Month: December 2012

Tomato and rice soup…

Basically this story starts with a can of Campbell’s condensed soup – ‘mmm mmm good’ and all that. I loved this soup so much and then, as seems to happen with favorite items, the company discontinued it. Thanks Campbell’s. Okay, okay…they haven’t discontinued it, but they have repackaged it with the twee new name of ‘Old Fashioned Tomato Rice soup’…’You may also like Chicken With Rice…’, they chirrup…well, no, actually I would not, so naff off. Anyway, as I’m the snippy sort, I’ve turned my back on the tinned version and started making my own.

Hold on though, let me tell you something else. It’s december and I’m buying tomatoes?!?! What’s wrong with me?!? They’re not in season! Britain’s growing season is officially March till October (and that’s pushing it, love) so what in the name of Devi Annapurna am I doing buying tomatoes in December? Pur-lease. They’re not that great at the best of times but come on, some flown-in, carbon footprint wrecking, insipid tasting, red orbs that have been bred to please our body fascist aesthetics in some far flung land are hardly the way forward. No wonder I’m roasting the poor forced darlings…(breathe, breathe…)

Anyhoo…

As I’ve said before I’m a bit rubbish with the whole recipe malarkey as I usually make it up as I go along but I’m bowing to pressure and attempting to include one here…well…it’s a recipe of sorts…don’t judge me!

  • 16 tomatoes (cos that’s what I had) – try greengrocers or market stalls for tomato deals. Chances are they might think the tomatoes are at the end of their tether but that’s when they are ideal for this soup. Don’t be afraid of produce that’s not body-beautiful or a tad past it’s prime – everything has its time and place.
  • A right big beggar of an onion – chopped up
  • A couple of medium sized carrots – washed, trimmed and chopped up
  • Few choice herbs. I flung some dried basil in. Ubiquitous to add basil I know but the dried stuff seems to work and you’re more likely to have it as a store cupboard staple (arent you?!) I’ll be honest and tell you that as I was rummaging for a green herb to add I saw paprika so I pinched a soupçon (terrible pun) of that in too…I’m on the edge arent I?!?
  • Chicken broth – obviously this could be/should be vegetable stock (Marigold boullion being my choice of the powder form. This only applies if you’re not a pupil of Nigella and don’t have a freezer full of old ice cream containers with various stocks you’ve made earlier…) – anyway, I like the chicken undercurrent and it’s all there was today so…
  • A mug of rice. I use brown as it’s just better for you and the nuttier taste adds a certain something I think, but the original was of course bleached white grains that mushed in your mouth. Hmmm…gak!

Chop the tomatoes across their middles and place them on their heads and tails on a roasting tray. Brush a touch of olive oil over them and season if you fancy. Bear in mind the stock will be salty, unless you use a reduced sodium version, but even so go easy on the salt please. Let the flavour of the tomatoes be the queen here and not usurped by salt! Roast these for a good 40 minutes in a hottish oven or until they are starting to colour and seem to dry out as-it-were.

You could turn the oven down really low and just let them shrivel and intensify (not burn though!) and you’d have delicious slow roasted tomatoes which you can keep in the fridge for a good while (especially if you keep them in olive oil) and add them to everything. Bliss.

Anyhoo…after you’ve put the tomatoes in put the rice on to cook and then when the tomatoes are nearly done sauté the onions and carrots with the basil (keep them moving as you don’t want them to catch, just to surrender). After a few minutes add the stock and let the whole thing gently simmer till the tomatoes are ready. Add them to the broth and carry on simmering them to get them all to mingle like a middle class suburban swingers party. Get in! Or just turn off the heat, put a lid on it and let it cool down.

Once it’s cool enough to blend, do so. I use a hand held jobbie as I can’t be faffed with all the back and forth of a blender…but do what you have to do. Blend it to the consitency you fancy…that’s your choice and let no one take it from you! Add the rice…and voila!

BTW tomatoes are pretty good for you too. These fruits contain vitamins (A,C and E) and flavonoids (anti-inflammatories) and minerals. The biggest fuss is about their lycopene content. This is an antioxidant that mops up free radicals (that damage your cells), and therefore help in the battle against cancer, and has been linked recently to healthier, less wrinkly skin – score! Two very important factors to consider are that, firstly, the tomato must be eaten whole to get the true benefits (surely life’s too short to peel a tomato anyway…sheesh…!) AND the ‘meddled-with’ tomatoes that arrive from abroad have usually been bred to last longer and this can potential negate their health benefits…so, as I like to say at any opportunity, gorge on them when they are in season and then forget about them for the rest of the year…

…thank you.

Salt…

If we go with the theory of there being five basic tastes – sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami – then it’s no surprise we like salt, is it? I’d go even further and say we are not actually truly aware just how much salt we ‘like’ as it is simply in everything!! So we are just cranked up to taste it, and therefore, almost immune to the levels we taste and consume it at.

Sodium chloride, or common salt, occurs naturally in the world as the mineral halite. The sea is considered an inexhaustible source but there are underground deposits that are mined also. Salt even arrives on earth from Mars! Over 250 million tonnes of salt is produced every year. Cubic in form and available in different sizes. From the rougher, larger forms for winter roadway deicing, through to the courser forms like kosher and pickling salt, and on to the finer granules used as table salt. Salt is used in pickling, canning, preserving, curing, water conditioning and in the making of hundreds of things including bread, butter, cheese, industrial chemicals, wood pulp, rubber, dyes, soaps, glass, polyester and so on….in fact it has around 14,000 different uses!

But the aspect of all this that we are interested in here is what it means to our bodies and its use in the food industry. Salt is the oldest known food additive and has been used to preserve food for centuries (it’s been collected in some part of the world since 6000 BC and the Ancient Egyptians used it to preserve fish back then…), but now it seems to crop up in everything. The British Heart Foundation recommends no more than 6g a day, that’s about a teaspoon. Bear in mind that’s collectively throughout the day so you have to include not only the salt you add as seasoning but the salt already contained within the products you buy and consume. The majority of ready made foods and processed items contain salt. The greatest part of your salt intake will be from these foods rather than the salt you knowingly add. Even items that you think of as ‘sweet’ have salt in them! Read the  labels of the products in your cupboards (breakfast cereals for instance) and you’ll be in for a shock. If an item has more than 1.5g salt or 0.6g sodium per 100g then it’s high and should be avoided. As with sugar the rule of thumb is the more processed and packaged a food item is the more likely it is to be packed with salty nasties. Avoid…!

Many people eat too much salt. You only have to do a quick calculation of a days intake to know if you’re one of them! However, salt (sodium) is vital to human life as it regulates the water balance in our bodies, keeping us hydrated, and is used in nerve and muscle function.

It is generally said that salt puts you at risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) which means you then risk the grim likes of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke. BUT here’s a twist in the tale…some recent research has shown this is not strictly the case and that it could be only those who are ‘salt sensitive’ that may benefit from a reduced intake. It is a hotly contested debate. The British Heart Foundation recommends a reduced sodium diet and intake, warning of the possible dangers, yet there are those disputing the benefits of this reduction like the American Journal of Hypertension saying, ‘there is not any positive direct evidence to support such recommendations.’ Well…I’ll be…! BUT (again) other studies and scientific journals state categorically that we should reduce our sodium intake below 6g per day to reduce the risks of any consequential ill health.

Dehydration and swelling also feature as salt related concerns. There is no doubt that excess salt makes you thirsty and crave fluids, which in turn could be retained by the body making you feel bloated and swelling your ankles, feet and calves particularly…not a good look. Osteoporosis and kidney disorders are said to be linked to excess salt in the diet. Too much salt could also be giving you acid reflux or heart burn as it can mess with your acid balance…and the list goes on.
SO, surely (I know…don’t call me Shirley) anything above what your body actually, truthfully, practically needs is excessive…let’s use a bit of logic here and just think that until there is a definitive, proof laden decision on the health aspect..why risk it?!? WHY?!!?
So let’s make a deal and cut back and be healthier. Deal? Great!
Let’s shake on it…

Lancashire ‘Enamel Plate’ Cheese & Onion Pie…

I love pie. It’s a bit of a swear word isn’t it these days? Protestations of fat content etc. Fair comment but I’d rather just move about a bit more and cut a calorific corner elsewhere than give up pies. Rummaging through The Mothers stash of stuff (in her Glory Hole! Can you actually believe that the cupboard where all the ‘junk’ is kept, that won’t ever be thrown out, is called that?!? Tee hee…) anyway, rummaging in this…place…I unearthed an enamel plate. ‘For pies’, said The Mother as casual a you like as she dragged on a tab. ‘Those cheese and onion ones you used to love. Well, you did!!’ She adds off my look, which she has mistaken for disbelief at her story instead of disbelief that I’ve not had one of these pies for about thirty years. Thirty bloody years…that I’ll never get back…! Humph.

The Mother’s recipe is: roll out the pastry (‘Of course there’s a double crust! It’s hardly a proper pie without it, is it?!’ Quote, unquote – plus heaps of tutting…) and pile the base with onions cut up small (don’t grate the onions it creates too much water) and grated cheese. Pile it high. Then put a crust layer over this and baste with milk (wouldn’t waste an egg!) and cook it till it’s brown and ready (oh…right…brown and ready…) It’s lovely cold too.’

Hmmm, well, I like a vague recipe as much as the next man but I need a little more. So I did the following but it’s just a starting place so make of it what you will…and I’m not exactly famous for my detailed recipes either but it went something like this…

First, of course, there’s the plate! If you don’t have a rellie that hoards everything then they are available to buy if you want the authentic feel. http://www.lakeland.co.uk/in-the-kitchen/baking/bakeware/pie-dishes and http://homecookonline.com/index.php/enamelware-1.html have them. The one I am using is a 26cm one…or just use something else…don’t stress it…

I sliced and sautéed the onions (1 good size (bigger than medium but not supersized!) white onion and a couple of small/medium sized red onions – sliced)…

…with the teeniest bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt and flung the herbs in (pinches of various herbs – I used thyme, oregano, tarragon and basil as that’s what I found and couldn’t decide between them so used them all!) and ‘sweated’ them down. Meanwhile I rolled out the pastry (250g of short crust pastry – yes I could make my own but I can’t be naffed. So beat me…on the bottom…with some wet celery) and eased it onto the plate (buttered!)…

…I cut away the excess and rolled out the ‘top’. When the onions had kindly agreed to break down and were translucent with excitement I mixed them in a bowl with the grated cheese (150g mature cheddar)…

…Piled this high as instructed (so biddable) and then put the top crust over this. I bathed the top in milk (in agreement with the ‘wouldn’t waste an egg’ comment)…

…and put it in an oven at about 200 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes…or might have been less…or more…just till it was brown and ready!

Then for goodness sake, that’s enough faffing about…eat it….!

Cheese can be a wonderful source of calcium, phosphorous and protein but it comes at a saturated fat and high salt content price, in most cases. Some cheese is made with skimmed milk and that decreases its fat quota a bit but ultimately it’s an item you want to eat in moderation and be aware of the variations between the cheeses. For instance Parmesan is lower in fat and highest in calcium and zinc but has much more salt.

Onions are high in phytochemicals/phytonutrients (non-nutritive plant compounds that aren’t used for sustaining life but rather for other aspects like protecting the plant, fighting diseases and also colour and scent). The one often mentioned is quercetin which is thought to sweep through the body removing harmful free radicals whilst simultaneously supporting the cardiovascular system, the immune system, bone health and assisting with congestion and fighting mild allergies! Red onions (especially the outer layers) are packed with this and many other wonder compounds too.

Sugar…again…

I’m just a adding a footnote to the previous sugar post as a quick response to many interesting comments about the difficulties of giving up sugar completely and what to use instead. Natural sweeteners being the option.

In an ideal world we would all be ‘added sugar’ free and ‘naturally occurring sugar’ all the way. I love many sweet things but have trained myself to think of them as treats rather than the norm. I come from a generation brought up on dinner and a pudding. There was always a pudding…something sweet after the savoury. These days, as many of you will know, I fall on a dark sumptuous chocolate (from Paul A Young invariably) and revel in that. My days of jam roly-poly and treacle sponge are over. Not because I’m so saintly and marvellous, far from it,  simply because I don’t live the sort of life that would burn that kind of energy anymore (poor old thing)!…and, frankly, these were always made by The Aunt or The Mother neither of whom are within striking distance for them to indulge me!

I’m so anti diets as a form of healthy living that I could commit a crime. It’s a life style change. And, as it’s going to be the way you are going to live for the rest of your healthy life, build it slowly but surely and, armed with information and knowledge, create a sustainable and individually tailored healthy way of eating, drinking, exercising and living!

I agree with comments saying that our first step has to be the label reading element. Sugar is added to so many products we buy in the stores that it is mind-boggling. So let’s try to not buy the tins and packaged food that has all the sugar (and salt) added. Easier said that done, I realise, as it is so prevalent (and often the alternatives are much, much more expensive) but we have to try, right?

As we are addicted to sugar, by all research and accounts, I’d say going cold turkey and not eating a single molecule of the stuff is going to be pretty hard for most of us. This brings us back to natural sweeteners. Many ‘natural’ sweeteners actually have been produced with an element of processing or unnatural additions, so look for this on the label. Some products are also combined with sugar alcohols (pitched to you as ‘naturally occurring’) like the popular bulking agent erythritol (in loads of products like chewing gum and is often combined with stevia) or new lab created varieties of scary sugariness like the dodgy sounding crystalline fructose (completely unnatural and popular in beverages). Obviously, the more actually natural the better! Otherwise it’s a waste of effort…

There are a gazillion sites on the internet either extolling or vilifying the virtues of each and every one of these sweeteners. Some fare better than others. As ever and always, when we are talking about such a vital and fundamental element of your health, research and arm yourself with as many non-partisan facts as possible! Some initial factors of all the information I’ve looked at so far is that you will have to look out for certain things when making your choices:

Nutritional element. This is key as we are trying to limit the damage and ease ourselves away from sweet tasting foods. Dark natural sweeteners like black strap molasses have lots of minerals (including selenium) but might cause a spike in blood sugar levels whereas agave will not but has heaps more calories. Some of these products have other value like anti-inflammatory or  anti-fatigue properties and so on…ALSO just because a product occurs naturally in plants doesn’t mean you should just accept it as healthy. Erythritol, for instance, occurs naturally in some fruits but it isn’t as sweet as sugar and so is often used in conjunction with another sweeter substance like stevia. It also is championed for its lack of calories, kindness to teeth and because it doesn’t affect blood sugar…well, that’s nice but these are empty calories that also cause bloating, upset stomachs and diarrhea (hence the ‘laxative’ warning on sugar free sweets).

Taste. All these products have different baseline tastes (and behave differently when baked) so consider carefully what you want the sweetener for. Darker syrups (brown rice, barley), jaggery and molasses tend to work well with strong flavours like coffee or curries, for example, but might give your baked products a strange (not unpleasant) aftertaste. Stevia and agave will be better for these, but really it comes down to personal taste, as ever…

Sustainability. Whilst we are being so good we might as well throw another boulder on our globally responsible shoulders. Many of these sweeteners – to be truly natural – are not very commercially viable so beware that corners might get cut. Agave is a good example. Yes, it’s vegan and ancient but the plant takes 7 – 10 years to mature and then is fully harvested. Maple syrup is hugely time consuming to produce etc…

What I’m saying is that you need to be aware of all the factors of each of the sweet product you choose so you can adjust accordingly. Balance, moderation and ultimately diminishing the use to the least possible amount…we are not machines after all…

More anon on this subject no doubt…!