Eat, Drink And Be Merry, For Tomorrow We Die.

'Even if it's being a Beatle for the rest of my life, it's still only a temporary thing.'
- George Harrison.

This year has already seen a spate of departed musicians, actors and entertainers and we've all been touched one way or another. I grew up with Victoria Wood on a Saturday night when my family gathered around the TV to watch her and Prince was my future husband when I was in my twenties. Alas, life is only precious because it ends.

Poet Sylvia Plath wrote about how we are all limited in life, regardless of fame or fortune. We will probably never gain all the skills we want, read all the books we want, visit all the places we want or feel the shades, tones and variations of experiences possible in life. The most we can do is to live rather than exist.

Terry Pratchett once said: 'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called life.'

One of my favourite quotes is: a precondition for eating good food is not eating bad food: for life is too short. Food is one of the simple pleasures which can enhance our lives, there is enough misery around without having to eat a plateful of microwaved processed mush or factory farmed, mechanically recovered meat, full of connective tissue, chemicals and fillers.

This next dish is a prime example of something that is simple to make, inexpensive and thoroughly delicious and comforting, and we all deserve a bit of comfort. As my mother used to say: good food is a cuddle in a bowl.

I haven't specified spices/herbs, just given you an idea of what I used, use what suits your tastes, the whole point of flavouring your food is to experiment.


Aubergine and sweet potato rice

Recipe

In a large pan heat a tablespoon of vegetable or coconut oil, add 2 sliced onions and 1 sliced aubergine, season with sea salt and black pepper and fry over a medium heat until softened

Add 2 par-boiled sweet potatoes, cut into chunks and combine well

Now's the time to add your favourite flavours, I chose turmeric to add colour and flavour, dried chilli flakes, grated root ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and fresh garlic

Add rice (cooked to packet instructions) and keep stirring over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until piping hot

Transfer to warm bowls (I put a large bowl on the table for everyone to help themselves) scatter fresh coriander on top just before serving

'None of us are getting out of here alive.'
- R. Alan Woods

Love Donna xxxxxxxxx

Extraordinary Food Warnings We Should Heed.

Since writing a food blog I have come to realise how little attention we really pay to what we are putting into our bodies. It's interesting that as I scroll through Facebook I can often tell at a glance which of my friends have posted, be it about politics, animals, quotes, fashion etc. We all have our interests and hobbies and Facebook is a great platform to share them with our friends.

Naturally, I share my blog and it's fair to say that I do post lots of food related photos on Facebook which aren't of interest to everyone, however, when I started this blog I knew that whilst not everyone was interested in knitting (for example) our common bond is food, whether we eat to live or live to eat, the basic fact is, we have to eat to survive. Therefore it seemed like a good subject and whilst it all started with simple home cooking, I've gained substantial knowledge about what's going on in the food chain which I'm always keen to share.

I often talk about how cooking has changed drastically from my mother's generation to now, but I guess for many young people they've never known a diet other than processed, ready-made, pre-packed.......

Take for example the modern day version of bolognese sauce which no longer consists of fresh vegetables and herbs and far from being homemade invariably comes from a jar, eg Dolmio or Uncle Ben's. Great time saver, just dollop it in a pan with your meat and hey presto an Italian-themed meal in an instant.

The harsh reality is that our most popular sauces are so high in fat and sugar that they should only be eaten once a week - and that's according to the companies that make them!

Mars Food has announced that it will put a 'once a week' health warning on products used by millions of families. This is in light of the fact that food giants are now under pressure to help head off a global obesity crisis (even though they caused it in the first place.)

Food corporations have always had an overwhelming amount of power over our food supply, sod the cost to our health, they look to maximise wealth for their shareholders. The food giants who have foisted these health problems on us with their salt, sugar, preservative and fat laden ready made food products are now saying we should only be eating them occasionally as a treat.

So where does that leave a generation of people who can't cook? The ones who rely on ready-made sauces because they thought they were authentic and not full of crap. I know of several young mums who have never made a sauce from scratch in their children's lives, yet they're regularly tucking into lasagne, carbonara, bolognese, chilli con carne and oriental dishes such as sweet and sour - all from a jar.

I posted recently about how important I think it is to get to know your spices so that you can make sauces from scratch. It would seem that convenience food is finally under the spotlight and we are going to have no choice other than to knowingly feed our families classified unhealthy foods or learn to cook.

Regular readers will be familiar with my practice of using up leftovers in my hotchpotch pies. Using up leftover meat in Shepherd's/cottage pie was once an ideal way to stretch a small quantity into a large family dish. I don't just use beef or lamb, any leftover meat from Sunday lunch will do, as will a variation of vegetables and spices. I've loosely taken this next recipe from the incredible Spice Men's Shepherd's pie with Oomph and Aah. My point in sharing this recipe is to encourage you to experiment with flavours, we have forgotten how to use natural ingredients and we need to re-think our eating habits. Britain has some of the best produce in the world and now's the time to start cooking with it.

Hotchpotch pie with Oomph and Aah

Recipe
4-5 baking potatoes, peel and cut into chunks, boil for 20 minutes. Drain and mash with butter and salt and pepper
Heat a large frying pan, add a splash of vegetable oil, when it's hot add a teaspoon of cinnamon, 2-3 onions, finely chopped, some grated root ginger, 2 heaped tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp turmeric, 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed and 500g of your chosen cooked meat or mince, fry over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes
Transfer to casserole dish and stir, add 100ml water to loosen the mixture (more if needed) cover with the mash topping, place in a preheated oven 200c/gas mark 6 for 40 minutes

At the end of cooking I grate some cheese on top and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes

                        The Incredible Spice Men's Shepherd's pie with minced lamb

'The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.'
- Ann Wigmore.

Love Donna xxxxxxxx

The Naked Chef.

My beautiful mother with her parents and younger brother on a rare trip to the seaside.

Seventeen years ago the BBC aired the first episode of the Naked Chef and thus our relationship with Jamie Oliver began. Jamie's mentor was the wonderful Gennaro Contaldo who happened to be my mother's favourite chef, she bought me his cookbook, Passione, The Italian Cookbook, thirteen years ago and I still refer to it regularly.

              Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef. Working with Gennaro Contaldo, bottom left

Jamie was hugely inspired by Gennaro and went on to write his own cookbook, Jamie's Italy. Whilst travelling around compiling recipes for his cookbook, Jamie really got a feel for why the country has retained its amazing food culture, traditions and family values. He wrote: 'I think Italy has managed to retain a lot of its brilliant things because there hasn't been a lot of choice available. For me this creates quite a profound emotion because sometimes when you have too much choice you can lose sight of the things that really matter - your family, your kids, your health.'

These sentiments echo my own entirely, I remember fondly all the family gatherings of my childhood where my mother and nonna prepared humble food made with love.

Jamie has been a trailblazer for many culinary ideas and he has initiated many campaigns, not least his 'feed me better' campaign which resulted in the public voting him as the most inspiring political figure of 2005. Jamie recently wrote, 'The biggest luxury in life is the knowledge to cook - and it's free!'

Unfortunately, many forgo or are denied the luxury of learning to cook. This important life skill is way down on our agendas and the national curriculum. Consequently, many young people are being brought up on a toxic diet of junk food which we are beginning to realise is impacting on our health, both physically and mentally.

My mother's signature dish was what we would commonly call spaghetti bolognese, Italians would call it ragu. It wasn't the sloppy stuff so often cooked by us Brits, it was dense and flavoursome and once she'd mixed the spaghetti into the sauce in a big pot, she'd set it aside to be eaten the next day as the flavours would be enhanced.

Whenever my brother or I had been unwell, my mother would make steamed meatballs as they were easy on the stomach. I quite often use this method as a lighter version of the usual rich and heavy ragu/bolognese.

Steamed meatballs

 Mix together 500g outdoor bred, lean minced beef with 2 cloves of crushed garlic (I add a few dried chilli flakes but that's optional) season with salt and pepper to taste. Shape into small balls

 Half fill a pan with water and put it on the hob to boil. Cover with a plate roughly the same size as the pan, add a tablespoon of water to the plate, place the meatballs on the plate and cover. Reduce the heat and steam the meatballs for 30 minutes, turning the meatballs halfway through

 Make your tomato sauce by adding a splash of olive oil to a pan, add a chopped onion and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic and fry until lightly coloured. Add 2 400g tins of good-quality tomatoes, stir then simmer for 30 minutes. Add the steamed meatballs and cook for a further 15 minutes

Combine cooked spaghetti with meatballs and sauce, add a splash of olive oil, season again if necessary.  Serve with lots of grated Parmesan.

'There is such diversity in lifestyles, cooking, traditions and dialects. This is why as a chef I find this country (Italy) so damn exciting. You know what?  I should have been Italian. The truth is, when I'm in Italy I feel Italian.'
- Jamie Oliver.

Love Donna xxxxxx

Fish Friday.

                                       Traditional fish and chips which we ate on Good Friday

As usual, we spent the Easter holidays in Spain and even after all these years the Good Friday procession never fails to move me, it is an exquisite and rich display of religious sculpture and an emotional coming together of the community who pay homage to Christ.

                                                   The villagers carrying the throne.

                       Some of the villagers wear the penitential robe, the Nazareno.

The procession is accompanied by emotional music played by the village band, whilst the children, dressed in their robes, hand out sweets to bystanders

Although Jacarilla only occupies a small area, the weight of the religious sculptures means the procession takes a couple of hours, once outside the church the villagers join the procession as it makes its way around the village. 

The women of the village dress in traditional costume. The sculpture is of 'our Lady'

After the procession, the small bars and cafés are open and people gather for drinks, cake and mona bread which is traditionally eaten on Good Friday. 

  A kind neighbour delivered a freshly baked mona (or mouna) bread to my door.

Because Christ sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday, Catholics (and many Christians) abstain from eating meat on this day and eat fish instead. In the UK we traditionally ate fish and chips on Good Friday, although this tradition has largely died out. As a child, I loved Good Friday because we always had hot cross buns for breakfast and fish and chips from the chippy for tea which didn't feel at all sacrificial.

I have always kept with the tradition of eating fish and chips on Good Friday, although when in Spain we have to visit an English fish and chip restaurant in a nearby town. Of course I suppose I should eat fish the Spanish way, when in Rome and all that, but this is one occasion when the draw of freshly cooked, piping hot, battered fish and chips, smothered in salt and soused in vinegar, is too great to resist, and to be fair it is tradition. 

That's not to say I don't embrace all things Spanish ordinarily, I even gave up vegetarianism because it was so alien to my fellow Spainards. Fortunately for me, fish and seafood feature heavily in the Spanish diet and it is not unusual for the waiter to bring the whole fresh fish to the table for approval before cooking. 

                                          Our lovely waiter at Restaurante La Tropical. 

Due to the fact I have acquired a taste for a variety of fresh fish and seafood, I find our repertoire for fish in the UK rather disappointing. Even at some of the best restaurants I find that the seafood and fish dishes on offer are rather uninspiring. Local fishmongers, once so popular, are a dying trade and major supermarkets claim there is a lack of demand for anything more exotic than cod, salmon or fish fingers. 

Fried fish and chips and prawn cocktail seem to be our firm favourites here in the UK and whilst I love my Good Friday treat, I'm not so keen on the bland versions of prawn cocktail I've tasted over the years (my Italian version is delicious!) However, my next recipe is very delicious and if you like prawn cocktail, you like prawns.... right? 

I want to quickly talk about spices. I'm loathe to say in any of my recipes: 'a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a teaspoon of turmeric' etc etc. I'm often put off by recipes because I don't have a certain spice and therefore don't know if it will ruin the dish? Jars of spices are widely available now in all supermarkets and shop's own brands are normally less than 50p a jar. Personally I think it's worth getting to know your spices and understanding that the word 'spice' doesn't equate to 'hot.' Spices are flavours which can be used in all sorts of recipes, much as you would use salt and pepper. You can buy ready made pastes, such as Pataks, however, in the long run it's cheaper to make your own pastes using the spices you prefer. 

Prawns....but it's not cocktail

Blend your chosen spices with a little olive oil. I used ginger, which gives a nice kick of heat. Cumin, which is nutty and peppery. Cardamom, which has a sweet, almost perfumed aroma. Cinnamon, which is sweet and warming (I use a whole stick which I discard at the end of cooking.) And turmeric, to add colour and an earthy flavour, (turmeric has long been lauded for its health benefits and is used medicinally for its anti-inflammatory properties.)

                                                Blend spices with a little olive oil

                                                         Combine with raw prawns

In a pan, fry 2 onions until slightly charred, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and 2 cinnamon sticks, simmer for 15 minutes

Oil some flat breads and place them directly over a hob, they will immediately puff and rise, just be careful they don't burn. Set aside

Add prawns to pan and simmer for 5 minutes

                               Serve prawns and flat breads onto warm plates and tuck in.

'Learn how to spice up your basic recipes - a pinch here and there - and don't be afraid. 'Spicy' doesn't necessarily mean 'hot': spices are also sweet, warm and pungent, they will add colour, drama and excitement to your everyday cooking.'

- Cyrus Todiwala.

Love Donna xxxxxxxx

Everything We Know About Diets Is Wrong.

A wonderful food fuelled evening of tapas followed by desserts of chocolate cake and fruit.

I wrote a post recently: 'Why diets don't work' and if I say so myself, it was very interesting. Without reiterating (easier for you to just read the post) the key to successful dieting isn't about counting calories, banning carbs or crunching kale, rather, it is about looking after our gut bacteria.

Gut bacteria has a direct effect on our glucose response to food and by eating the right foods we can cultivate more good bacteria and consequently stay slimmer and healthier.

The problem with our modern diet is that much of what we ingest is saturated with additives, preservatives, trans fats and artificial sweetners, all of which are unnatural to our digestive systems. The food industry have cleverly bombarded us with ready made diet meals which, whilst low in calories, are full of other nasties which kill good bacteria and allow potentially toxic bacteria to thrive.

If we look back at our grandparents generation we think of them as eating unhealthily, foodstuffs such as saturated fat, sugar, carbohydrates (which were used as fillers where meat was scarce) were all staples. However, theirs was not a processed diet, they diversified what they ate in accordance with the seasons and consumed lots of fresh natural ingredients and homemade dishes. Ready made diet products weren't available, yet there wasn't an obesity epidemic and food intolerances were few and far between.

Professor Tim Spector, of Kings College London, says everything we know about diets is wrong and that rather than depriving ourselves of our favourite foods, we should be eating them. These include cheese, dark chocolate, red wine and nuts. He said: 'Everyone should treat their gut as a beautiful English garden. The more varieties of microbes and foods we eat, the more flowers our gardens have and the healthier they look.'

I guess it's not rocket science and as the old adage goes: 'A bit of what you fancy does you good.' This was certainly the way previous generations viewed their diets which consisted of homemade cakes, biscuits and jam, dripping, fatty cuts of meat, homemade chips etc. Unfortunately, we are lulled into a false sense of security with all the 'healthy diet meals' which tempt us to eat more because we think they're low in calories, fats and sugar, ignoring the fact they are full of unnatural chemicals.

Our gut bacteria actually enjoy cheese, chocolate and red wine as much as we do. We should heed the advice of 'Never eating anything our great grandparents wouldn't recognise.'

                                    Rather a lot of ingredients for a piece of 'healthy' fish!


 Whilst in Spain recently I ate a varied diet of fresh fish and seafood, olive oil, cheese and vegetables, I also had chocolate and red wine, this is a 'healthy diet' which can't be found in a ready made container!

                                                                   Lovely fresh prawns

                                                   It is what it is..........fresh crab!

                                     Delicious grilled artichokes dressed in olive oil

As readers know, I avoid processed food like the plague, however,  I know that for many people it's the easy choice (and that many people actually think a weight watchers or slimming world ready meal is healthy.) This next recipe is child's play and I have to tell you that Glenn loves mashed potatoes and this is the perfect substitute (he thinks it's some sort of exotic mash.)

Healthy lentils

                      Rinse lentils thoroughly and cook according to packet instructions

 In a large pan, fry 2 onions and 2 garlic cloves with spices of your choice (I like chillies, turmeric, cumin seeds, ginger, sea salt and black pepper

                                       Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and combine

                                  Add cooked lentils and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes

Lentils are so versatile, I love them with roasted cauliflower and parsnips or fish

'If you're concerned about your health, you should probably avoid products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a strong indication it's not real food, and real food is what you need to eat.'
- Michael Pollan.

Love Donna xxxxxx

Paring Back.

                      Just off to a barbecue last August on a typical English summers day!

We had glorious weather in Spain (mid March-first week in April) but I've returned to yet more inclement weather here in England. Apparently, whilst I was away there were a few sunny spring days, but these have been replaced with relentless grey skies and drizzle since my return last week.

Actually, the last time I saw cloudless blue skies and felt the sun on my back was (you've guessed it) in Spain over the new year. We talk about the seasons here in the UK but we haven't had a white Christmas for several years, nor cold frosty winter mornings. Wet springs roll into equally wet summers and last year I attended numerous barbecues and garden parties where we all huddled under gazebos or inside kitchens, shying away from the cold and the rain.

During this last trip we grabbed every opportunity to be outside, (essentially the Spanish way of life is about outside living) and took several long walks through the beautiful countryside surrounding our village. This buoyed me up no end and made me compare my two lifestyles.

Modern society has lost the art of living simply and for many of us, material wealth has become the yardstick by which we measure ourselves and others. We often forget that today is our most precious possession and each day is the only thing we truly own. We live in the fast lane cluttering our homes and our minds (the word clutter has the same root as 'clot'. And as a clot blocks the circulation, so clutter can weigh us down.)

My Spanish home (whilst very beautiful) is small and has minimal possessions. It's actually very liberating to be free of the sort of objects I've accumulated in England. With minimal possessions, the present moment assumes a much greater intensity, I would rather be walking through the orange groves than spend hours bogged down with shopping and housework. I want to enjoy a simpler life and diverse routines rather than measure my worth by what I own.

I think perhaps (possibly like many women of my generation) I was obscured by the years of rebelling against the simplistic life of my mother. I was part of a new generation and we wanted it all, well paid careers which would buy us lots of lovely possessions and (ironically) freedom. We didn't stop to realise that with less to do and more time to think, we would live simpler yet more fulfilled lives.

In Spain my life is definitely governed by less is more. I'm not constrained by the temptations of having too much or proving my existence. For many of my friends this outlook is totally alien, the general consensus being, the more we have, the more accomplished we are, however, I have come to understand that the only way to buy more time, is to buy less of everything else.

According to writer Dominique Loreau who was inspired by moving to Japan, the best ways to enhance our lives are: to walk for half an hour everyday. Live life at a slower pace and refuse to work extra hours if you are able to. Only do one thing at a time and realise that acquisitiveness saps vital energy.

With our fast and furious lifestyles comes bad eating habits, quality is nourishing, yet so many of us subsist on processed/fast food. Loreau says: eating well means eating slowly and mindfully. This is another aspect of my Spanish life where food and eating still play a vital role in family and community life. Smaller lighter meals are common in Spain rather than the hurried large portions we eat in the UK and I always feel the benefits within days of adapting to this way of eating.

When I returned to England last week I was immediately tempted to go back into hibernation mode and comfort eat (which would eventually lead to me doing some 'retail therapy' to cheer myself up.......gosh what an awful treadmill.) However, whilst I haven't done much walking I have been cooking some delicious meals with a Mediterranean slant, this next recipe is so simple I urge you to try it.

Colourful couscous

 Take a selection of vegetables, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, onions and a bulb of garlic. Season and drizzle olive oil over the vegetables

 Roast the vegetables in a hot oven for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelised. Squeeze the garlic out of the cloves (like toothpaste)

  Cook some couscous according to packet instructions and add to vegetables

                    You can cook some peas separately and add just before serving

'It's such a lucky accident, having been born, that we're almost obliged to pay attention.'
- Mark Strand.

Love Donna xxxxxxxxx