Cooking with Celiac Diet
In June of 2017, Lapo, the youngest of the family, was diagnosed with Celiac disease. This chronic autoimmune disease meant that gluten had to be removed from his diet forever.
To eat and therefore cook “gluten free”, it is necessary to use products that are naturally gluten free or that have a “gluten free” seal on the label and be very careful when preparing every dish in order to avoid so-called “cross-contamination”. So, for us, it was a matter of facing a big revolution in our family life, which involved a re-organization of different aspects of our households including managing the shopping, the pantry, and the kitchen.
In order to give Lapo the support he needed to accept his new way of eating, we realized that it was possible to adopt a new perspective and continue to make our traditional family recipes where gluten is often part of the main ingredients. After several attempts, selecting, and experimenting, we learned to substitute “forbidden” ingredients for Lapo with ones that he is “allowed” to eat. We modified the consistency of the pasta dough and desserts to get the best result. We took on the challenge of making deep-fried foods lighter and more delicate by using different flours. We no longer had to skip delicious Tuscan crostini after we started making homemade bread. And we focused on meat dishes making them even more delectable than before. Basically, we never backed down. We carried on with a strong desire to keep “our ladies” on our table and in our hearts with their recipes.