With Gluten Free Around the World, Aviva Kanoff returns with a second volume of stunning pictures and incredible offerings, all of which incorporate one of the hottest trends in the food industry. Whether you are looking for Pesach-friendly recipes, suffer from Celiac’s or are on a gluten-free diet, this new book is a treasure trove of recipes culled from Aviva’s globe-trotting escapades through Ecuador, India, Cambodia, Morocco, Croatia, southeast Asia and other exotic locales. Best of all, as a painter and accomplished photographer, Aviva uses her artistic vision to give Gluten Free Around the World a multi-dimensional appeal, calling out to both the eye and the palate.
While we are all accustomed to the occasional recipe substitutions – swapping milk for creamer, applesauce for oil – gluten-free cooking is a whole different ballgame and Aviva presents us with 231 pages of creative recipes accompanied by magnificent photographs. While many of the recipes are perfect for Pesach, others are not, as is readily apparent in Aviva’s list of go-to gluten-free products including multi-purpose flour, panko flakes, tofu sour cream, Tamari soy sauce, brown rice pasta and all-purpose baking flour.
The cookbook is broken down into chapters including breakfast, soups and salads, sides, vegetarian, fish, poultry, meat and desserts. While the names of some recipes are exotic, such as malai kofta, nasi goreng and keema, others are comfortingly familiar and all look incredibly tempting. Feta cheese and quinoa salad, prepared with olives, cherry tomatoes and drizzled with a balsamic dressing looks wholesomely enticing and is enhanced by a gorgeous photo of multicolored quinoa growing in Ecuador. Garlic and basil spaghetti squash, with an optional buffalo mozzarella topping, is definitely going to be on my menu soon and I plan to follow Aviva’s instructions on how to successfully microwave spaghetti squash without any explosions, having had several bursting squash incidents over the years. Malai kofta sounds intimidating at first, but these potato and vegetable balls, accented with intriguing seasonings and topped with a spicy onion-based sauce, seems perfectly normal once you read through the entire recipe.
While admittedly garam masala, fennel seeds, tamarind pulp and xanthan gum may not be kitchen staples, exotic and kosher ingredients are readily available in gourmet food stores or are just a click away. Besides, most of the recipes in Gluten Free Around the World make use of everyday ingredients that you likely already own. Take a culinary trip around the world with Aviva Kanoff, a fabulously creative individual whose adventures and travels have earned her the nickname “The Indiana Jones of Cooking.” Not only won’t you have to deal with jetlag, but your tummy, and those of everyone else seated around your table, will thank you!
Gluten Free Around the World is available online at Amazon.com and at your local Judaica store.
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Bocaditos de Papa (Potato-Cheese Fritters)
Yield: 12 fritters
Ingredients:
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
oil for deep frying
Salsa (optional)
Directions:
- In a large saucepan, place potatoes in enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, then drain.
- In a large bowl, mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Fold in cheeses, eggs, cilantro, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Shape mixture into twelve, 3-inch diameter patties. If desired, cover and chill for up to 24 hours before cooking.
- In a large skillet, heat 1-inch of oil to 375˚. Add potato patties, three or four at a time and fry about 2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once halfway through cooking time. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot and topped with salsa if desired.
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