(wheat free, gluten free, egg free, nut free, *dairy free)
TWO of my favourite new finds at the Allergy & Free From Show came from the delightful husband and wife team behind Drossa, a London-based online shop specialising in high quality gluten free foods.
They sell Farabella Italian potato gnocchi and ‘acini di pepe’ – tiny little pasta beads that make a fine fill-in for couscous or bulgar wheat.
The gnocchi are made from 85 per cent potato, along with rice flour – no egg, no wheat, no gluten. Speedy to cook (rapidly in boiling water until they float to the surface) they’re lovely served up with fresh sage sautéed in butter, or a sauce made from garlic, olive oil, chopped tomatoes and fresh ripped basil.
The acini di pepe, meanwhile, scooped a Free From Food award earlier this year and rightly so. Concocted solely from rice and corn flour, they make a great alternative to a couscous-style salad – perfect dished up cold with chopped herbs and veg. They taste a little like polenta and you must take care to follow the cooking instructions on Drossa’s website carefully (click here) to avoid them going gloopy, but all in all this is probably the closest you can get to couscous without wheat.
Even better, they’re available on prescription.
Farabella Potato Gnocchi, £3.59 and Acini di Pepe, £4.25, from www.drossa.co.uk, 0203 393 0859, sales@drossa.co.uk
*The gnocchi contain lactic acid, which I believe is not classed as a milk product but the dairy avoiders out there can clarify this?
Lactic acid always causes confusion, so I asked the dietitian and she said it was not something to worry about.
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your find! My boy can’t have corn but am super excited about the gnocchi! Can’t believe they’re available on prescription too. Thank God for living in England, eh?
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