27 avril 2006
Alternative diets
All from scratch: Pitta Bread, falafel and tzatziki
After
reading an article on macrobiotic food, I have increasingly been interested in
this diet. The article started with a typical macrobiotic menu:
Breakfast:
Quinoa, pumpkin seeds, yoghurt and fresh raspberries
Lunch: Tofu
patties
Dinner: Fish
green curry
Having never
been a fan of big fry ups, this simple menu convinced me to look for further
information.
Like most
people I was completely misinformed on macrobiotic. For me, it sounded like the
sort of diet followed by some anaemic hippies grazing on wheat grass and rancid
yoghurt.
The truth is
much more joyful. The term macro (great) biotic (life) first appeared in a
German book in the late 18th century. Since then, it has been
theorised and developed to what it is know as now: A diet characterised by
balancing yin and yang foods. A balance diet leading, theoretically to a
balanced life.
Yin
symbolises expansion while Yang characterises inward movement. Although both
sides should be balanced, foods considered extremely yin or yang are not to be
consumed. Extremely yang foods are typically meat and animal products including
eggs and extremely yin foods are coffee, refined sugar and chocolate.
While I do
not mind restricting yin foods, I strongly believe cutting off yang foods leads
to severe deficiencies.
Therefore,
reading and learning about macrobiotic diet is a way to introduce new
ingredients to my everyday meals. Such as tofu, whole grain, seeds, adzuki
beans, etc… It’s like discovering a new world of food and dishes.
My first
macrobiotic dinner was a delicious and healthy pitta filled with chickpeas and
tzatziki.
A very Middle
Eastern delight, easy to make and oh-so-tasteful.
Remembering
my hummus nightmare, I chose to use canned chickpeas for the falafel (A
combination of spicy chickpea It is rich in fibre and protein)
Falafel:
1 medium can of chick peas
3 garlic cloves
Cumin (1 teaspoon)
Flour (1 tablespoon)
Coriander and/ or parsley
1 egg
1 tb flour
Salt and
Pepper
Mix all
ingredients in a blender with flour and egg. Add a little water if necessary
but do not overblend. Shape into balls or patties and brown into little oil.
Tzatziki
originates from Greece
Drain 1 1 unsweetened
yoghurt in a cheesecloth for at least one hour. Finely chop a cucumber, remove
seed and drain for an hour.
Blend
drained yoghurt, fresh mint, lemon juice and a clove of garlic until smooth and
mix with the cucumber.
It is very important
to drain both yoghurt and cucumber, otherwise the tzatziki will turn into a
soup.
I used Barbara’s pitta bread recipe and divided the quantities by 3
and ended up with 6 beautifully brown pitta.
20 avril 2006
La Gastronomie Française!
It seems to be ranking season in the food industry. Last week, Metro magazine published the list of Auckland’s best restaurants. “The French Café” was elected overall winner. This restaurant has won the prize for the 3rd year in a row.
Early this week, I came across "The World’s Best Restaurants 2006”. The number of Spanish Restaurants listed is impressive.
It is rather hard to comprehend the voting process: No Asian, South American or African (excepted SA) restaurants are listed. Does it mean they are not assessed?
French Chefs’ pride is hurt. For too long, they took for granted the fact that they would always be the Best Chefs in the World. They did not promote themselves enough. It is important to note that French cuisine is not declining, though. Young chefs have inherited a high level of skills from their predecessors. They also have the envy to move forward, to be more pro-active.
I read in a French newspaper that experienced chefs such as Alain Ducasse initiated contacts with young talented chefs to help them promote themselves better. French chefs also publish articles in foreign newspapers and they travel and learn foreign cooking techniques.
They acknowledge foreign talent of course but their pride make them go forward. It is very sane competition, other sectors of French industry should learn from it.
I cannot wait to read next year’s ‘World’s Best Restaurants”.
11 avril 2006
The big dive into winter
Salmon
raviolo and Rosé wine sauce
Back again. Sorry for being a yoyo! My sudden disappearance is due to a series
of unfortunate factors. First a new job, then the end of summer. Less light,
shorter and colder days…… I – and it is very sad to admit – turn into a
two-minute-noodle-cook. When trying to get my spirit and desire to cook and
shoot back, I realise that my “mojo” was gone. My maori potato gnocchis turned
sludgy, an attempt to layer roast banana and white chocolate looked as terrible
as it tasted and my matcha sponge was somewhat flat and burnt.
I was tempted to give up. Fortunately, fiesting on “comfort
food” (eg: chocolate bars and processed food) revealed unsatisfying and oh so fattening!!!
So well I’m back with low fat goodness! It’s also colourful
to make up for the lack of joy around us.
I did not go as far as making the pasta dough myself.
I used wonton sheets and glued them together with egg wash. It did not break
when boiled. The filling is only salmon and fresh dill. The salmon had been
lightly steamed and seasoned before being shredded.
To create the sauce I lightly cooked shallots and
garlic, added Rose wine, reduced and put a tiny dash of cream. It helps keeping
the sauce together, giving it a velvety texture.
Rosé wine is very seldom used in cooking. Maybe there is a technical reason for not using it. It is a bit more bitter than white wine but it is not an overwhelmingly disturbing. It also gives a very pretty colour to the sauce.