Recipe: Pho-King Good Chicken from Nigel Slater

I adore simple, fresh tasting recipes with modest affordable ingredient lists.
And that is exactly what you get from Nigel Slater's Eat. This sunshine-yellow cloth covered book of fast food is my current obsession and today I'm going to share my version of his 'Roast Chicken Pho'. I'd tweaked things here and there to make sure they are 100% gluten free and added things to suit my tastes.

1 tablespoon of soy sauce (gluten-free soy sauce can now be found in most supermarkets)
1 tablespoon of local honey
1 tablespoon of mirin (or if like me you have no idea what that is dissolve a small amount of sugar in white wine vinegar - thank you google)
4 chicken thighs (or 6 legs!)
800ml stock (homemade is best but if you are stock-less a Callo Stock  Cube will just about suffice)
6 'coins' of ginger (That's slices to me and you)
juice of 1 lime
3 whole star anise
1 garlic clove
shredded greens or chard or pak choi
rice noodles
bean sprouts
half a long red pepper
2 spring onions
100g of rice noodles

Mix the soy, honey and mirin (or alternative) in a small roasting tin and marinade the chicken (I left mine for about an hour).
Transfer the chicken into a cast iron pan and brown the skins slightly before popping into a preheated oven at 200C for about 30 minutes.
Warm the stock, ginger, lime juice, star anise and garlic.
Stir fry the veg and noodles lightly adding a small ladle of stock.
Remove the chicken from the oven - slice off the good meat and pour the sticky brown sauce over the noodle and veg concoction.
Fill the bowls with a nest of veg, noodles and chicken then top with a healthy ladle of steamy stock (I drained mine as I didn't fancy having chunks of garlic and/or star anise in my broth.

As I said...a Pho-King Good Chicken dish with lots of spice and plenty of veggies.
Please let m know if you give this a try - I'd love to see pictures and hear suggestions/improvements!

Restaurant Review: The Milestone

As a child, and a student, I'd always celebrate the start of summer with a sleepover and M&Ms, now I prefer to welcome the summer months with a glass of wine and some good food. We'd been wanting to visit The Milestone for months and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Nestled in the old industrial area of Kelham Island The Milestone epitomizes everything that is great about Sheffield - genuine, comfortable and proud.

We arrived around 6.30pm and opted to eat from the 'Early Bird' Menu which offers two or three courses for £14.00/£16.00 between 5pm-7pm daily. The choice was fantastic and deciding what to have was not easy.

After a short, helpful conversation with the waiter I was told that most dishes were naturally gluten free and that they could make small adaptations to anything I fancied. This flexible friendly approach made me feel comfortable and at ease - and not at all a burden.

After much deliberation, and a large glass of refreshing white wine, I opted for the 'Whipped goat's cheese, pickled Yorkshire beetroots, beetroot gel, puffed pumpkin seeds and onion oil'. My partner chose the 'Risotto of pearl barley, spring peas, parmesan, pickled shallot and garden herbs'.

Now, I feel it is important here to express just how fussy I can be when it comes to goat's cheese. As a student I lived in a rural French town known for it's exquisite cheese. Every Saturday morning I would head to the market and buy two cakes of 'demi-sec' goat's cheese from a local lady - both of which would be gone before bedtime. Since moving back to England I have struggled, in vain, to find good rich. tangy, ripe goat's cheese. My search is over. This goat's cheese was divine. Not to mention beautifully presented...

Having devoured the masterpiece above I worried that my main couldn't possibly compare. I ordered the 'Pan fried beef skirt, chunky chips, furnace hill nasturtium hollandaise and seasonal greens' (for which I paid an extra £2), and my partner opted for the 'Milestone burger'.

Unfortunately the sight of the homemade chips snuggled alongside pink juicy beef was so tempting I entirely forget to photograph the main. Again, the meal was satisfying, beautifully cooked and rich. My OH devoured the burger and agreed that it was a rare treat to get real homemade chips in such a nice restaurant. No shoestring fries here - chunky, salty, crispy potato just begging to be dipped into the nearest pot of ketchup!

Having thoroughly enjoyed the starter and main we did not need a dessert...but who ever needs dessert?

Unfortunately, the gluten free choices were slightly less abundant here - I was offered a handmade pana cotta or icecream and opted for the pana cotta which was perfectly fine - I did, however, glare with envy as my partner dug into a large sticky slice of sticky toffee pudding served with a delicious homemade icecream.

We both left feeling like we had had a real treat - delicious food, good wine, friendly staff and all for under £45 - we really thought it was excellent value for money. From a gluten free perspective it was so lovely to see a menu that had clearly been made with food intolerance in mind, the staff were well informed and I felt confident and carefree throughout the meal.

It feels great to have uncovered another little gluten-free friendly restaurant in this gorgeous city and I will certainly be heading back there soon!

Coeliac diagnosis is a B***h: My recovery

As many of you know I have recently finished a Gluten Challenge.

Having lived gluten free since Christmas my doctor wanted to test me for Coeliac Disease - why? Find out here and here.

As I've mentioned before I have found the online support for gluten sufferers overwhelming - one of the most inspiring things I read was Joy's post about her recovery over on The Liberated Kitchen.

Having read her post I decided I would do a similar thing over here on The Steel Plate, logging and tracking my symptoms as they *hopefully* improve over the coming weeks and months.

I'll start my summarising the symptoms I have had over the last two weeks...

[DISCLAIMER: If you are squeamish about bodily functions you may wish not to read on.]

• 3-4 migraines per week lasting between 1-4 hours at a time
• severe fatigue (falling asleep at midday for 2/3 hours)
• constipation (going to the loo once a week if I was lucky)
• brain fog / stuttering (probably the most annoying symptom)
• severe pain in my legs, hips and wrists - this symptom was by far the worst, sometimes making it impossible to write/sleep/shower/walk
• anxiety  

As I mentioned previously, my doctor is unconvinced that all my symptoms are gluten-related but they did only occur when I re-introduced gluten to my diet. Thus, I have been tested for a range of things including Thyroid disease, various vitamin deficiencies and Type 1 diabetes.  

I had my blood test this morning at 10am and haven't eaten gluten since 14.00pm yesterday. Almost 24hours on an I can already feel a slight improvement - especially in my joints. You will have noticed a slight hiatus in my blogging - the main reason being typing became very painful. Yet, here I am typing away happily.

Over the next few weeks I am going to set myself small challenges to a) improve my health and b) strengthen my body. I'll log how things go here in the hope that it might help somebody in the future.

I'll be following the guidance below to aid a quick recovery:

• Drink at least 2 litres of water a day.
• Eat at least 3 vegetables and 2 fruits every day.
• Sleep 8 hours a night (and no more).
• Walk the dog every night (something I have missed doing so much).
• Avoid all gluten products.
• Avoid FODMAPs at lunch and breakfast in order to reduce my intake.
• Get out into the city and try as much gluten-free food as I can! 

Thanks again for your support and advice :)

20/7/15  - An Update

It's been just over two weeks since by blood test so I thought it was time for an update.

Firstly my results: My Coeliac screening has come back negative (for a second time) which was not a surprise. Since being back on a GF diet, however, my stomach cramps have subsided and my stomach looks 'flat' again (I wish). The other symptoms, however, of fatigue and joint pain have got progressively worse. Day-to-day tasks are exhausting and at times simply getting comfy enough to nap is a challenge. The blood test did show that my Vitamin B12 is very low which could be responsible for these symptoms. I see my doctor tomorrow and hope to get some answers. I'll feedback when I know more.

I'd like to re-visit my guidelines above to see how well I have stuck to them:

• Drink at least 2 litres of water a day. - I have been doing very well with this - I bought a Brita Fill&Go Water Bottle which I have found really handy.
• Eat at least 3 vegetables and 2 fruits every day. - Veg has been my champion over the last few weeks, I need to do better with fruit.
• Sleep 8 hours a night (and no more). - This has been impossible. I am sleeping 9-10 hours and napping around 3pm. This is something I have no control over currently and is something I need to speak to my doctor about.
• Walk the dog every night (something I have missed doing so much). - I have managed this 3/4 times a week. Light activity is difficult but manageable and I intend to keep it up.
• Avoid all gluten products. - 100%
• Avoid FODMAPs at lunch and breakfast in order to reduce my intake.  - Haven't stuck with this as much as I wanted to - it's such a tough diet!
• Get out into the city and try as much gluten-free food as I can!  - I've just started to feel like I can do this again - see my recent review of The Milestone for a delicious recommendation. 

Love to my readers that are suffering similar challenges at the moment - keep your chin up and focus on your health. Priortise you. 

Gluten-free Summer #1

Summer is a fantastic time to go gluten-free.

For those of you that have followed my story you will know that this isn't the first time I've eaten gluten free. After 4 weeks of pain, fog and discomfort I feel like I can now free my body of gluten and move forwards to a healthier and more energetic summer.

Whether this is the first time you're going gluten free, the second or if you just fancy trying some healthy summery snacks the following foods show you how you can enjoy the summer without feeling deprived!

This weekend I will showering the blog with a short series of Gluten-free Summer posts. Let me know if you try them and tell me which ones you enjoy! If you're a tweeter send me over a picture of your delicious gluten-free treats @thesteelplate

Cream tea              Summer fruit meringue cheesecake with iced green tea.

Scrap the scones and try this simple desert instead:

half packet of gluten free biscuits of your choice (try M&S for a treat)
50g butter
2 tubs cream cheese
100g icing sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence (invest in a good one - it is so worth it)
3/4 meringue nest (if you're brave you could even make your own)
a range of fresh fruits
(for the tea)
3 green tea bags
fresh fruit of choice
fresh herbs of choice
ice
water

Bash the biscuits
Melt the butter and stir in the biscuit bits.
Press the biscuit mixture into a tin and chill for 30 mins
Whisk the cream cheese with the icing sugar
Fold in the fresh fruit
Break up the meringues and fold the pieces into the cream cheese and fruit
Spoon the mixture on top of the cheesecake and top with a few springs of mint and some grated dark chocolate

Boil the kettle and make a large pot of green tea (Use a infused one for a slightly fruity flavour)
Let the tea cool and fill a large jug with fresh fruits (I love orange and lemon) and herbs like mint and rosemary.
Chill in the fridge and finish with ice and edible flowers.

Enjoy!

#1 Cookbook Review : Plenty More - Yotam Ottolenghi

When I first started eating Gluten-Free I dived hurriedly into the 'Free-from' isle of my local supermarket in search of substitutes and replacements for my favourite gluten filled indulgences. After a few weeks of smugly chomping on gluten free bread, buns and biscuits I began to recognise that taste. That 'I'm almost the same as your favourite food only I taste a little bit like an egg carton' taste.

I also found I was spending £££s more each week...my belly still felt empty, and so did my purse.

I turned to the internet for advice and found an abundance of blogs written by people, who, like me had found supermarket substitutes lacking. A stand-out article, for me, came from Shauna of 'Gluten-Free-Girl'. Her comments on 'New to Gluten-Free?' really opened up my eyes to the fact that going gluten free really wasn't about looking for alternatives on the shelves of the supermarket, but instead about creating alternatives at home. Fresh, healthy and naturally gluten-free food.

I have always loved cooking and decided to tackle the challenge head-on. So, instead of spending my money on GF substitutes I headed over to my local book store in search of a recipe book.

One of my first, and best, purchases was Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More (and at only £12.00 on Amazon it is fantastic value!).

Plenty More is an ode to vegetables; what Ottolenghi calls a 'Vegi-Renaissance'. Packed full of nutritious, naturally gluten-free vegetarian recipes that are easy and practical for a busy household. This inspiring book, however, is so much more than a vegetarian cookbook - it boasts 284 pages of mouth watering meals - from salads to slaw this book has something for everybody.

The book is curated beautifully with  the recipes divided into twelve sections: Tossed, Steamed, Blanched, Simmered, Braised, Grilled, Roasted, Fried, Mashed, Cracked, Baked and Sweetened. Here I will feature three of my favourite recipes and how I have enjoyed them:

1) Red Onions with Walnut Salsa - With a humble ingredient list and a simple method this has become one of my favourite dishes. The chilli cuts through the creamy goat's cheese with ease creating something subtle and sophisticated. We've been devouring this on summer nights with barbequed chicken, lamb kebabs and juicy steaks - who needs hot dogs?

 

 

2) Honey-Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yoghurt - I adore a recipe that transforms a humble vegetable like the carrot. This tasty dish is cheap to make and sends any Yorkshire Pudding based grief packing when you sit down to your Sunday lunch. We ate a pile of these sweet beauties last week alongside a juicy roast chicken. Even my carnivore boyfriend agreed - the carrots really were the main event. And if you're still not convinced, the recipe produces enough Tahini Yoghurt Sauce to last a week - I poured it onto my quinoa the next day for lunch and the result was very pleasing.

 

 3) Meringue Roulade with Rose Petals and French Raspberries - 'Light, pretty, festive and special' - I couldn't have put it better myself Yotam. This dessert really is breath-taking. It does take a little more time, and a touch of skill, but it's intentional rustic appearance can hide a multitude of sins. It's really the flavours that make this dish so special. The only tweak I made was swapping the regular cornflour for GF cornflour (something I do still visit the free-from isle for). I think this dish is perfect for finishing up a summer garden party - your guests will be so in awe they won't even notice the lack of pastry or sponge!

 

 

 



I can't wait to spend the rest of the summer trying and testing some more of Yotam's delicious creations.

Have you tried any new cookbooks recently? I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Going Gluten Free

Gluten first revealed itself to me during a romantic evening in Paris, the day before Christmas eve. As other couples gazed at the glittering glare of the Eiffel Tower, my boyfriend and I hurried frantically back to our hotel room as I was struck repeatedly with severe stomach cramps.

Paris, France home to the crêpe, the pastry and the baguette. A city and culture built on gluten itself.


Fast forward four weeks and my doctor informed me I had an intolerance to gluten and needed to remove it entirely, and permanently, from my diet.

Like many people who face this dramatic change I felt entirely lost. Food is, and always has been, a huge passion of mine and the idea of not being able to devour a bowl of hot buttery pasta (ever again) made my heart ache. Nearly six months later, that hasn't changed, but I am just starting to discover the benefits of a gluten free lifestyle.

The weekly migraines are less and less frequent, the aching bones are fading, the chronic fatigue is gradually improving, the mouth ulcers are gone - not to mention the 'no-I'm-not-3months-pregnant-bloating'.

I'm starting to feel alive again.


This blog is not a specialist advice blog - it is simply a celebration of a life outside of gluten's shadow, it's an opportunity for me to embrace my condition whilst enjoying my passions of home cooking, local produce and eating out in this gorgeous, steel, city.

As The Steel Plate grows I hope to offer some recipe attempts, cookbook recommendations & restaurant reviews - please leave any suggestions in the comments, can't wait to hear from you.

Kayleigh