You say Bombay curry salad, I say have you never taken post-colonial theory?

First, an apology. I just saw my last few posts in Google Reader and am appalled at my personal use of exclamation points in titles. As someone who almost literally had exclamation points (all hyperbole, really) beaten out of me in late undergrad/early grad school years, I feel shamed for having exposed you to that. Resolution #1 for 2010: no exclamation points, at least in titles.

And now, back to the serious purpose of this blog -- to review and rate celiac-safe foods and recipes. And what a great time to do it, right after our first holiday season with the disease.

First, again, my recent experience affirms the fact that celiac disease does not lead to automatic weight loss. JFG and I continue to fight pounds carefully acquired during Thanksgiving, following a week of stuffing and pumpkin pie. Christmas followed, with more stuffing, pie, cheesecake, tamales, cheese and cookies -- all gluten-free. Fear not -- fat is still available to you, my fellow celiacs-by-marriage.

Second, I am equally sure that it does take a little creativity and trial and error. In a later post I'll talk about the gluten-free tasting we experienced at Gluten-Free Creations in Phoenix. Today, I'd like to share a recipe from the back of a quinoa pasta box (after all, shouldn't the producers know best what to do with their product?).

I've reviewed gluten-free pasta before. By far, the best we've tried so far is Ancient Harvest Quinoa Supergrain (Super Grain? Can't really tell by the label -- it's all in capital letters) Gluten-Free Elbow Pasta. It's a robust pasta, holds up well in boiling water, and tastes great. All of these traits make it a wonderful gluten-free pasta for pasta salads, sometimes a challenge with rice pastas because the noodles frequently turn to mush.

On the back of the current pasta box is a recipe for Bombay Curry Salad. I am sad to report that the company seems undisturbed by their use of a colonial geographic label. This title is made even more ironic by the lengthy history of the quinoa grain that appears next to the recipe, highlighting its ancient Mayan roots.

'Nuf said. I shall instead use the post-colonial city name since I understand irony.

Mumbai curry salad
1 package supergrain gluten-free pasta
2 tbs butter or oil
1/2 cup sour cream (we used fat-free)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (fat-free)
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic (what the heck, throw in three)
1 green pepper
1/2 cup celery (make the pieces big enough to pick out)
3 scallions
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 walnuts

It actually also called for pimentos, but I can't add those to anything without feeling like I should be vaccuuming in high heels and an apron.

Cook the pasta. Drain it, mix in the butter or oil and let it cool. While it cools, combine all ingredients (maybe my favorite three words), sour cream through walnuts. Mix into pasta and chill. Serves four.

It's a dish clearly nostalgic of the way America imagined Indian food in the 1950s. It wishes for a simpler time when white/brown dichotomies were clearer. But it's a really good pasta salad.