TABLE Magazine’s friend, Liz Fetchin, a native Pittsburgher, PR firm director, everyday home cook, and food blogger shares easy but delicious recipes free of the top 8 most common food allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Liz’s amazing Octofree® recipes are delectable for all!

Gluten-free pasta has come a long way, both in terms of texture (al dente and gluten-free are no longer mutually exclusive) and ingredients. While choices were once limited to varieties made from brown rice or corn, it’s now easy to find beautiful and colorful varieties that incorporate healthful ingredients such as lentils, beans, quinoa, and even charcoal. We tested different shapes and varieties to arrive at these three flavorful, complex, and visually-pleasing dishes for your spring table. We even used dairy alternatives to make the dishes accessible to a wider swath of people with food sensitivities. We’d proudly serve the results to any guests—even those without dietary restrictions.

 For more allergen-free recipes and perspectives, visit Liz Fetchin’s blog, Octofree at octofree.com.

Chicken Harissa Pasta

Ingredients

• 8 small carrots, trimmed and peeled

• 1 zucchini, trimmed and chopped to ¼ inch pieces

• 1 medium eggplant, trimmed, peeled, most seeds removed, chopped to ¼ inch pieces

• 1 medium yellow onion, trimmed, peeled, chopped to ¼ inch pieces

• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 6 oz can of tomato paste

• 1 cup red wine

• 3 tsp turmeric

• 5 tsp Spicewalla harissa powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp cayenne, optional

• 1 lb chicken thighs

• 1 lb gluten-free chickpea pasta

• Juice of one lemon

 Instructions

• Place all chopped vegetables in a Dutch oven.

• Whisk together olive oil, tomato paste, wine, and spices. Pour into Dutch oven and toss until vegetables are uniformly coated.

• Place chicken thighs on top.

• Bake covered for 45 minutes.

• After 35 minutes, prepare chickpea pasta according to instructions but drain in a colander when still very al dente.

• Remove Dutch oven from the oven. Carefully remove chicken thighs and set aside.

• Add pasta to the remaining vegetable and broth mixture.

• Add lemon juice. Stir until combined. Place chicken thighs on top and let sit covered for 5 minutes before serving.

Story by Liz Fetchin/ Food Styling Anna Calabrese/ ⁠Photography by Dave Bryce/ Follow Octofree®