spooning into the dough wells

After placing for the trays in a preheated 350F oven for 8 minutes, then changing racks and baking for another 8 minutes....

We had these amazing cookies! They would go really well with a cup of herbal tea or decaf coffee (Rya has been caffeine-free for some time now).

I highly recommend you pick up one or both of these books! If you have cookbook suggestions or recipes you'd like me to review, please let me know in the comments section or by email or social media.