PLAINVIEW'S PASSOVER PARADISE

See this?


















Here's a close-up.


















And look over here!


















I took the above shots on Friday at the ShopRite of Morton Village in Plainview, Long Island. Weeks ago I found many gluten-free Kosher for Passover products at the very same location, but on this return visit I found even more gluten-free goodies. Many of the above products are gluten-free—and they're just a sampling of the supermarket's current gluten-free stock.

The bait that drew me back to the store: gluten-free frozen mini-eclairs that my mother had spotted. I tend to be skeptical about the quality of Kosher gluten-free foods...and the cream in the mini-eclairs wasn't really cream...but those frozen eclairs—from Frank's Gourmet Bakery—were good enough to win me over (especially when still unthawed) and pique my interest about what else I might find there.

The above shots show the displays that greeted me as I entered the store. Many (but not all) of the items were gluten-free (labeled as such or as "non-gebrokts"); many (but not all) of the latter were from Shabtai Gourmet. When I last covered Shabtai, I mentioned "a very decadent almond pasty marble cakey treat that I'm having trouble identifying" that I now know is the French Chocolate Coffee Cake. I have now also had my first experience with Shabtai's very sweet and moist Krakofsky Cookies, made with almonds and honey.

Moving deeper into the ShopRite, I found another zone of interest: the central freezer section. Making several passes through this area, I found the frozen mini-eclairs and Kedem non-gebrokts gefilte fish (not frozen) as well as a trove of other products including gluten-free Spring Valley Cheese Blintzes made by the MilMar Food Group of Goshen, New York.

The Spring Valley Cheese Blintzes were near these products (many of which were gluten-free).


















It was around this point that my basket overflowed...

















...and I had to get a shopping cart to hold all the gluten-free booty. I figured I had to seize the moment because the products might only be there for Passover.

So yeah: Keep an eye out for gluten-free foods that might only be available for the next couple of weeks or so. Your best bets will probably be stores that specialize in Kosher food or at least temporarily stock up with foods that are Kosher for Passover. Be open-minded about trying out the foods—don't expect them to uniformly excellent or especially nutritious. And keep in mind that many of the foods might be frozen, so that you might have to find a way to keep them from melting after you buy them.

And remember: Look for the labels "gluten-free" and "non-gebrokts." The label "Kosher for Passover" is not sufficient, as it might well be applied to a product made with traditional matzoh or matzoh meal, which contains gluten.

And if you are thinking about going to this particular ShopRite, keep in mind that there are even more gluten-free goodies elsewhere in Plainview, where Dr. B. Well Naturally, Get Healthy America, and Fairway can be found along Manetto Hill Road. And there's even a Trader Joe's nearby!

Photos: David Marc Fischer

CONTE'S COMES TO MIDTOWN!

I first heard about the glories of Conte's Gluten-Free Pasta some months ago, then finally found some at Get Healthy America in Plainview, Long Island. I especially enjoyed the stuffed shells and the plump pasta pillows that are Conte's ravioli, and wondered when, if ever, I'd find them in New York City.

Well, I found them—at the Westerly Natural Market in Midtown West!

Here's what Conte's director Judy A. Sabella wrote to me about the safety of Conte's gluten-free products:

We are a USDA/FDA-approved facility, USDA est. #18969. Although we also process wheat, we take very seriously our responsibility to use good manufacturing practices to segregate materials and production to avoid cross-contamination.

As a USDA facility our machines, mixers, packers, etc are broken down at the end of each day, thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. The production room itself is washed down and cleaned.

On gf production days all equipment is cleaned a second time in the morning before production begins. During gf production ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER PRODUCT is introduced into the production area. If we are not running a full day of gf production we will do the gf first, empty the production room and then begin "regular" production. At no time do we have both items in the production area.

As I mentioned before our complete gf line is All-Natural, Wheat-Free, Soy-Free, non-GMO, and contain NO WBRO. I also want to mention that we have been manufacturing our gf line for close to ten years and I have never heard from anyone who has had a problem with any of them.

In case I didn't tell you before, here's some more good news. We are currently working on a variety of wheat-free/gluten-free microwave meals including things like Cheese Lasagna, Meat Lasagna, Vegetable Lasagna, Stuffed Shells w/Tomato Sauce, Cheese Manicotti w/Tomato Sauce, and, Spaghetti & Meatballs w/Tomato Sauce, as well as several others. We use our own gf Tomato Sauce and gf Meatballs. I anticipate these items becoming available some time in February.

Here's a picture of the pasta at Westerly; it's true that it's on the pricey side, but I assure you that the 191.84/lb. unit price is a complete error.


















Photo: David Marc Fischer

KNAIDEL SIGHTING!




















Yes, that's right: The ShopRite of Plainview, Long Island (Woodbury Road near South Oyster Bay Road; 516-938-0329), is carrying Lieber's Knaidel Mix for Passover. [UPDATE MARCH 26, 2007 I've also seen them at the Morton Village ShopRite, on Old Country Road in Plainview.] (As previously mentioned, Lieber's Knaidel Mix makes kosher, gluten-free potato dumplings that make very good substitutes for matzoh balls.) If going to Plainview means a big trip for you, call in advance to make sure the mix is still on the shelves.

Also in the area (along Manetto Hill Road): Fairway, Get Healthy America, and Dr. B. Well Naturally (8 Washington Avenue; 516-932-9355). Each has an well-curated stock of gluten-free foods.

Here's another kind of gf matzoh ball--the very hard kind.



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