Corn-Free, Yeast-Free Marinated Onions

   Most of the relishes and other condiments at the grocery store contain a lot of white vinegar. This can be a problem if you are allergic to the corn that most white vinegar is made from. It's also a problem if you are seriously allergic to yeast, as traces of yeast are likely to remain in vinegar. These marinated onions, besides being vinegar-free, have a citrusy tang and a tamed onion flavor that make them an excellent all-purpose relish.

     
     1/4 c. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/4 c. fresh squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1 large mild red onion 
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Stir the grapefruit juice, lime juice and 1 tsp. of salt together in a bowl. Slice the onion into very thin strips (see the illustration below).  Move the onion to the bowl; stir. Allow to steep at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Corn-Free, Yeast-Free Marinated Daikon

     Pickles, being fermented, are likely to contain traces of yeast. What's more, they are generally packed in vinegar, which is also a fermentation product likely to contain traces of yeast. White vinegar, of course, is made from corn.  This quick vinegar-free recipe produces a daikon "pickle" that has a good crunch and actually tastes a lot like conventional pickled daikon. The turmeric, besides complementing the taste of the daikon, turns it a conventional, pretty yellow. (Commercial pickled daikon is dyed yellow.) This marinated daikon is also ready to be put in the middle of a sushi roll.

     1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1-1/4 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     1/4 tsp. turmeric (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1 lb. of daikon, peeled and sliced into long thin strips (1/8" or so 

          across)

     Stir the lime juice, salt and turmeric together in a mixing bowl.  Stir in the daikon. Give it another stir every few minutes for half an hour or so. Refrigerate.

Corn-Free, Yeast-Free, Marinated Turnip

     

     1/4 c. freshly squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1-1/4 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     (optional) 1/4 tsp. turmeric (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1 lb. of turnips, peeled and sliced thin (1/8" or so across)

   Stir the lime juice, salt and turmeric together in a mixing bowl.  Bring a pot of water to a boil. Briefly boil the turnip. It needs to become tender, but it should still have some crunch. Drain, and stir the turnip into the marinating mixture. Give it a stir every few minutes for half an hour or so. Refrigerate.

Egg-Free, Soy-Free "Mayo"

      There is egg-free mayonnaise on the market, but it is generally full of soy and other allergens.  If you're allergic to eggs and soy, you may have difficulty finding any mayo you can use.  My usual response to this is to say rude things about mayonnaise. I usually dress salads with just lemon juice and olive oil, but I did come across a Depression era method for making "mayo" that was based on (cheap) potatoes rather than (pricier) eggs. Potatoes are capable of absorbing oil and emulsifying it, so this does produce a thick, creamy, slightly tart sauce that can be used in a sandwich (assuming you can find bread you're not allergic to) or as the base for a salad dressing. Stir in a small amount of extra liquid if you would like it a bit thinner. 

     1 medium potato

     2 Tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)

     2 Tb. water

     1/4 c. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     salt to taste (probably 1/4-1/2 tsp.) See Salt in the Glossary

     (optional) dab of mustard

    Boil the potato until it is thoroughly soft. Smash it with a fork, and measure out half a cup of smashed potato. Put into a food-processor with all the other ingredients and process until smooth.

Salad dressing made by mixing "mayo" 50:50
with yogurt and adding herbs.

Cabbage salad with the salad dressing shown above.

Corn-Free Marshmallow Fluff

     Commercially made marshmallow fluff, or marsh-mallow creme, consists largely of corn syrup. It is, however, entirely possible to make perfectly smooth, creamy marsh-mallow fluff without corn.

     The recipe below is corn-free. It does contain egg, so it doesn't meet my usual specs. However,  it's difficult to make decent sweets without  wheat, dairy, corn or soy, which makes this recipe noteworthy for some of us. 

     What's more, an unwary cook trying to make corn-free marshmallow fluff by just leaving out the corn syrup is likely to produce a recrystallized, grainy mess. Here's how we're going to prevent that. First, we're going to use cane sugar. Cane sugar and beet sugar are both nearly pure sucrose. It's possible, though, that the slight difference in impurities is important for such a delicate procedure as candy making: many candy makers report getting better results with cane sugar. Since we're already pushing the envelope by leaving out the corn syrup, it may be wise to at least optimize our choice of sugar. 
     
    Second, the combination of adding a little lemon juice and cooking the mixture slowly on low heat allows some of the sucrose to break down into glucose and fructose, which makes it less likely that the syrup will recrystallize while you're cooking it.

     3 c. cane sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)
     5/6 (i.e. 1/2+1/3) c. water 
     3/4 tsp. lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/4 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     2 egg whites
     (optional) 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

     Stir the first 4 ingredients together in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling, but do not stir. Wipe down the ring of sugar crystals just above the syrup with a wet pastry brush. 

     Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks. 

     Remove the syrup from the heat when it reaches 255 degrees Fahrenheit; use a candy thermometer.* 

     Gradually pour the syrup into the egg whites, while continuing to beat on high. Beat for a few minutes, until thoroughly mixed.

     Store (in glass jars if you have some) and refrigerate. The fluff will stiffen somewhat in the fridge; allowing it to warm at room temperature will soften it back up.

     Enjoy Life Choco Boom makes a variety of soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free  chocolate bars. Now if I could just come up with some wheat-free and otherwise nonallergenic graham crackers, we could make smores...

     *This is the correct temperature around sea level. You need to adjust for altitude by subtracting 2 degrees for every 1000 feet above that. 

Corn-Free, Yeast-Free Catsup

  

   Commercially bottled catsup generally contains corn in multiple forms. Often it contains quite a lot of corn syrup; it also generally contains white vinegar (made from corn) and citric acid (usually derived from corn or soy). Vinegar, of course, is a fermentation product and thus may contain traces of yeast, and, like other commercial tomato products, catsup can contain traces of mold or yeast (See Tomato Products, Canned in the Glossary)



     For some corn-allergic people, searching out the brands that list sugar in their list of ingredients instead of corn syrup may be sufficient. If you make your own catsup you can use sugar instead of corn syrup and replace the vinegar with citrus juices. I don't like my catsup to taste lemony so I use a mixture of grapefruit juice and lime juice. Any juice with a good acidic kick should work fine.

 

     3 lb. vine-ripened Roma tomatoes (See Produce in the Glossary)
     1/2 tsp. paprika (See Spices in the Glossary)
     2 Tb. fresh squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1 Tb. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)

          Peel the tomatoes (see Produce in the Glossary). You can seed them at this stage too if you like. Cut each tomato into a few pieces. Put them in a saucepan with a small splash of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for half an hour. At this point the tomato pieces should be coming apart and the seeds should be softened up so that a blender can break them up. Process the tomatoes, in batches, in a blender. If there are still too many visible seeds to suit you, you can strain them out using a food mill or a sieve with a fine enough mesh. (Remember that the seeds will become more apparent as you reduce the tomatoes.) Put the processed tomatoes back in the saucepan and add the paprika, lime juice, grapefruit juice, salt and 2 Tb. of sugar. Stirring occasionally, simmer uncovered until the mixture is reduced to about 2 cups and reaches a.catsup consistency. Add sugar and salt to taste, remembering that the catsup will taste slightly sweeter once it is cold. Refrigerate.

Green Chutney

     This classic Indian condiment is spicy, herbal and delicious on grilled meats, vegetables, rice, and other foods. It is also notable for involving few ingredients and very few possible allergens. 

     Grocery store peppers are coated with wax which may contain corn, soy or dairy products, so you may need to mind where get your peppers. Alternatively, you can avoid the wax by roasting and peeling the peppers, but I don't think cooked peppers are quite as good in this sauce.

     If yogurt is a problem, the version with coconut milk is also authentic and just as good.

      3/4 c. fresh mint leaves (stems removed)
     1/2 c. cilantro leaves (stems removed)
     6 green chili peppers, seeds removed (You can use more or less peppers, 

          depending on how much heat you like) See Produce in the Glossary
     2 cloves of garlic
     1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
     1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/4 c. yogurt or coconut milk (See Coconut and Milk in the Glossary)
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Put the mint, cilantro, chili peppers, garlic, ginger and lemon juice into a food processor and puree. Stir in the yogurt or coconut milk and salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Corn-Free, Yeast-Free Marinated Roasted Peppers

     Marinated peppers are usually made with vinegar, which contains traces of yeast. White vinegar is made from corn, so it can also be a problem for someone with a corn allergy. The following recipe makes excellent marinated peppers using lemon juice and garlic.  Remember that grocery store peppers are coated with wax which may contain corn, soy or dairy products, so peel them meticulously after they're roasted.

     3 lb. peppers (any variety) (See Produce in the Glossary)
     4 cloves garlic
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     1/2 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/4 c. water
     1/4 cup olive or other vegetable oil (See Oil in the Glossary)

     The first step is to roast the peppers on all sides until their peels are very dark and bubbling up without overcooking the flesh. I recommend doing this on a barbecue or a few inches under a broiler. Leaving the oven door ajar can help prevent peppers from getting overcooked (because they cook entirely from direct heat rather than getting baked). Obviously this is a safety hazard, so kick any pets or small children out of the kitchen while you do this. Put the peppers on a roasting pan and place a few inches under the broiler. Keep an eye on the peppers and rotate them when the tops turn black and the peel bubbles up. Once the peppers are cooked on all sides, take them out of the oven and cover them with a lid or a damp cloth: steam from the peppers will help further loosen the peels. Once they cool down, pull off the peels, discard any seeds and slice the peppers into strips.

Meanwhile, crush the garlic cloves with a garlic press, put the crushed garlic in a large bowl with 2 tsp. of salt and pulverize thoroughly with the back of a spoon (or use a mortar and pestle if you have one).  Add the lemon juice, water and oil and stir.  Stir the sliced peppers directly into the marinating mixture.  Adjust salt to taste. Stir periodically for half an hour or so, until marinated. Refrigerate.

Spicy Green Tomato Relish

     Your tomato garden has been prolific and produced a bumper crop--but the weather's turned cold and you've had to pick all the green tomatoes before they could freeze. Now what? 

     Tomatoes can ripen sitting on a window sill or wrapped in newspaper, but cooked green tomatoes are a tart, tasty vegetable in their own right. This relish has an intense flavor but contains no common allergens, yeast or, once the pepper is peeled, corn.

     1 red bell pepper (or hotter peppers if you want some heat) (See Produce 

          in the Glossary)
     4-6 cloves garlic
     2 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     2/3 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/4 c. olive or other oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1/4 c. water
     1 Tb. chopped fresh dill leaves (See Produce in the Glossary)
     1-1/2 lb. green tomatoes, cut into 1/4" slices (or in half in the case of 

          cherry tomatoes)
     1 medium onion, quartered vertically (i.e. cut through the stem end) 

          and sliced thin

     First char the pepper thoroughly on all sides, either on a grill or a few inches under a broiler. Cover and set aside to cool.

     Crush the garlic in a garlic press. Put the crushed garlic on a small plate, add the salt to it and mash it thoroughly with the back of a spoon until it makes a smooth, creamy paste with no visible chunks (or use a mortar and pestle). Combine the crushed garlic with the lemon juice, oil, water and dill in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

     Peel, seed and chop the pepper. Set aside.

     Steam the green tomatoes until they they are tenderized but still crisp (this only takes a few minutes). Stir into the lemon juice mixture. Steam the onion just until it is turning tender (this too takes only a few minutes). Add the pepper to the steamer and give it a minute or so to heat up (it is already cooked). Stir the onion and pepper into the green tomatoes. Stir a few more times over the next half hour.  Drain.

Hypoallergenic Salsa

This might have been a prettier red if I had stuck with red peppers,
but I like poblanos.

     Commercially made salsa usually contains corn whether you can see kernels of it or not.  Most contains citric acid (corn and/or soy) and/or distilled white vinegar (corn). If you make salsa yourself, remember that grocery store tomatoes and peppers are generally coated with a layer of wax containing corn, soy or dairy products. You can peel them following the instructions under Produce in the Glossary. On the plus side, the process of charring the peppers so that the peel blisters up gives the peppers a savory, roasted flavor that is good in salsa.

     2 lb. of peppers, whatever variety you like (See Produce in the Glossary)

     4 lb. of ripe vine-ripened tomatoes (See Produce in the Glossary)

     4 cloves of garlic, sliced very thin or minced

     (optional) 2 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro leaves (See Produce in the 

          Glossary) 

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     couple of  limes 

     Prepare and peel the peppers and tomatoes as described under Produce in the Glossary. Remove the seeds from the peppers. You can seed the tomatoes too, if you like; salsa is chunky, so I don't think a few tomato seeds matter. Chop the peppers and tomatoes; put them in a pot with the garlic, cilantro, 1/2 Tb. salt and 3 Tb. lime juice. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the thickness is about right. The vegetables will have become very soft and melded together, and the salsa will have cooked down to about half of its initial volume. This will take 2-3 hours or so. Adjust salt and lime juice to taste if needed.

About the right proportion of peppers to tomatoes, ready to peel.
Note that salsa is forgiving: you can vary the proportion of pepper
to tomato, replace the garlic with a finely chopped onion, use  
lemon juice instead of lime, or add parsley, and  your salsa will
 still be delicious.

All chopped up and ready to simmer

Apple Butter: a sweet treat with no allergens—just apples, sugar and spices

     One problem with commercial jams and jellies is that the fruit that they were made from may have had time to sit around growing mold or yeast. If you're allergic to mold or yeast, you can take care of this problem by making your own jam or jelly from fruit that you have inspected.  Note that thin-skinned sweet fruit (such as cherries and grapes) is normally coated with a layer of yeast: use fruit you can peel, such as apples or peaches).

     Another problem with most jams and jellies is that they contain quite a lot of corn. Indeed, the first ingredient in most of them is corn syrup. The pectin in most jams and jellies contains corn, too. 

     The simplest way to completely avoid corn in your fruit spread is to make apple butter using cane or beet sugar and peeled apples: peeling removes any waxy coating containing soy, corn or dairy that was put on the apples, and a good long simmer reduces the water content of the apples, concentrating their pectin (apples contain more pectin than most fruit).

     2 qt. apple sauce (See Apple Sauce in the Glossary)

     5-6 c. sugar, depending on your taste and the sweetness of your apples 

          (See Sugar in the Glossary)

     3/4 tsp. cinnamon (See Spices in the Glossary)

     1/4 tsp. ground cloves (See Spices in the Glossary)

     Combine all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until about half of the applesauce has boiled off. This will take 3 hours or so.  To tell whether your apple butter has reached the right consistency yet, put a dab of it on a plate and leave the plate in the fridge for a couple of minutes.  If it is solid enough, it's done. 

     This recipe makes 9 or so cups of apple butter. Can it following the instructions at a reputable site such as this one.

Grated Turnip Salad

      In American cooking the turnip most often appears as a strong-tasting vegetable people try to hide in mashed potatoes. I prefer to borrow an idea from Korean cooking, in which its ability to stand up to other strong flavors and be complemented by them is an asset.  Turnip kimchi, for example, is sour, spicy, garlicky, intense and wonderful. It is also a yeasty, fermented food, which is a problem for those of us who have yeast allergies.

     This salad is not a substitute for turnip kimchi, but it is delicious. It is also intense enough to double as a condiment.

     1 cup of peeled, grated turnip (approximately one large turnip)
     2 large garlic cloves, crushed
     1 Tb. freshly squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1 Tb. salad oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1/4 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     I recommend a food-processor for grating the turnip if you have one. Squeeze the excess moisture out of the turnip by handfuls.  In a small bowl stir together the garlic, lime juice, salad oil, pepper flakes and salt. Stir this dressing into the grated turnip.

Corn-Free Mint Jelly

These two jars of mint jelly are identical
except that the one on the left contains
a fraction of a drop of green food coloring 

     Mint jelly is delicious with lamb (as is mint gelatin), but grocery story mint jelly generally contains quite a lot of corn syrup.  If you need to avoid corn, you can make your own jelly using beet or cane sugar. Be aware that most "fruit pectin" contains corn: if you need to avoid corn very stringently, use Pomona's Universal Pectin, which is corn-free. (The recipe here is based on the one on this page. That recipe allows for the use of apple juice in place of the water; note that bottled juices can contain traces of yeast or mold, if that is an issue.) 
     I don't know whether my food coloring contains corn or not. I am all right with one drop of it in a batch of jelly. 
     This mint jelly is less sweet than most, even if you use the full cup of sugar. In my opinion this is actually desirable for a condiment to be eaten with meat.

      1 cup tightly packed mint leaves (preferably without the stems: they aren't 

           as tasty) See Produce in the Glossary
      1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
      2 tsp. calcium water (The calcium for this comes in the package with the 

           pectin.)
      1/2 c. to 1 c. sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)
      2 tsp. Pomona's Universal Pectin
      (optional) 1 drop green food color
          
     First make a mint infusion. Chop the mint leaves, add 2-1/4 c. water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain. Using 2 c. of this infusion, follow the directions on the package insert from the pectin to make jelly and can it.

Soy-Free, Corn-Free, Sesame-Free, Fermentation-Free Stir-Fry Sauce and Sushi Dipping Sauce

     The purpose of stir-fry sauce is to add deep savory flavors, lively seasoning and texture to stir-fries.  This can be accomplished without soy, sesame, corn or fermentation products (soy sauce, coconut aminos, or vinegar). The sauce produced by the recipe given here, though not quite conventional, is tasty and has just the right level of tartness. By all means bring soy sauce and sesame oil out as condiments for those who aren't allergic to them. 


Stir-Fry Sauce

     4 c. chicken or beef stock (See Broth in the Glossary)
     3 Tb. freshly squeezed lime juice  (See Juice in the Glossary)
     good sprinkle of black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped fine
     3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
     salt to taste--the amount will vary according to how much salt was in the 

          stock (See Salt in the Glossary)

     1/2 Tb. or so tapioca starch, depending on how much you want the sauce 

          to thicken

     Reduce the stock to ½ cup; i.e., boil it until only ½ cup is left.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. Add to a stir-fry that is otherwise ready, then cook for a few seconds, until the sauce thickens.


Sushi Dipping Sauce

     For a condiment that perfectly complements sushi and egg rolls, follow the recipe above but leave out the tapioca starch and stir in 2 Tb. of gluten-free rice syrup. Note that some rice syrup is not gluten-free, as the processing involves enzymes which may have been derived from barley. Watch for gluten-free syrup if this is an issue. 

Mint Gelatin

Mint gelatin

     Mint jelly and mint gelatin are both great condiments for lamb.  

     Gelatin made with fresh mint leaves is refreshing, herbal and intense as well as sweet. It also contains no chemicals that might have been made from corn and has no chemical aftertaste.  I do usually add a couple drops of green food coloring, which may contain a very small amount of corn, because I don't like the color otherwise. I suppose I could color it red with a few drops of raspberry juice or something instead.

     2 cups cold water

     boiling water

     2 pkg. plain gelatin

     1 cup sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)

     1 firmly packed cup of fresh mint leaves (See Produce in the 

          Glossary)

     (optional) few drops of green food coloring

     Sprinkle the gelatin onto the cold water in a large bowl.  Set aside. Chop the mint fairly fine and simmer it with the sugar in 2 cups of boiling water for 10 minutes.  

     Strain, and add enough boiling water (if necessary) so that you have 2 cups of the mint infusion.  Add this to the gelatin mixture and stir well, making sure the gelatin has thoroughly dissolved. Refrigerate.

                    The natural color of mint gelatin.                                  Mint gelatin with 2 drops of green food coloring added.