Coeliac Cooking

The reality star turned singer launches her first cookbook and it's Coeliac friendly

After winning The X-Factor: Celebrity at the end of 2019 and landing a deal with Simon Cowell’s record label, Megan McKenna was on the brink of taking her singing career to the next level. But then the pandemic hit.

Was the reality TV star – who found fame on shows like Ex On The Beach, Celebrity Big Brother and The Only Way Is Essex – gutted she had to put her music plans on hold?

“Everything happens in a weird way,” she says on a Zoom call from her home in Essex. “I’ve had time to do my writing and get all my material ready. It has held things back, but that’s fine – it held the whole world back, not just me.”

In fact, McKenna, who went to a performing arts school and released her debut album Story Of Me in 2018, relished the chance to slow down for once.

“I’ve been crazy for however many years I’ve been doing TV – seven or eight years. So to actually have time to do me… I was at home, I’m so lucky to have a lovely house with a garden.”

Passionate about cooking, the 29-year-old got busy in the kitchen instead. She shared cooking videos with her 2.4m Instagram followers, and found her gluten-free recipes struck a chord.

Diagnosed with coeliac disease – where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten – and a wheat allergy in her teens, McKenna knows the stigma that can come with a gluten-free diet.

“People automatically think you’re fussy. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re just one of them, you’re just gluten-free’. But no, actually, it can make me really, really ill,” says the London-born celeb.

“With wheat, I get hives, allergic reactions. With the coeliac, it’s more of a lifelong autoimmune disease. So if I keep eating [gluten], in later life it can cause complications.”

There’s no cure for the condition, but McKenna, who is in a relationship with business owner Josh Riley (“we’re very happy and he loves my cooking, which is always a bonus,” is all she’ll say on that matter), has learned to overcome the shame she used to feel about being different.

“I always used to say to my mum ‘I wish I was normal’. When you’re at school, you just want to have school dinners, you don’t really want to stand out, do you? I did feel a little bit like the odd one out.

“But my mum has always been the most incredible cook, and has been able to cook for me from scratch. This is what I wanted to put across in the book: you don’t have to eat a salad, you don’t have to eat boring [things]. You can eat pastries, you can eat cake.”

That book is Can You Make That Gluten-Free? – and the title is inspired by the culinary question McKenna gets asked the most.

In it, she shares the recipes she swears by, such as the fluffy, American-style pancakes that are her weekday breakfast go-to, the Sunday staple of beef and crispy roasties, and a host of colourful cakes and puds.

“The book isn’t just for allergy people,” she insists. “Some of the recipes in the book are naturally gluten-free anyway. That’s just how I cook.”

McKenna, who was known on reality TV for her fiery personality, showed off her skills on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021, making it to the final before being pipped to the post by Paralympian Kadeena Cox.

“Every single person on the judging panel said they would never know it was gluten-free,” she recalls. “I know I can make the food taste amazing, that’s why I’m so confident with this book. I honestly think it’s going to change people’s lives.”

Having guested on so many TV shows, would she like to front her own cooking series? “That would be amazing! I never know what’s in the pipeline, but being able to make people realise you can eat amazing [gluten-free food] is my goal.”

Music is her other big focus. After touring with Michael Ball and Alfie Boe in 2021, the singer is gearing up to release more music soon, and hints at some “really exciting big things coming up”.

And with a big 3-0 in September, she’s excited about what the future holds. “I feel like my 30s are going to be the best time of my life. I feel like my 20s were a learning curve. I’ve done a lot in my 20s – a lot – and I feel like I’ve moulded into who I am now.”

She continues: “I’ve learnt from all my mistakes, I’ve grown up, I’ve got my home. So I think my 30s will be about living my dream.”

Pancakes with Crispy Bacon and Maple Syrup

These fluffy, American-style gluten free pancakes are the singer’s signature brekkie dish. Megan says she has these gluten-free pancakes for breakfast five days a week.

“­They are so good, and fluff y too! ­ The demand for these bad boys has been crazy. Pair them with my crispy bacon and maple syrup.”

INGREDIENTS:

◆ 450g gluten-free self-raising flour

◆ 2 eggs

◆ 300ml semi-skimmed milk

◆ Olive oil, for frying

FOR THE BACON:

◆ 1tbsp olive oil

◆ 1 x 200g pack streaky bacon

◆ Maple syrup for drizzling

◆ Strawberries, for garnish

(optional)

METHOD:

➊ Put your flour, eggs and milk into a large bowl and whisk until smooth.

➋ Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan over a low heat. When hot, add one heaped tablespoon of your pancake batter and swirl it into a small circle about five millimetres thick. Depending on the size of the pan, add another one or two spoonful’s in the same way. The circles look thin, but they will rise, don’t you worry!

➌ Turn the heat up to medium and cook for about one minute on each side, until fluffed up and lightly speckled brown. You’ll know when they’re ready.

➍ Transfer the pancakes to a plate and keep warm while you make as many more pancakes as you can with the remaining batter. Remember to heat a spoonful of oil for each batch.

➎ For the bacon, heat your olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add your bacon and cook for six to seven minutes, turning as needed.

➏ Once golden and crisp, drain on kitchen paper, then serve on top of your fl u y pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup. If you want to be extra fancy, cut up some strawberries and add them too.

Parmesan risotto with garlic prawns

An easy dinner that pairs perfectly with a glass of white wine.

“A creamy risotto loaded with Parmesan and juicy prawns is a great combination,” says Megan.

“It’s so rich in flavour, you don’t need much of it on your plate. A glass of white wine complements this meal beautifully.”

(SERVES 4)

INGREDIENTS:

◆ 750ml gluten-free chicken stock

◆ 60g unsalted butter 1 onion, diced

◆ 4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed, 2 fi nely

chopped

◆ 240g carnaroli rice

◆ 125ml dry white wine

◆ 150g Parmesan cheese, grated

◆ 4tbsp double cream

◆ Zest of 2 lemons

◆ Juice of half a lemon

◆ Olive oil, for frying

◆ 2 bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

◆ 12 large raw peeled prawns, deveined

◆ Sea salt flakes and black pepper

◆ Lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD:

➊ Pour your stock into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and keep warm. Place half your butter in a separate saucepan over a medium heat. When melted, add your onion and cook for four minutes, until slightly softened.

➋ Add your crushed garlic and cook for one minute.

➌ Stir in your rice and one teaspoon of salt and cook for about three minutes, stirring often, until the grains start to become translucent. It’s really important to keep stirring, so your rice doesn’t stick!

➍ Add your white wine and stir for about two minutes, until the pan is almost dry.

➎ Add a cupful of your warm stock and continue cooking and stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed; this will take about four minutes.

➏ Continue adding the stock a cup at a time, allowing each addition to be almost fully absorbed before adding the next.

When all the stock has been used, the risotto should be moist but not loose, with al dente grains.

➐ Take the pan off the heat and stir in your Parmesan, cream, lemon zest and half the lemon juice, one teaspoon of pepper and your remaining butter. Taste and season with extra salt if you like.

➑ Place two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over a low heat, add your chillies and chopped garlic and leave to infused for one to two minutes.

➒ Add your prawns and cook until they’re nice and pink; about three to four minutes should do it.

➓ Serve your risotto in shallow bowls and top with the prawns, making sure to leave any excess oil in the pan. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chillies over the prawns and add a wedge of lemon on the side of the bowl with the risotto.

Chocolate brownie

With hazelnut spread and white chocolate chips, these gluten-free brownies are deliciously indulgent.

“Who doesn’t love a batch of freshly cooked brownies to dip into?” asks Megan.

She recommends eating these brownies warm, with a scoop of ice cream.

MAKES 12)

INGREDIENTS:

◆ 170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

◆ 200g caster sugar

◆ 90g brown sugar

◆ 3 large eggs

◆ 1tsp vanilla extract

◆ 3tbsp chocolate and hazelnut spread

◆ 70g gluten-free self-raising flour

◆ 40g cocoa powder

◆ 100g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

METHOD:

➊ Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6). Line the bottom and sides of a deep 30 x 20 centimetre baking tray with nonstick baking paper.

➋ Place your butter in a large bowl, add your two sugars and whisk together until smooth and creamy.

➌ Add your eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Now whisk in your vanilla extract and chocolate spread.

➍ Sift in your flour and cocoa powder, then fold in with a spoon until completely combined.

➎ Finally, fold in your white chocolate pieces.

➏ Pour your brownie mixture into the prepared tray and smooth the surface.

➐ Bake for 50 minutes, reducing the heat to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4) after 20 minutes.

➑ Set aside to cool before cutting into pieces and serving

Can You Make That Gluten-Free? by Megan McKenna is published by Hamlyn, priced £20. Photography by Louise Hagger. Available now.

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