Tag Archives: risotto

Good Things Friday

Even though Friday is a good thing itself, there are always at least a few gluten free good things in my week that I have to share.

1. Rita’s Frozen Custard

Rita’s custard with hot fudge is so good. I don’t really get the whole “ice” thing that they have there – I tried some samples and it just tastes like watery ice cream to me. But I can get on board with the custard. I snagged this one from Rita’s in Chinatown.

2. One pan dinners

Sometimes you just have to throw a bunch of ingredients in a pan and hope for the best. This one pan dinner included: half a package of tempeh, a can of diced tomatoes, a big handful of frozen spinach, sauteed onion, and some chili spices.

And  I may have eaten this straight out of the pan while talking on the phone. Don’t judge.

3. Tomato Season

If I took a shot every time I saw the word “heirloom” on a menu this month, I would be incredibly inebriated. Last night at Lincoln I ordered the Heirloom Tomato Risotto with roasted garlic, ricotta, and capers. Our waitress, Gabby, has Celiac’s as well, so she was super helpful. If you go there ask for her, and tip her well 🙂

This risotto was tomato-tastic. I was expecting a plain risotto with some tomatoes sprinkled in, but this stuff was about equal parts tomato to rice. Even though it was a small plate it left me totally satisfied.

Additional good things coming up this weekend are all happening in Michigan!

I’m planning on getting in as many gluten free meals out as possible. Definitely on the list are Mudgies and Greengos, possibly a stop at Arts Beats and Eats, and a late night pizza from Cottage Inn might have to happen as well. Plus the kickoff of Michigan football season, the wedding of a dear friend, and a night in a fancy shmancy hotel. My cup runneth over.

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Pala Pizza

Based on the recommendation of some helpful Yelpers – Nick and I hiked down to the Lower East Side to try out Pala Pizza.  I didn’t mind the trip though because we got to see the sights and sounds of Washington Square Park on the way. 

Washington Square Park

 

We started out with the arancini, which are risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese and spinach, then they’re fried in a dedicated fryer.  There are a ton of other options for appetizers as well, but according to all the reviews, these are a must-have.  They were like a more sophisticated mozzarella stick…crispy outside, arborio rice that sticks to your teeth, and a sweet tomato sauce to dip in.  My only complaint about this dish is that there weren’t more of them!  $4/risotto ball is pricey no matter how you cut it.  

Then the big decision on pizza – Nick loves meat toppings, of course, but they wouldn’t let us get a half and half, so he left it up to me to choose 🙂  I picked one with spinach, ricotta, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic and parsley pesto.

Now this…was a pizza.  The best gluten free crust I’ve had.  Not to diss my old-faithful, Risotteria, but this pie really takes the cake.  For a second I panicked, thinking that they gave us the wrong pizza because there was no indication that it was gluten free.  This crust has the slightly crunchy/chewy bottom, takes some effort to pull apart (in a good way), and has yummy written all over it.  The creamy ricotta, fresh tomatoes, and stringy mozzarella were just right.  

They also put a bundle of oregano on the table, so you can sprinkle it fresh right on your pie:

Somehow, after finishing the pizza, we still had room for dessert.  So we got the apple tart:

Apple tart with vanilla ice cream

 

The tart was…alright.  Although I don’t think I’ve tasted anything remotely like pie crust in years, so I was satisfied.  The crust is kind of like a shortbread, then there’s boiled apples with cinnamon on top.  They also had an almond cake with chocolate sauce, that I’m regretting not getting in retrospect.  

Ah well…the pizza made up for it. 

Thanks for the recommendation!  I will definitely be back!  

Try it yourself:  Pala Pizza – 198 Allen Street.