There seems to be a concerning increase in the amount of people who are diagnosed as sensitive to gluten which is a protein found in wheat. Their intolerance can be due to Coeliac disease or other health reasons. Gluten sensitivity can cause excessive fatigue and severe headaches, never mind the gut wrenching cramps and serious constipation or swift 'movements' of another kind!
Some people however, are under the impression that going 'gluten free' by choice rather than a medical necessity, will help them loose weight, this is not so and there is no medical proof to confirm this......choosing a keto style of eating would be a better idea!
Those who are unfortunate to suffer from genuine gluten intolerance may be very slim or or may have lost a large amount of weight, but this is due to their health condition not allowing their body to absorb the vital nutrients from food.....in other words they are starving to death!.......in fact you could be putting your health at risk by unnecessarily going 'gluten free'. You may be missing out on vital nutrients from the foods that have gluten in them naturally and many gluten free products are fortified with additional nutrients because of this......always seek medical advice and a consultation with a nutritionist before changing your normal diet drastically.
What is traditionally a very rich dish, was made with 'lasagnettes', which are a type of ribbon pasta noodle, with copious amounts of soft cheese and herbs specific to the Drome area of Provence.
I have replaced the wheat pasta 'noodles' with butternut squash noodles which come ready prepared and cut in spaghetti-like lengths.
Vegetables prepared in this manner are available in many shops now which is great to see.......saves a lot of preparation in the kitchen and brings a little excitement to mealtimes with their fabulous colour, but if you can get your hands on a spiralizer or have the knife skills and the patience for a LOT! of chopping, then why not make your own.
When you have read the ingredients list you will think this dish is too rich and full of fats it can't be good for me! and it's true, it is rich and very tasty! but when you consider the vast quantities of cheese, butter and cream the French consume and how healthy the population are, well they must be doing something right!Moderation is the key.....high fat should be consumed with little or no carbs...this dish will feed 4 adults comfortably with a nice salad served on the side.....you're not mean't to eat the whole thing yourself!
For the Butternut Squash Gratin you will need:
250 g butternut squash 'noodles'
100 g soft goats cheese
100 g cream cheese
100 g salted butter
fresh black pepper
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon chopped summer savoury.....or 1 teaspoon each of chopped fresh rosemary & fresh thyme, dried herbs are a no no!
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley....try and get the flat leaf rather than the curly if you can
50 g grated gruyere or a nice firm, mature cheddarhow to:
- place the cream cheese and goats cheese in a deep bowl and begin to mash together with a fork, when they begin to soften you can change to a whisk
- gently melt the butter, add the chopped herbs then set aside to cool a little
- beat the egg in a small bowl then whisk it into the cheese mixture
- pour the butter and herbs into the cheese and whisk well, you will get a lovely sauce forming as you whisk
- add the squash 'noodles' into the bowl of sauce and mix gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until all the noodles are coated in the sauce
- put your saucy noodles in a large gratin dish or even individual dishes, top with grated cheese
- bake in a pre-heated oven 160oC until golden brown on top, about 18 - 20 minutes
Serve with a simple baby spinach mixed leaf salad and your favourite dressing......bon appetit!
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