Gumbo: The gluten-free, slow-cooker version

We were hankering for some gumbo the other day, and attempted a gluten-free version. And, since I'm a slow-cooker kind of gal, I went ahead and tried to modify it for that, too.

So...I made up the roux with sorghum flour and canola oil (although I don't think I got it quite dark enough), and sauteed the onions, garlic, celery, and peppers quickly in it. Then, I added a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch (since I wasn't sure how well the sorgum would thicken things up) and stirred in about a quarter of the needed broth - just enough to get roux and broth incorporated nicely. Then I tossed it and everything else (including the uncooked meat) straight in the crockpot (except the rice). I tried not to add as much liquid, but still ended up with too much and had to simmer it with the lid off for an extra long time. I think all told, it was cooked on high for about 3 hours, and then with the lid off for another two or so.

Verdict: It worked! Next time I'll only use a quart or so of the liquid, and increase it if needed. And the sorghum/cornstarch mixture worked great in place of the all-purpose flour. We'll definitely make it again.

-Thyme

Experiment Polenta: Success!

I remember eating polenta at my Italian grandafather's house and not being particularly impressed with it. I learned to enjoy it more after having a variation of it in Africa, and especially after a fabulous polenta dish I had in Italy when I was visiting relatives. But I'd never actually tried to make it before. However, since our son was recently diagnosed with multiple food allergies, we've been getting more creative than usual in finding complete meals that we can enjoy together, and it seemed time to bring polenta to the table.

I used a basic recipe I found on foodnetwork, and tweaked it just a touch:

5 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. stoneground corn meal
1 tsp olive oil

Bring the broth/water to a boil, add salt, then whisk in corn meal. Stir it frequently for about 15-20 minutes until it's thick enough for a spoon to stand up in. Once it's cooked, turn off heat, add some olive oil (the recipe calls for butter...but milk happens to be one of the wee one's allergies) to make it creamy.

We served it with a marinara sauce (sausage, onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, fresh sage, oregano, and parsley). The three year old wasn't interested, but the rest of us enjoyed it.

-Thyme