Ottolenghi’s Saffron and Cardamon Pears

If I ever find myself in London, after I dump my bags at my hotel, I think I would head straight to Yotam Ottolenghi’s restaurant.  I have blogged previously about his delicious Iranian rice and quinoa recipe (from his vegetarian cookbook Plenty) and most recently I have seen his TV series travelling through the Mediterranean.

I then become hooked on Yotam’s latest cookbook (co-written with Sami Tamimi) about their homeland, Jerusalem.  So many great recipes and a revelation to me about how fantastic the food in that city must be.

The first recipe I made from the Jerusalem book was for these pears. I know I only recently posted a recipe for pears, but you will thank me for sharing.

One word  = PERFECTION.

It is coming into Autumn here in Australia and pears are starting to flood the fruit shops. Poached pears are a simple and quick ending to a meal. We are trying to reduce our sugar intake so these were a real treat. I will try these again cooking with coconut palm sugar one day soon.   

We had the pears served with a little drizzle of cream, rather than the recommended creme fraiche as that was what I had in the fridge.  The left-over poaching syrup was delicious as a refreshing drink with soda water.

I didn’t adapt the recipe at all, other than adding a bit more water and to cut the pears in half.

Recipe here

Enjoy.

Nahm, Bangkok

In a city where your average street food is a gastronomic delight – it is no mean feat that Nahm has made a stamp and named as one of the top five Asian restaurants in the world.

Having dined at David Thompson’s previous restaurants in Sydney, Sailors Thai and Darley Street Thai, I was very keen to try Nahm on my recent visit to Bangkok.

I’ve blogged before about some of David’s recipes and feel his food never fails to wow.

Nahm has taken Thai cuisine to another level.

This is seriously good Thai food – cooked with incredible skill. The food was hot and spicy however there was no harshness or bite – just a well rounded heat and a complexity of flavours that really does blow your mind.

We chose the banquet which has set appetisers and your choice of mains from a wide selection, and finishes with your choice of dessert.

Appetiser (entree) of betel leaves were like a Thai sang choi bao – perfectly balanced hot, sweet, sour and salty.

The chargrilled mussels were little morsels of delight but left me wanting more. There was only two tiny mussels each.

The mains, green and red curries were a masterful – I am sure I will never taste a better example of either.

The fried fish with fish sauce was nice but not on par with the other dishes – our fault we should have chosen something else, like crab salad with pomelo.

The desserts were a fantastic finale. The Khanom Buang are tiny rice flour and mung bean pancakes topped with meringue and coconut. Khanom Buang are liitle parcels of bliss made by street food vendors (which we are totally addicted to) but again Nahm takes to another level.

We also had an amazing tapioca / coconut pudding with a coconut soupy thing. It was kinda weird – but it really worked together.

Recommend booking a table in at least a week or two advance as it is always booked out for dinner.

We managed to get a table at short notice for lunch. The lunch menu is more limited compared to dinner but still allowed us experience Nahm’s offering. It cost us approximately $100 for two people (including two Singha beers).

Nahm
Metropolitan Hotel
Sathorn, Bangkok

Fage Total brand Greek yogurt now available in Aldi

Just a quick post to let those in Australia know that Aldi is currently stocking Greek Fage Total brand yogurt.

They are ranging honey, blueberry and strawberry – 0% variety..

My emails to Aldi PR went unanswered so I am unable to provide any other details in regard to the future of this product.

Let us hope this is an ongoing product line and they will expand to supplying full fat version in the future.

Move quickly before it sells out.

In the words of Molly Meldrum, do yourself a favour.

Give it a try, you won’t look back

My Daily Bean – Convent Cafe, Silom, Bangkok

A great cappuccino that made a fussy Sydney girl happy was found today in the back streets of Silom in Bangkok.

A cool cafe complete with polished concrete walls and floors and specialising in coffee and beverages only.

This is serious coffee made with a sexy red San Remo coffee machine, it was creamy and strong without any bitter or burnt after taste. The beans are single origin from north Thailand near Chiang Mai. By far the best coffee we have had in Bangkok.

Convent Cafe address can be found via their Facebook. It is opposite the BNH hospital.

http://www.facebook.com/convent-cafe

Paleo Bread

I came across this recipe via GOOP, Gywneth Paltrow’s very popular blog.  It was an article about healthy things to have for breakfast and the fabulous Dr Frank Lipman shared his ideas that included lots of good things.  Link here.

The Paleo (or caveman) diet follows the principles of eating eggs, meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits and nuts. It is a high protein diet. No processed foods. Nothing artificial.  No grains or legumes.  No sugar but seems honey is ok (caveman would have eaten honey from wild bee hives).   I am no expert on this diet, but there is loads of information on the internet if you are interested in knowing more.

What I liked about this bread recipe (besides the fact it is gluten-free) is that has a lower GI. I have recently become aware that replacing wheat with gluten-free foods is most likely replacing with ingredients that play havoc with blood sugar levels  - which in turn can effect our health including our cholesterol levels.

When it comes to gluten-free bread, it shouldn’t be seen as a healthier option to wheat bread.  The main ingredients of GF bread tend to be corn starch, potato flour, tapioca, maize or soy flour etc – these are all high-GI and low fiber    This recipe uses both coconut flour, almond flour and flaxseed – all of which are high fiber,  high protein and have a lower glycemic load.

This Paleo bread is more like a cake in texture than bread.  It is very moist and soft.  Try it with eggs (scrambled, fried, boiled) or topped with avocado, Vegemite or nut spreads. Not so good if you use it for sandwiches as it will fall apart. Hence the reason it is ideal for breakfast.

The bread also lasts for a few days if you wrap in foil.  It freezes well and can be toasted.

Poached Figs (or Pears) in Spiced Red Wine

I originally poached some pears in this red wine spice mix, and there was so much liquid leftover I decided to put in a packet of dried Greek white figs and poach them too.  The syrup had taken on additional flavours from the pears, so it became even more delicious.

I have been known to eat these figs straight from the jar, but they are fabulous on a cheese platter.  They are also divine sliced into small pieces and served at the end of a meal with a little Greek yogurt.

Ingredients

1 cup red wine

1/2 cup port

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

3 bay leaves

6 cloves

1 stick of cinnamon

1/2 vanilla bean

2 tsp black peppercorns

1-2 tblspn balsamic vinegar

1 star anise

Method

1. Simmer the poaching liquid for about 15mins for flavours to infuse (…or poach some pears!).

2. Add the dried figs and cook about 10-15mins.  Remove figs and put into a jar.

3. Boil the liquid until it reduces to a syrup.

4. Strain and pour the hot syrup over the figs and put on the lid of the jar.

5. Leave to steep for a few hours before serving.

6. Once cold the figs will keep in the fridge for months.  The flavours will continue to intensify.

The island where people forget to die

I came across a fascinating article where the inhabitants of the Greek island of Ikaria, live long and happy lives well into their 80s and beyond. It was found that many reached the age of 95, two and a half times the rate that Americans do. One of the locals joked that they just forget to die !

Here are some of the interesting facts they uncovered about the Octogenarians on Ikaria:

1. It wasn’t just a healthy diet, it seems being socially active was just as crucial. They laughed often and had regular social interaction.

2. They consumed 2-3 glasses of wine per day.

3. They had a coffee each day (10 oz).

4. Most have a daily nap.

5. They are physically active and most say they have sex regularly.

6. They start the day with a dose of honey, which they believe has medicinal value and consume herbal mountain tea throughout the day, again which contains medicinal properties.

7. Breakfast was usually goats milk, mountain tea, bread and honey. Lunch was usually some form of beans (garbanzo/chick peas) lentils along with Horta (wild greens) and potatoes or seasonal vegetables. Dinner was bread and goats milk. Special occasions like Christmas and Easter involved a meal of meat, usually pork.

8. All dishes were cooked with liberal amounts of olive oil. Food was prepared and served the same ways as they have for hundreds of years. They eat very little refined sugar and white flour. The flour used is stone-ground wheat and honey is used as a sweetener.

Having been lucky enough to spend a bit of time in Greece, I see a lot of these behaviours in many of the older Greeks on the islands, and live from the land.

Sadly the younger generation tend to be taking a more modern approach to eating and living – consuming a diet of white sugar, refined flour, fast food, soft drinks etc. Perhaps the story of the people of Ikaria can inspire the Greeks to re-visit the old ways their parents, and their parent’s parents lived so successfully.

It is a fascinating read, here’s the link to the whole article.