I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.


Gluten and lactose are not my friends.


Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.


I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

April 11, 2011

Creamy Garlic Prawns


Hello there Readers, Hopefully this post is a bit more coherent than last weeks one, I am recovering nicely from the concussion, but I'm stiff and sore and still a bit sorry for myself, so I'm cooking myself a rich, yummy, decadent meal to cheer me up and end my pity party! Would you care to join me?

One of my clients is allergic to garlic, suffering anaphalatic issues when she accidentally eats some. I think this would be an ingredient even harder to avoid than lactose or gluten, as it doesn't need to be listed as a specific ingredient, just lumped under herbs or spices.

Just imagine missing out on the pungency,the punch, the sweetness, the earthiness, that garlic can bring to a dish. It weaves it way through a dish, and is in every cuisine from Chinese, to Italian, to South American, Indian, and just about everywhere else in between.
Were you aware that the way you cut your garlic dictates the strength of flavour it releases? The finer you go, the more damage to the cell walls, and the stronger the taste- try leaving a clove whole, slicing one roughly, slice one fine, then mincing one. If I want the flavour to spread through a whole dish I'll usually use my microplane to process it, and the garlic itself will almost disappear into the meal. Sometimes I want the nuttiness of the cloves so I'll slice it roughly, and when I want the mellow sweetness I'll roast the bulbs whole, or confit the peeled cloves slowly in oil. The possibilities are endless, and delicious!

This recipe really makes garlic the star of the show. The lovely prawns with their firm sweetness aren't overpowered by the sauce, just beautifully complimented by it. The cream mellows and extends the flavours while adding richness and a fuller mouthfeel, and the rice is perfect for soaking up the extra yumminess. The parsley might seem rather insignificant, just adding some spots of flavor, but trust me, they are key to the finished product. The sharp iron bite seems to snap your palate and stop it being slowly lulled into a dreamy, creamy, comatose state. A nice dry white wine to sip while eating helps as well.

A word of warning before you start: for continued connubial bliss, make sure your beloved consumes at least a bite or two of this as well. No matter how much you love garlic, there is nothing worse than someone wafting garlic bed breath over your shoulder all night.

Ingredients:

1 kg prawns
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup lactose free cream
knob of butter and splash of oil
garlic, lots of garlic
1 bunch parsley, I prefer the flat leaved variety
salt to taste
rice to serve

Place the butter and oil in a pan and add the garlic. Cook it off gently, don't let it burn or it will become bitter.
Add the prawns and toss to coat in the garlicky goodness, and cook until they have started to change colour and firm up a little. Pull them out before they are fully cooked, so they don't get mushy when put back into the hot sauce.

Once the pan is hot again, pour in the wine and cream and reduce by at least a third until the sauce is nicely thickened up.

Put the prawns in the hot sauce and let them finish cooking while they heat through.

Once the prawns are off the heat stir through the parsley.
Serve immediately with steamed white rice and maybe some crusty gluten free bread for mopping up the leftover sauce.


So Readers, are you a fan of garlic, and what are your tips for getting rid of garlic breath?


20 comments:

  1. Oh you're so right, this is completely decadent! Perfect choice to make you feel better! Hope you're recovering well :) I can only think of a person who doesn't like (not allergic) garlic, Steven Spielberg (if he's consider a person)!

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  2. This looks delicious. I eat garlic all the time and it would be awful to have an allergy to it.

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  3. oh my god yes - a garlic allergy would be horrible!!!!

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  4. I'm happy to hear that you're recovering! And OH MY GOSH THIS IS SO MUCH MY RECIPE! I've already bookmarked it and will make it soon. Just looking at it makes me want to dive right into your pan. :D

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  5. A dish one simply cannot go past... So good! Bec, I need to have a chat with you, I've been handed some delightful news recently in regard to the diet, no wheat and no dairy... Sigh... For a few months. I shall stalk your blog for some brill recipes, but any recommendations on substitutes would be amazing in regard to fillers. :)

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  6. Glad to hear you're feeling better! I can't imagine being allergic to garlic, the poor thing! :( And yes the best tip if you have a partner is to get them to eat it like you said! :P

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  7. PS. Heading to the grocery store to get some prawns now. :D :D :D

    ... singing and drooling all the way ...

    ... deedum, deedum ...

    :)

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  8. first time here...wow the shrimp looks just so perfect and delicious....i love to add a lot of garlic in my food...absolutely loved ur space n glad to follow u...do visit mine whenever hav time :-)

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  9. Recently, I do like to thinly slice my garlic esp when I bake them with seafood, or steam them with vegetables. The pungency is just right that way. I only finely mince garlic when I stir-fry.

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  10. Oh my goodness, I was so enamoured with your kedgeree recipe that I skipped over the part where you said you had concussion!! Poor thing! Glad to read you're on the mend!
    I love garlic, and my way to get rid of garlic breath is to feed it to all those around me so that everyone else has garlic breath too. haha that sounds so gross. Sorry. I juts love my garlic :)
    Heidi xo

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  11. I hope you're better and well on the road to recovery! On another note - I can't imagine being allergic to garlic, it's my crack!!

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  12. Oh! These prawns look delicious, and I love the creamy sauce...so yummie. Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

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  13. I am more than ready for the garlic breath from this dish. That sounds absolutely wonderful! Something about the flavor of creamy shrimp is just incredible, and the nice fresh parsley must make an excellent pairing too.

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  14. Garlic and I are not friends. I've tried but it always ties my tummy in knots!

    A bit of topic, do you have a GF Hot Cross Bun recipe by chance?

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  15. This looks very much like a garlic prawn dish I had at the Rhinedorf, and I loveloveLOVED it.
    Cure for garlic breath? I love garlic so much that I LIKE garlic breath! Lol.

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  16. Very lush! I can't imagine how I'd be if I had to avoid garlic! Glad to hear you're on the mend, love...

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  17. Hello there Lovelies,

    I am just about back to my old self, thanks to lots of trips to the chiropractor and hot baths!

    Min- not liking garlic shows very poor judgement indeed (rather like some of his movie choices!)

    Muppy- I loooove it, and can't imagine not being able to eat it either

    Lisa- Allergies are certainly not something you can pick and choose

    Kath- hope you enjoy it as much as I love it!

    Anna- anytime honey, just drop me a line

    Kath- so glad!

    Onlyfishrecipes- love to drop by and see you too

    TigerFish- It really does make a difference with the way you cut it doesn't it?

    Heidi- I like to share the love too, garlic is made to share. Just about better thanks.

    Ellie- Thanks, and I have a wierd thing going for garlic too!

    Juliana- Thanks, same to you!

    Eva- the parsley just freshens it up so well

    Anonymous- What a shame,you poor thing! I don't have a recipe for buns, I tend to make muffins instead using all the same spices and fruits.

    JasmyneTea- Hope it's something similar to this one. I don't mind garlic breath either!

    Celia- so nice and rich! Thanks, I just need a good rest for a few days- Ha!

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  18. I made this last week (used mixed seafood because prawns were sold out, and added a handful of radish slices) and it was gorgeous (and pinkish :D)! Thank you!

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  19. Lactose free cream?! What, where? I had no idea such a thing existed! Marvellous recipe :)

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  20. Oh this looks so so so delicious! I got to know your fantastic blog and this yummy prawn dish through Kath of My Funny Little Life. Tks Kath! ;D
    Gonna try this yummy prawn soon! ;)

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