Capone’s Bolognese Sauce
The additional step of cooking the garlic separately from the sauce makes a huge difference, this sauce is beyond compare.
*Served with gluten-free spaghetti

A few months ago, my mom and I attended the CSA Conference in Kansas City. To say I learned a wealth of knowledge during the conference would be an understatement. At the end of the second day, the gluten-free exhibit opened for a private viewing for those of us who attended the conference. The next day the exhibit would be open to the public and a general free-for-all.

Mom and I traveled the exhibit room, sampling bits and bites of the offerings from many of the major companies approved by the CSA organization. New to this whole gluten-free thing, I was only familiar with the big label brands that are sold at my local grocery store’s health market. I had no idea there are so many incredible companies that have delicious products and flour blends.

Maya’s Caramel Apple Crostata
I used Mary’s recipe for Italian Shortbread Crust and turned the Crostata into a tart.
We’ve made this several times, in fact… we have it sitting in the fridge right now.   The flavor is intense, but not overly sweet.  Perfect.

Besides meeting a rep from Woodchuck, my favorite part of the exhibit was meeting Mary Capone, the founder of The Wheat Free Gourmet and Bella Gluten Free Products. The Wheat Free Gourmet is a cooking school dedicated to teaching much beyond the basics of allergen cooking, Mary enables people to live a gluten-free life without the stress that comes with not understanding how it all works.

When I met Mary I was smitten at first sight. The most gracious, kind, down-to-earth woman looked me in the eyes and I knew she was a kindred spirit, completely warm and welcoming. At the time, I had no idea she was what I would soon refer to as The Gluten Free Princess. She handed me a cookie tart filled with a lemon curd which melted in my mouth, then… she gave me a slice of warm cinnamon raisin bread that was so delicious I actually yearned for more. It was bread and pastry perfection.

Mary graciously sent me a copy of her cookbook along with a bag of her multi-grain bread and all-purpose baking mix just before Thanksgiving. In the rush of the holidays and then a never-ending virus The Husband and I have been passing back and forth, I am long overdue for this review. Saddest of all, I feel like I’ve done a great disservice by not extolling the virtues of this incredible cookbook and flour blend sooner.

Stuffed Flank Steak
There are no words to describe this dish.  I served it with Mary’s Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi.
I made the entire steak up, even though it was just for The Husband and I.  The recipe yielded 6 Stuffed Steaks for me.  I had 2… but the serving dish was empty at the end of dinner.
The Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi were packed with flavor, I was a little skeptical at first, knowing that a traditional gnocchi would be made from potato but these turned out to be one of my favorite recipes from the book.

The cookbook itself is an incredible collection of recipes and stories from Mary’s childhood that she has converted to gluten-free. Not only are the recipes easy, they are explained in a way that even a novice could follow. The life behind the recipes makes you long to make them, hoping for a glimmer of the lifestyle she leads, where families still gather and traditions are upheld.

Between the two of us, The Husband and I have made almost twenty recipes from the cookbook and all have been nothing short of incredible. In fact, I’ve made several of the recipes more than once… knocking some of my “go-to” recipes out of rotation and replacing them with Mary’s recipes (the bolognese sauce simply cannot be beat).

The Bella All Purpose Baking mix is delicious, and these days, I’m finding myself drawn to 100% Natural ingredients more and more. Thankfully, the mix is not only 100% Natural, but it’s delicious and SO easy to use! The xanthan gum is already included in the mix, making it a cup-for-cup substitution for all purpose (wheat) flour. The baking mix doesn’t have any funky after-tastes as well as ensuring no grainy, gritty textures.

What I love most about the cookbook is the fact that Mary opens not only her heart into what she does, but she gives you the tools to do it all on your own. Included in the first few pages is a complete guide to gluten-free flours, where they come from and what uses are best for each. Then, instead of holding on to the recipe for her success, the All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, she gives the recipe so it’s easy to duplicate at home.

I cannot recommend this cookbook enough. You can find it at Mary’s website (where it’s on sale!)or on Amazon.   Take yourself on a gluten-free journey and get in the kitchen.

Mary has graciously offered to give away a package of her All Purpose baking mix and because I believe in it so much, I’m going to buy a copy of the cookbook for her to throw in for a lucky winner. You can leave a comment here, telling Mary & I what your favorite Italian dish is, or drop me a line on Facebook. I’ll announce the winner on Friday, January 28. Happy Cooking!

Additional recipes we made but were used during dinner parties (therefore, not photographed):
Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs: Incredible. I made it with Mary’s Garlic Soup Stock.   The best Wedding Soup I’ve ever had or made.

Cheese and Garlic Breadsticks: Unbelievably delicious.  I made them using Mary’s recipe for her own baking mix.  They were a huge hit.

Italian Flatbread (The Focaccia with Rosemary and Olives Variety).  Again, I made this using Mary’s recipe for her own baking mix, but the recipe called for additional flours in addition to the baking mix.  I omitted the chickpea flour, substituting it for Sorghum.

Potato Gnocchi: Super easy and delicious!  Served it with Capone’s Marinara Sauce, and another variation of the Italian Flatbread.

Easy Oven Risotto: This took all of the guess work out of the Risotto dishes I’ve made in the past.  So easy. So delicious… and the taste was just as good as the traditional method of cooking.

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