Mouthwatering Salad Sensation

It never seizes to amaze me how the combination of very simple ingredients can produce such mouthwatering sensations.
If you read my last post you will know I am in my Gordon Ramsay kick lately, after (re)discovering Gordon's Ramsay 100% cookbook.

I have been sifting through the book, trying out recipes that sound good, the kind that allow me to be true to my health believes and are simple and easy to prepare. Above all, they have to taste gorgeous!

Here is an amazing green salad. I am convinced that the only way you can achieve this perfect symphony of taste, is if you follow Gordon's instructions to the 'T'. Don't think, "oh well, surely I can replace the one green leaf for the other...". Diverting from his suggested ingredients, believe you me, will ruin the magic!

What you need
•big salad plate

Ingredients (for 6)
•small fennel bulb, washed and thinly sliced
•a big (or 2 small) ripe pears; washed and thinly sliced (seeds removed, keep the skin)
•125 g of water cress leaves, washed
•100 g of rucola, washed
•1 tbs of coarse-grain mustard
•1 tbs of Dijon mustard
•1 tbs of lemon juice
•4 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
•salt and pepper

Preparation
•spread the green leaves on the plate
•arrange the sliced fennel and the pear pieces on top
•pour all the liquids in a container, add just a pinch of salt and pepper; then close the lid and shake for a few seconds
•with a tablespoon, sprinkle the vinaigrette on top

Remarks
You could prepare the vinaigrette and slice the pears before hand and keep it ready in the fridge, but you definitely want to arrange the greens in the salad plate last minute and serve immediately after adding the vinaigrette.

Scallops 101

A few years ago somebody gave me Gordon Ramsay's Ramsay 100% cookbook. Don't ask me why -maybe because the guy is so utterly rude and unpleasant? but I put the book on the shelf, between many other cookbooks, and forgot all about it.
A while ago I all of a sudden had the urge to reorganize my collection and came across 100% Ramsay. This time, I actually took the time to look at it properly. To my surprise I quite liked a few of his recipes. (By the way, the Dutch translation of Ramsay 100% is absolutely terrible and incorrect. I have seen this problem with many other translated cookbooks, such as Jamie Oliver's. So my advise, if possible, always get the original version).
My husband is crazy about scallops. I have tried different ways of preparing them and although he is always very grateful, I am never really satisfied with the result.

Scallops are can be really tricky. Lesson number one: do not buy them frozen! Scallops tend to soak up moisture (like mushroom like to do). So, besides loosing all their freshness and amazing taste, once you thaw them, I guarantee you will be left with a very disappointing version of a scallop-wannabe! If at all possible, get them in their shell.
Lesson number two: even when fresh, let them rest a few minutes on a paper towel before cooking them to get rid of any moisture they might have.
Lesson number three: there is a trick to cooking them. Look at Gordon's video and pay attention to the following pointers:
•the pan needs to be piping hot
•put some oil in the pan -but not too much
•put the first scallop in the pan at 12 'o clock, then at 1 'o clock and work the whole circle clock wise.
•once you are back at the top, you can start flipping the scallops in the same order; this if you cut them in half before putting them on the pan (see Gordon's video); I do not necessarily like them halved, so I wait about a minute or two, before I start flipping them over.
Do not overcook scallops! Like Gordon rightfully mentions in his video, they will become chewy.

Now that you have 'Scallops 101' down, you are ready to try this amazing recipe inspired by Gordon Ramsay.

What you need
•non-stick (heavy) sauce pan
•handblender

Ingredients (for 4)
•24 scallops
•1 tbs of oil
•50 g of raisins
•50 g of capers
•1 tsp Marsala curry powder
•1/2 tsp crushed Himalayan salt

Preparation
•wash and pat dry the scallops
•in a small pan, bring the raisins and drained capers to a boil with 100 ml of water
•boil for approx. 5 min., cool and then blend to a paste
•mix the crushed Himalayan salt and curry powder, and sprinkle the scallops with it on one side
•put the sauce pan on the stove and bring to medium heat
•pour 1 tbs of olive oil into the pan and when the oil is hot, place the scallops in the pan (curried side down) in a clockwise fashion (watch Gordon Ramsay do it)
•now sprinkle the top of the scallop with the curry/salt mix
•when the scallop flesh starts to crack at the bottom, it is the sign they are ready to be turned around (approx. 2 min). Do this clockwise and start at 12 'o clock
•serve and top with a tsp of raisin-caper pesto

Remarks
•Depending on how big the scallops are and if you are serving them as an appetizer or a main dish, you can choose to either serve 6 or 3 per person and/or to half them...

Top 10 Kitchen 'Must Haves'

Of course if it possible to cook without any kitchen gadgets. And yes, appliances and kitchen tools can sometimes be expensive. My advise, put them on your birthday list!

I am addicted to kitchen stores. Touche. But I also have limited space (after all, I do live in Europe) so I don't like stuff to clutter my house, let alone my kitchen.
These are the 'must haves' that made my top 10. The selection criteria?
1. They can safe tons of preparation time
2. More importantly, with them at your side, it becomes less tempting to make 'bad choices' because they will help you stay on the 'health track'.


Lemon Squeezer (1)

You need a few drops of lemon in your recipe and your first thought is to grab the purchased lemon juice sitting in your fridge? Although I do understand that instinct, I would like to invite you to take a closer look at the container. Most probably, what you have in your hands in filled with chemicals. And, let's be honest and stop kidding yourself, that 'stuff' doesn't even taste like 'lemon'!
Invest in a lemon squeezer! You will never want to go back to the yucky bottled mixture, ever!
An added plus: it is the perfect bar tending tool and will work for limes too (oops! the cat is out of the bag....)

If you are not buying organic, make sure to thoroughly wash the lemon with hot water first and rub it dry, before inserting it in the lemon squeezer.

Orange Squeezer (2)

Predictable? Mmm... maybe. If you live alone, or if it is just the two of you, this is the breakfast gadget for you! Who wants to take out and dirty a big machine to squeeze out two glasses of morning orange juice? Too much hassle! Finding fresh orange juice in the supermarket with non-added sugar and other substances? Not an option or just too darn expensive.

With the orange squeezer it will only take you a jiffy to produce a glass of sunshine to jump start your day.

Vitamix® High-Performance Blender (3)

Nothing I tell you can come close to describing what a wonderful piece of machinery the Vitamix® blender is. You have kids and they do not like eating fruit? Toss everything in this blender (yes, even the healthy skin they will not eat in a billion years), push the button and in a few seconds, you will have the best smoothie ever. They will ask you for more!

You are a raw food eater? Perfect! Put all the ingredients to your favourite soup in the cup and Vitamix® will blend it to perfectness and warm it up for you, just right.

I Vitamix all my (boiled) soups because I like them smooth as silk. I could go on and on, but instead I invited you to take a look at their multi-lingual, video enhanced flashy Vitamix® website.

And in case you we wondering, no, I don't get any Vitamix® kick-backs! That machine and I is true love! Worth every penny!

Egg-Perfect® Egg Timer (4)

In my opinion, one of the most difficult things in life is to get an egg to boil to perfection. No matter which method I followed in the past, always a disaster. Eggs have different sizes, are kept at 'room temperature' or in the fridge and are inserted in to pans with other eggs (or not), in warm or cold water, in a big pan or small one and get covered to bring to boil...or not.

All of these factors will affect the way your egg turns out. Good grief! Too much variables for me!

When this timer came out, it saved my life!

The timer will allow you to make a 'soft', 'medium' or 'hard' boiled egg! How does it work? No idea... 

Kitchen Aid® Stand Mixer (5)

I know what you are thinking... I have a soft spot for expensive kitchen toys. Well, I kind of do! But this beauty is not just for looks. You like baking? Believe you me, you gotta have it! Shop around, buy it second hand, do what you have to. You will never regret it.

How else can you beat eggs, while at the same time adding some agave, then some salt, this or that to the mixture? I read some recipes and think... I know us women can multi-task but, what are we? Octopuses?

This machine will de-tress your baking life -and will look fab on your counter!

Measuring Spoons (6)

A no-brainer for many of you. But for those of you out there that do not live in North America, having a set of measuring spoons is not self explanatory.

Of course you could use 'regular' cutlery. But when precision is needed, you will be happy to have a  set of true measuring spoons at your finger tips!

Cast Iron Grill Pan (7)

I have seen this cast iron grill pan -or a similar version of it- in every country I have been to. This been said, not everybody had it as part of their kitchen inventory... This is why you should:
•I don't think there is a healthier way to grill your vegetables, fish and meat
•for sure there is no quicker way
•the finished product will taste as if it has been barbecued
•these pans are dirt cheap and will last you for literally, ever!

Measuring Cups (8)

If you are going to cook (or bake) out of a North American recipe, you want these measuring cups. I have tried it without them, for the sake of experiment. Looked up conversion tables thinking I could easily find the gram equivalent of, let's say, a cup of coconut flour. It is very tricky. Even if the websites out there do specify, liquids, volume, flour, etc. In my experience, nine times out of ten it will not be accurate. For volume it might work (let say, finding the equivalent in grams for a cup of carrots). But when it comes to measuring liquids or meals, forget it. Disaster is bound to happen.

Safe yourself some trouble and if the recipe calls for 'a cup of almond meal', take your measuring cup and be done with it. Not worth breaking your head over maths.

Oyster Knife (9)

The first time we tried opening oysters, my husband grabbed a regular knife. Needless to say, that didn't work -and almost ruined my kitchen knife!
Then he grabbed a screw driver... and a hammer. End result? He hurt his hand and broke the shells and although he did get those suckers open, his hand almost needed stitches and while we were able to sip our oysters, we had to crunch through the shells.
Obviously there had to be a better way to do this. At the time, there were no You Tube videos to show you the ropes; we learnt the hard way. But we did discover the oyster knife.
If you like oysters and even if you only treat yourself to some once a year, get the knife. It is totally worth it -an inexpensive version of it is very available.

Egg Poaching Pan (10)

I am sure it is possible to poach an egg without an egg poaching pan! I just don't know how to! I always make a mess of it. More so, if I attempt to poach more than 1 egg at a time.

They egg breaks, does not keep together, it is difficult to tell if it is done or not and more importantly, I find it quite difficult to drain the water, once I have managed to scoop it out of the pan in one go!

Since a poached egg is such a healthy choice, I invested in a poaching pan quite a while ago.

Worth every penny. In the UK and North America they are quite common -and inexpensive.

Travelling in the coming months? Put it on your shopping list!

Organic My Foot

Look up 'organic food', and you will find that 'organic standards' are set by national governments and international organizations and can vary quite a bit depending on where you live.
When it comes to animals, it does not necessarily mean it was able to live a free range life, pasturing the fields in the elements, was never vaccinated, given antibiotics or growth hormones. As far as vegetables, most governments allow 'certain types' of pesticides and fertilizers.

It might come to a surprise to you -or not- that from the research I have conducted so far, USDA 'approved organic' is a little more 'organic' than anywhere else in the world.

USDA: ... Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water(...) What is organic food? Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation (...) 

Pretty good, I would say. The only thing is:
•we still do not know what these animals ate
•as far a the plants, we know they are produced without the use of 'conventional' pesticides and certain type of fertilizers. It would be interesting to see what the USDA understands under 'conventional' pesticides as opposed to 'non conventional' ones, and what kind of fertilizers they allow
•as far as I know, it does not regulate GMOs


The EEC legislation on organic food is a total joke. True to European unity, there is no unity:
(...)
Sustainable cultivation systems and a variety of high-quality products are the aim...Organic production must respect natural systems and cycles. Sustainable production should be achieved insofar as possible with the help of biological and mechanical production processes, through land-related production and without the use genetically modified organisms (GMO).
In organic farming, closed cycles with the use of the internal resources are preferred to open cycles with the supply of external resources. Ideally, external resources should be limited to organic resources from other organic farms, natural or naturally obtained materials and low soluble mineral fertilisers. In exceptional cases, however, chemical synthetic resources may be permitted if suitable alternatives are lacking. These are only authorised and listed in positive lists in the Annex of the Commission Regulation after a thorough investigation by the Commission and the Member States.
Since the European Union extends from the far North right down to Southern and into Eastern Europe, local climatic, cultural or structural differences can be compensated for through foreseen flexibility rules.
Foods may only be marked as "organic" if at least 95% of their agricultural ingredients are organic. Organic ingredients in non-organic food may be listed as organic in the list of ingredients, as long as this food has been produced in accordance with the organic legislation. In order to ensure better transparency, the code number of the control body must be indicated.
The use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and of products manufactured from GMOs is still prohibited in organic production. Products containing GMOs may not be labelled as organic unless the ingredients containing GMOs entered the products unintentionally and the GMO proportion in the ingredient is less than 0.9%.
The Council Regulation applies to the following agricultural products, including aquaculture and yeast:
Living or unprocessed products
Processed foods
Animal feed
Seeds and propagating material
Collection of wild plants and seaweed is also included in the scope of this Regulation.
Multiple Annexes are attached to the Commission Regulation. Within these one can find the following:
Products permitted in organic farming, such as fertilisers, soil ameliorants and pesticides
Minimum requirements on the size of housing and exercise areas including pastures for organic livestock, depending on animal species and development stage.
Non-organic animal feed, feed additives and processing aids for the production of compound feed and premixtures permitted in organic farming
Non-organic ingredients, additives and processing aids permitted in organic food production (including yeast production).
(...)

•at first sight, the regulation seems very thorough...but oh boy, once you get to the multiple annexes and the flexibility they allow within each member state...you get sick to your stomach!

So are there any advantages at all to organic produce? Is it worth it paying top dollar? Loren Cordain remarks that the concentration of nitrate in organic produce is considerably lower than in fruits and vegetables that have been grown in conventional way. He also adds that studies demonstrate that organic produce shows reduced amounts of pesticides and toxic chemicals. "The environmental and dietary exposure to both pesticides and nitrates are associated with a greater risk for developing certain cancers", he writes (Cordain 2012:30-31).
I have to agree with Cordain: if cancer is of concern to you and if you can afford it, definitely go with organic!

Breakfast of Champions

So it is Sunday and you want to treat yourself to a special breakfast? Nothing wrong with that!
Specially if you had a late night out the previous day, your liver will be craving for food when you get up!
There are many possible variations to this plate. On a Sunday I just want more. So I basically open my fridge, look at the left-overs and vegetables I have and decide on the spot what I am going to make.

What you need
•cast iron grill pan
•oven dish
•egg poacher

Ingredients (for 2 people)
•1 zucchini, washed, sliced and salted/peppered
•14 cherry tomatoes, washed, salted/peppered
•4 eggs
•100g (wild Alaskan Sockeye) salmon
•1/4 celery root
•2 tbsps coconut/virgin olive oil
•1 tbsp red wine vinegar
•8 Lifefood carrot crackers

What you do
•preheat your oven to 230°C
•peel the celery root, then cut it in cubes. Toss the cubes in either a non-stick oven dish or cover one with parchment paper. Add some salt and pepper and bake for approx. 20 min. Once in a while, take the oven dish out of the oven and shake the cubes around so they brown evenly.
•preheat your cast iron pan to very hot and pour a little (coconut or extra virgin olive) oil. Now grill the zucchini slices. Put aside. Do the same with the cherry tomatoes.
•in the meantime, bring the water of your egg poacher to the boil. Add a little coconut/extra virgin oil in each of the different egg cups and a few drops of vinegar. Now crack each egg into an egg cup, add salt and pepper. Cover and cook for approx. 10 min.
•put each plate together: 50g of wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon, some slices of grilled zucchini, 7 grilled cherry tomatoes, some cubes of baked celery root and the poached eggs
•supplement with 4 Lifefood carrot crackers

Remarks
•I basically had some left over baked celery root, so it took me little effort to just warm up the celery root cubes for my Breakfast of Champions. You could omit the celery root cubes all together and replace it by another grilled vegetable such as sliced egg plant or mushrooms
•if you cannot get hold of carrot crackers where you live, you could instead make some American Pancakes (recipe in this blog)
•if you do not own an egg poacher, no worries! You can try free styling it, using a pan full of water. Check the video.
•Wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon is my ultimate favorite. Also here I am sure you can think of many healthy meat, fish or poultry alternatives. Just make sure they come from a reliable source.