Ack, I’ve not posted in a long time. Things have been very busy – I’m on the road again (so to speak) back working on that project for work. Luckily I’m able to stay at my parents’ home, so its a bit more calming to come back after work.
What’s even nicer is being with my family for the holidays. We just started Navaratri, which is 9 nights of walking through the path from working to eliminate/tame negative qualities of the personality; working next to build up the good; and finally reaching for the understanding of what else can be. Throughout it all, there is an examination of G-d in our lives and the power of G-d to both ruthlessly eliminate evil and just as determinedly raise the good. It is my favorite holiday of the year – a very joyful and at the same time contemplative time. The first night was Saturday, September 19, with the last night on Sunday, September 27. The 28th is the tenth day, also celebrated as the culmination and victory of the entire process.
Every year so far I’ve marked the holiday with a different sweet for each of the 9 nights. They nearly all involved various preparations with wheat or other glutenous products. So this year is my first trying to create things gluten-free. Many of the dishes are very (very!) traditional, with a set taste, memory, and method. The hardest kind of dishes, in other words, to adapt. While I’m looking for naturally gluten-free breads in regular life, for the holiday, its hard to think of something like that. So… I’ve been experimenting a lot in the kitchen.
Night 1: Traditionally, I’ve done a kind of sweet porridge made with cream-of-wheat, milk (enter lactose-pill), sugar, raisins, and some butter (again, some discomfort endured). It is hands-down my favorite sweet, always has been. The cream-of-wheat is dry-toasted in a large non-stick skillet, and then the butter added – about 1 to 1.5 generous Tbsp for a 1/4 cup of cream-of-wheat. Lots of stirring with a soft spatula to prevent burning. When the granules formed, I’d add in sugar (1/4 to 1/3 cup), and a minute or two later, the milk (1/2 cup or so). The mixture soon starts to pull away from the sides of the skillet into a soft solid mass. Raisins are folded in (and optional almonds - I never liked to do that), and the entire thing removed to the serving plate. Very tasty.
This year, I’ve learned that cream-of-rice has the same texture and a lot of the same taste as the cream-of-wheat. Almond milk stood in for the “regular” milk. A “butter substitute” was the substitute for the regular butter. Sugar was maple-syrup sugar I got back last March from the sugaring at a local farm that month. Raisins – no problem there. I gave it a go, and it turned out really well! Texture = exactly the same. Taste = 99% the same. Appearance = 75% the same – it was brown instead of white due to the brown rice used, and the darker maple syrup sugar. I don’t think I’ll have any problem with this, and neither did the rest of the family.
Night 2: Normally, I’d do a carrot halwa similar to the linked recipe. Coarsely grated carrots cooked on the stovetop in a large skillet until nearly solid in a large saucepan with sugar, milk, cardamom, and a tiny bit of optional melted butter. Again, I went with the almond milk and the same local maple sugar. Carrots were local too, and the cardamom, well, likely quite far away for that spice. And the verdict? Again, happily positive – my mother said it was better than the “traditional” one I’ve done in the past. So this *can* be done after all…..
Carrot Halwa, Navratri 2009
Look for a report on nights 3 and 4 soon!
