AlwaysInformed: Gluten-Free Pizza and Beer at L’asso

The Gluttoness — September 14, 2009

It’s tough living with Celiac Disease, or any degree of gluten sensitivity. While places like Risotteria, S’Mac & Babycakes NYC have make dining out easier for many sufferers, sometimes the gluten-free alternatives aren’t as satisfying. Thankfully, for gluten-averse pizza lovers, L’asso (restaurant page) has joined the ranks of accommodating restaurants with their Still Riding gluten-free crust (right, L’asso’s clam pie). You can even wash it down with Redbridge’s gluten-free beer, which is made from sorghum as opposed to wheat or barley.

AlwaysLearning: Pão de Queijo

Arthur Bovino — September 04, 2009

Pão de Queijo in Astoria at New York Pão de Queijo, $1.75.

Pão de Queijo (pronounced, pow de KAY-ju, with a nasal ‘ow’) is an addictive, gluten-free, South American salgadinho.

Where it’s from: Pão de Queijo is one of many different salgadhinos (snacks), like Coxinha and Pastels, which you can find everywhere in Brazil. It is most often sold at cafés, where it’s eaten with espresso for breakfast while standing at a counter— though it can be found all day. Variations are said to be found in Bolivia, where they’re known as Cuñapé, and in Paraguay and Northern Argentina where they’re known as Chipás.

What it is: In Portuguese Pão de Queijo means ‘cheese bread.’ Bread isn’t quite accurate— gougère or cheese profiterole is more apt. Basically, it’s a domed cheese puff one to three inches wide, made using Povilho Azedo, cassava flour (tapioca starch) usually with Queijo de Minas cheese inside. Origins are murky, but it’s thought to have been created by slaves who harvested the yucca crops and gathered the starch leftover after processing. Starch was rolled into balls and baked. Later, when cattle-farming became widespread, cheese was introduced. One Brazilian chain that specializes in it, Casa do Pão de Queijo (founded in 1967 in São Paulo), attributes it to the 18th century in the state of Minas Gerais, a region in the Southeast of Brazil, a little less than 300 miles from Rio.

How it’s made: Recipes vary, but generally, milk, oil and butter are first mixed over heat. Then tapioca flour, eggs and cheese are added. After the mixture cools, balls of dough are formed and cooked for about twenty minutes. The combination of tapioca starch and cheese creates a slightly gummy, chewy consistency inside, like a palatable rubber cement. When done right, they are crisp on the outside and light, airy, warm and slightly chewy on the inside with full, cheesy flavor. One of Brazil’s best places for pão de queijo is in São Paulo— Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo —a little shop in a neighborhood called Jardins Paulista.

Where to get it in New York: There are pockets of Brazilian restaurants downtown (like Casa and Cafe La Palette in the West Village, and one place in the East Village, Esperanto) that serve pão de queijo, as well as a few in Midtown (Emporium Brasil) on what’s left of Little Brazil on 46th Street (“Little Brazil Street”) and also in Newark, and Astoria, Queens.

One AlwaysHungryNY.com favorite spot for pão is New York Pão de Queijo (right), a small café in Astoria. It has other treats including açai na tigela and a bevy of Brazilian fruit juices. Fair warning: once you’ve eaten one, it’s difficult to stop.

Featured Restaurant: Otto

July 21, 2009

Pepperoni Pizza with Spicy Salami, Cacio and Mozzarella

We recently enjoyed a great meal at Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali’s pizza and pasta joint, Otto. One of the best ways to dine at Otto is to sit at the bar at the front Enoteca and start with a cheese tasting accompanied by grissini and brandy-soaked cherries.

Especially during the summer, it’s nice to follow a light cheese course with Otto’s fresh vegetables and salads—take for example, the Cucumber and Radish Salad or the Summer Corn and Fregola. On a side note, it’s not on the menu, but if you ask, they’re happy to make a spot-on Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe. They will also make a gluten-free pasta on request.

Check out the pictures from a recent meal at Otto on its restaurant page here.