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Some drive far for no-gluten pizza
By Lisa Abraham
Beacon Journal food writer
Published on Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
But as awareness of gluten intolerance has spread, the choices for diners have continued to grow.
Gluten is the protein found in wheat or foods that contain wheat flour. Gluten intolerance can vary from a simple allergy to the disease celiac sprue, in which gluten can cause severe damage to the digestive system.
''You could always order a steak and baked potato, but that was about it. Other than that, you stayed at home. Now, the choices are expanding incredibly,'' said Therese Semonin, who heads up a celiac support group in Akron.
The Bistro of Green recently added an entire gluten-free menu to its offerings.
Chef and co-owner Roger Stewart said he always has tried to accommodate diners with special needs, but decided a few months ago to simply print up an entire gluten-free menu.
Stewart said one of his employees and several of his regular customers needing to eat gluten free helped to raise his awareness of the issue. But there seemed to be a growing number of diners looking for gluten-free options, he said.
''We've just found more and more of our regular customers and even first-time customers, everyone has appreciated that,'' he said. ''I've got groups of people that say we're the only restaurant they go to anymore.''
Along with the special menu, Stewart said he and co-owner Russ Chambers and kitchen manager Donnie Fillinger have worked to convert most of the regular menu items to gluten free as well, with most of the items needing only simple modifications.
To make the restaurant's popular Chicken Marsala gluten free, Stewart simply changed the flour he uses to dredge the chicken from wheat to rice. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
Green resident Al Toth, a regular customer at the Bistro, was diagnosed with celiac sprue 10 years ago. He said he appreciates that whatever the Bistro's soup of the day is, he knows it will be ''Al-friendly.''
Stewart said making soups gluten free essentially meant switching from flour to corn starch as a thickening agent.
''Now, all of our soups are gluten free,'' he said.
Semonin said many restaurants are willing to accommodate diners with special needs, particularly if customers call ahead. ''A chef knows what gluten is and a chef enjoys the challenge,'' she said.
Akron's VegiTerranean, the vegan restaurant co-owned by musician Chrissie Hynde, willingly accommodates any diner who needs to eat gluten free.
Semonin said the Mustard Seed Market's restaurant in Bath Township and the Manchu Cafe in North Canton both offer gluten-free options. The chain restaurants Outback Steakhouse and Bone Fish Grill also offer gluten-free items on their menus, she said.
The popularity of carbohydrate-free dieting got restaurants accustomed to customers who wanted to avoid bread and pasta, she said.
When Dennis Altieri started to offer gluten-free pizza at his shop, Altieri's pizza in Stow, four years ago, he purchased two dozen crusts from a gluten-free bakery, Kathy's Creations of Alliance, and stocked them in his freezer.
It took him two months to sell all 24 of the gluten-free pizzas. But eventually word spread and now Altieri sells about 60 gluten-free pizzas each month.
''I was the first pizza shop anywhere to offer gluten-free pizza,'' he said.
Altieri said he has a friend who can't eat gluten who was always asking him to make a gluten-free crust. Because he uses wheat flour in his shop to make regular crusts, the environment isn't friendly for making his own gluten-free crust. Some celiac sufferers can have severe reactions simply from flour particles in the air.
To accommodate his customers who were following carb-free diets, Altieri began making a crustless pizza, essentially a concoction of sauce, cheese and toppings that he would make in a disposable pan. By the time customers got home, the cheese would congeal enough to allow them to cut it into wedges, giving them the taste of pizza without the carbs.
Then a Stow police officer walked into his store and asked for the crustless pizza, but told Aliteri how he was going to take it home and put it on top of a gluten-free crust.
Once Altieri found a source for his gluten-free crusts, he put the item on the menu. Now some customers will drive 10 or 20 miles or more for the gluten-free pizza.
In May, Altieri added gluten-free pasta to his menu, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is offering gluten-free fried chicken and jo-jo potatoes, using corn starch and corn flour for the breading.
The sales have not taken off the way the pizza sales have, but Altieri said he's prepared to be patient because he knows the need is out there.
''They estimate 10 [percent] to 15 percent of all people could be affected by this,'' he said.
The Bistro of Green
Gluten-Free Chicken Marsala
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 cup brown rice flour
salt and pepper
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups Marsala wine
4 tbsp. butter
20 to 25 spinach leaves
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. Dredge chicken breasts in brown rice flour. Add chicken to hot pan and cook for about 4 minutes on one side or until golden brown. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Turn chicken over, season with salt and pepper, and saute breasts for about 4 minutes on the other side or until golden brown.
Add mushrooms, scallions and garlic. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.
Add Marsala wine and deglaze pan. Reduce wine by half. Chicken will continue to cook in the wine. When Marsala wine is reduced by half, remove from heat and add butter. Stir butter into the wine to emulsify sauce. Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165 degrees.
Add spinach leaves and stir until leaves begin to wilt.
Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
— chef Roger Stewart
The Bistro of Green
The Bistro of Green
Gluten-Free Cheeseburger Soup
16 oz. chicken stock
16 oz. beef stock
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
21/2 cups heavy cream
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 baked potato, cooked, peeled, and diced
salt and pepper
In stock pot, mix chicken stock, beef stock, onions and celery. Boil until celery and onions are soft and tender, about 20 minutes.
Add cooked ground beef. Continue to boil 5 to 10 minutes. Add heavy cream.
Return to boil. Add cheddar cheese while stirring continuously. Add granulated garlic and ground mustard. Mix cornstarch and water in a separate bowl to make slurry. Add as much slurry as is needed to thicken. Add diced cooked potato.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
— chef Roger Stewart
The Bistro of Green
Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 12:57 PM, 10/08/2008
Thank you so much for this article to help those who have to deal with a gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease. Good job. For folks near Orrville, Dunlap Community Hospital presents a Celiac Information and Support Group on the fourth Monday of every month at 6pm in the Community Room.
In October Dr. C. Kefalas from the Akron will speak to the group about the latest research on this disease on October 27. Free admission. Call 330-684-4776 for more information.
