Fighting Frost with Friends

Let's face it: the choices made regarding your (dinner) party are also directly linked to the season and weather. For about four months now, all Mother Nature gives to my side of the world is snow, hail, heavy rain, frost and cold winds. If you are in a situation like this, sometime during the year, is there anything better than warming up your guests with a hearty soup? A guaranteed result is that you will warm up the general climate in the house and you will not need any other ice-breaker!

In our menu, as planned in the previous post, the soup will function as a first dish, and will need to be carefully combined with the main. For example, you might not wish to serve a heavy stew or a soup containing meat if your main will also be some sort of meat. On the other hand, if you have one central ingredient that will be the link among your dishes, then yes, you can avoid this rule and serve, let's say a chicken soup before a chicken pie or a chicken roulade. As I have said before, there is nothing wrong or correct when it comes to food as joy, but some good combinations can sometimes change everything. 

Let me propose then two soup recipes that are in my mind these days, one I made and enjoyed yesterday evening (need I mention that it was snowing for the whole day?) and the other being one of my all-time favourites, which I am presenting this week in my Nutrition Class. They are totally different between them but both undoubtedly healthy and quite easy to make, so get your pots ready!

Pureed Broccoli Soup (for 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

8 cups of broccoli (stems and florets, big stalks disposed)

1 tablespoon thyme (fresh or dried)

1 vegetable bouillon tablet (optional)

200g (light) cooking cream

Water (as much as it takes)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat the olive oil in a big pot (the one that will take the soup) and saute the garlic over medium heat until it is soft and translucent. Meanwhile, start adding the broccoli to the pot. Add the thyme and keep stirring, until fragrant, for some more seconds.

2. Add water to cover the broccoli, together with the vegetable tablet (if using, for extra flavour), and boil for 15 minutes (due to the big quantity of vegetables - it can also take less).

3. Using a big ladle, transfer the broccoli into a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Return this smooth material to the big pot and add the cooking cream over low heat. Stir and let the two fluids incorporate while adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

You might think that such a soup will prove difficult for serving at a dinner but the truth is that you can keep it simmering over very low heat for some minutes without destroying its flavour. It is actually one of these soups you can also prepare beforehand, freeze, and only warm up when about to serve it. Same goes for the leftovers after your evening. I do not follow this method when hosting guests but if you are already overwhelmed with preparing other things and cleaning up your place, then you might want to plan ahead. Do not forget that the energy levels of the host(ess) are one of the most important ingredients. One important tip though: do not underestimate the characteristic, rather unpleasant smell of the broccoli. The thyme and garlic cover it while cooking and eating it, but you cannot avoid having a smelly room, so make sure you air your kitchen well during/after the preparation. And a bonus serving tip: if you are not hosting a dinner where you seat your guests around the table but it is more like a walking party, you can make smaller quantities of this soup and serve it in shot glasses (to the big side). The intense green colour makes them look very impressive and each guest can of course have more than one shots. Don't be afraid of serving soup, therefore; it can be very enjoyable and original!

The traditional Chicken Soup Avgolemono (egg&lemon), perhaps the most iconic of all Greek soups, is present on the menu of many Greek restaurants and houses and takes part in  various Greek festivities. It may vary from simple to very crafty (it does need some basic skill, it's true, otherwise it will end up similar to the egg-drop soup, which, albeit tasty, is not quite the same) but I will stick to the version that most reminds me of my mother and grandmother, trying to cure us children from a cold. It is actually so filling and satisfying that can also pass as a meal by itself at a normal day, but if your guests are not used to it, they will very much appreciate it too! Besides this feeling of satiety, however, it is actually nutritious and not so high in caloric value. From a quick calculation I made for my class and  having in mind a portion of about two full ladles per person, it actually barely exceeds 200 calories, which gives plenty of space for other food too if you move around the 400-calorie meal rule (which I would not suggest applying at a dinner party anyhow, or else you are missing half the fun calculating). Nevertheless, before I give you the recipe, here is the average nutritional value of my version, to give you an idea: 

• Calories: 212
• Total fat (grams): 7.6gr
• Saturated fat (grams): 1.6gr
• Sodium (milligrams): 83mg
• Carbohydrate (grams): 12.3gr
• Dietary fiber (grams): 0.5gr
• Sugars (grams): 1.5gr
• Protein (grams): 22gr

And this is how it goes, for about 6 people:

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
water (as much as it takes)
1 cup white rice
2 skinless chicken breasts, diced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 lemon juiced
3 eggs


Preparation:
1. Heat the olive oil in a big pot (the one that will take the soup) and saute the onions over medium heat until they are soft and translucent. While the onions are cooking, start adding the diced chicken breasts to the pot.

2. When the onions are ready and the chicken has started taking a bit of colour, add water to cover it and boil enough to have a properly cooked chicken (as these are small bits, 30-40 minutes will do). Halfway through, add the rice in the boiling water (you might need to adjust the water quantity) together with some pinches of salt. Let this cook properly.

3. While your rice is boiling, beat the eggs in a bowl. Whisking constantly, add the lemon juice to the eggs. You will need to temper the eggs before you add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup, so while whisking the egg-lemon mixture vigorously, slowly pour in a ladle of hot water (by now chicken broth) from the boiling pot. Like this, your eggs won't scramble when coming in direct contact with the soup.

4. When chicken and rice is ready (but with plenty of water still, it's a soup, don't forget), turn the heat off. Whisk the soup while you pour the egg-lemon mixture in with the other. Add pepper to taste (optional but goes great with egg), serve at once and enjoy!

You are now ready to face the coldest weather with the company of your friends! Because F is certainly not for Freezing!

Dipping In

In my last post, I shared the opinion that for a (dinner) party to be successful, one needs to have extras to avoid stressing when it comes to guests feeling satisfied  - foodwise, that is; what you do for your guests besides food is a whole other discussion and in fact more important than this one. In any case, this suggested cooking method also makes the host feel satisfied. The first and most important joy for me is seeing my guests happy with what they had and, if possible, on the verge of falling in a coma because of the quantities consumed. To be able to join in, however, and not feel exhausted half-way through the day/evening, the host should make sure that not all energy is dedicated to the preparations, but has also kept enough reserves for the moment itself. Even better, there shouldn't be much effort needed for when the guests have departed. Thus, back to my advice to prepare food that could still be used the day after, if there is any left. And if it didn't suck all your time and energy while preparing, then you have hit a jack-pot! Of course, let's be clear here and say that not all circumstances are to be treated equally: there is time for simple and there is time for extravagant, there are occasions to go fancy and others to be homely and cozy. Every now and then, do prepare something that will need your full attention, detailed work, even a little bit of studying beforehand. The feeling after you have presented something majestic, or outside your comfort zone anyhow, is irreplaceable! But for someone like me, who treats almost every meal as a small feast, quick but tasty ideas are always necessary and welcome.

Let's set up a fictional menu then, simple to prepare, filling when consumed, easy to re-use in case of leftovers. It would consist of one or two salads, one or two main with one or two side dishes accordingly, and a desert. You could also have some small bites for the time before your guests are actually seated around the table. These last ones are the easy part, since they can vary from small things like nuts, crackers, chips/crisps etc to something you might have prepared such as a spread for bread or a dip for sticks of vegetables. An easy dip, which you can prepare a bit before and only requires a small blender, needs the following ingredients: 

400gr of Greek yoghurt

150gr of Roquefort or Blue Cheese

two spoonfuls of mayonnaise

a small onion very finely chopped (preferably in the blender)

You only need to mix all the above together, after you have put the onion and the cheese in the processor so that you don't find chunks in your dip. Make sure you have battered the mixture really well to have a smooth final product. I know it is not the healthiest of all choices but it is not supposed to be consumed in big quantities. This will be already more than enough for quite a number of people, even for a light snacks buffet than a proper dinner, so you might want to halve the quantities if you prepare it for only a few and right before dinner. It can be a bit salty, depending on the cheese you will use, so it is best served with sticks of cucumber and carrot or vegetable chips, rather than the usual potato chips. For a bit of extra freshness, you can add some drops of lemon in the mixture. So far, it has been a huge success every time I prepared it and I have never actually seen it anywhere else but my sister's, who was the one who gave me this tip. Go ahead then and present something original instead of the usual tapenade.

How about the dinner table, now? Did you take a minute to visualise it yet? Are you using a tablecloth or something else? One set of dishes and bowls or more of a mixing-matching combination? Does the wine and water come in the original bottles or are you serving it in your own special ones? Same goes for salt & pepper and any extra spices and herbs. Before we get transferred to the dining table then, another load of things is to be taken care of in addition to the food. After you have decided on this, you will know exactly what kind of food you will want to prepare - or vice versa, the style of food you are thinking of may  define the setting. 

How does it work for you? Time to share your tips and come up with new ideas. And don't forget to preheat your oven! Fun, Frenzied, Fast cooking is on the way!

Everything is relative

A question often raised when it comes to the connection between Food and Culture, is in what extent does our cultural background affect our cooking (there are, of course, many more questions linked to these two elements). At this point, I guess I have to clarify that I do not talk about cooking or eating a specific meal related to one's origins, which country one comes from and what are the preferences/limitations in one's own house. What I mean is the way one cooks or, actually, how one thinks of cooking. Again, by saying how, I do not refer to the methodology or tools used. I refer to that main tool of all of us, our brain - or is it the heart that is involved here? 

Having lived part of my life in countries of Southern Europe and another part in countries of Northern/Western Europe, these ways and differences strike me at once, especially because of my own personal interest in other peoples' cultures and how these are reflected in everyday life. In fact, I am always fascinated by details that usually go unattended. To me, such small things talk the most and are by far more revealing than greater and planned manifestations. Back to Food, what makes me the strongest impression is how in one part of the world cooking and eating is considered a bare necessity, something to survive by and nothing further, as in other places, it is considered a necessity without which life would not be celebrated. And this affects immediately the quantities of food prepared and offered. 

At the moment, I live in a country where the rule is that each person is allowed one cookie together with the coffee or tea. I want to be fair here though and say that the rule is not always followed - but there is a reason it exists. The reason can be found in the (religious) traditions where any exaggeration is considered a sin, no matter your wealth or social status. You would be frowned upon and possibly viewed as disrespectful, taken into consideration the not-so-blossoming financial situation in the world.

On the other hand, I come from a country where you are literally forced to get drunk because if you deny the drinks offered (with the very reasonable explanation that you need to drive afterwards) you will offend someone to the level that relationships can be broken. Notably, this does not refer to wealthy people who can carelessly spend. The (religious) traditions order that even the poorest person has to offer what is best to please the guests. Hospitality comes above the risk of coming across as a show-off.


It is not my call or my position to judge none of the two perceptions. I have happened to receive all kinds of comments when throwing a party ("You went all in! Nice!" vs "These are way too many things! You didn't think this through!") but I keep having people along regularly, simply because I enjoy it. I have also happened to be on the other side and see the hostess getting desperate because her food was not enough - or so she thought, while the rest of us just found it extremely delicious and could not but lick our plates. The way I see it, Food falls under the general rule of "everything is relative". So, try and keep all other rules aside. Remember that your food is not only supposed to be filling in the stomach but also in the heart. Don't count your bites then, don't calculate the quantities. Fall for what feels right (is this what FFF stands for?) - and then add some more. Always make some more. What is the worst thing that can happen? You have leftovers for the next day, saving you time, money and, above all, from the embarrassment! Take it as an advice coming from my non-scientific but realistic anthropological research. And if you are troubled about what to cook which is both fancy or decent to please your guests and does not leave you with food that cannot be reused, I will be coming back with recipes and ideas! Stay tuned!  

As long as I live, I learn

When I started this blog, about a week ago, I mentioned that I had to do it before the first month of 2013 went away, seeing it a bit as a kick-start for the year. Well, this is not the only new thing I am doing in 2013. Ten days ago, I also started taking online courses on Food and Nutrition, which I am planning to follow for years to come - what one can learn is never enough and, in fact, never ends. No excuses about age either: one is never too young or too old to learn.

Up until mid-March then, I am following a course on Nutrition for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention offered by the University of California. Coming April, I am taking classes from Vanderbilt University (US-TN) regarding Nutrition, Health, and Lifestyle: Issues and Insights. I cannot even describe how excited I feel about this, not only because I am having classes on something I am interested in - albeit not professionally, thus never studied it - but also because I get to sit on my chair somewhere in Europe and watch the lectures someone is delivering in the States. For free. I only wish I had more time to pick more than one course per period, but still, I am very happy and have taken it very seriously, with my quizzes, assignments, and all things nice I erroneously thought I had left behind when finishing my studies. 

Happy as I am, I would advise everyone to take a look into the extensive list of Universities and Courses they offer on www.coursera.org and register, not only when it comes to subjects related to Food but for anything that excites you and you always wanted to learn a bit more about (or just realised you are curious about after you went through the list). Even if you don't have enough time, even if you think you might not get the chance to complete the course, you are not losing anything by trying. And if you are used to packed classrooms and you think this will be lonely and boring, there is actually a huge community involved and plenty of discussions going on every moment.

I am not advertising anyone or anything here. Being persuaded, however, that Food is far from just closing oneself in the kitchen, learning a bit more around it from the professionals in the field cannot but enhance my belief: it is necessary to be conscious about our choices. I already see in practice things I just learned during this first week of lectures - small details but of importance when looking at the greater picture. So, yes, judging from my experience, I wanted to share this piece of advice. Remember that any information, every bit of knowledge, works to Free our minds, to Foster our appreciation for what surrounds us, and to give us a push Forward. These three F's and then some more: it is Fun, Fulfilling, and Free (is this what FFF stands for?), just like everything that is actually of value in life.

I will be thrilled to hear your choices and progress! Seize the day!

P.S. I registered for these two classes sometime in 2012 so no, it has nothing to do with New Year's Resolutions and the rest, which, I have to admit, I hate.

India, coconut and a cabbage

I was not planning to start right away with recipes as such. I thought that an introduction to what I find important and how I see things when it comes to food and the culture around it would shed more light on what I have mentioned in my first post. But sometimes, things move faster than our own thoughts. In any case, I guess that all kinds of writing reveal a bit of one's self and ideas, even if in the simplest form (because some people still think that recipes are simple but this would lead us to another discussion). So, back to our main topic. 

Today, while still in bed and trying to get familiar with Google+ (I am totally new in there by the way but I already found a very active community of food bloggers), I came across a question from someone on how to use coconut shavings  (this is grated coconut for those using a different term for it, including myself, although I found "shavings" quite representative seen the texture of this specific fruit - yes, it is a fruit, a drupe to be more specific, and not a nut as its name might indicate, at least in English and some other languages). Well, the uses are endless, as with every single ingredient, when imagination is involved. My latest favourite though (I cooked it already twice in three weeks, while I usually avoid repeating the same recipes within such a short time-span) celebrates this fruit together with other tasty ingredients we often overlook, such as the very humble lentils. The reason this became my new favourite was actually the use of a vegetable relatively new for me: the kohlrabi. I happened to notice it appearing in the supermarket during winter but I was not very fond of the idea of yet another Kohl (German for cabbage). Well, this is not your usual cabbage. It doesn't look or smell like it (the smell reminds me of radish, to be honest). And to make it more interesting, it is widely used in India! I only discovered all this when I was found with three of them delivered in my hands (the delivery: another story for a future post) and I just had to use them. Here is what I came up with after my short research on the Internet (quick note: you can stop reading right here if you are used to recipes with exact measurements to the last gram, precise times and temperatures - but freel free to ask for clarifications if you indeed go on and read it and it doesn't make much sense to you):

Put 3-4 cups of lentils to boil - if desired add a pinch of salt. While the lentils boil, peel your kohlrabi (1 or 2, to taste, I liked it more when I used 2) and dice it. Throw it in a big pan with hot oil (sesame oil worked fine for me, coconut oil is of course great match but never forget that it is very fatty) and stir fry to soften, while adding curry, cumin, chillies (or paste of it) and mustard (or mustard seeds) to taste. Your lentils will be ready by that moment - even if not softened as desired they will keep boiling together with the rest of the ingredients - and, after discarding any excess water, you can throw them in the pan with the kohlrabi mixture. This is the moment when you will add your coconut (shavings or paste), together with some coconut water, and some extra pepper and spices, if you wish. The recipe works just fine with simple tap water too, by the way, and this goes with most of its ingredients; variations are the core of it, e.g. in the kind of lentils. Lower the temperature and give some time to the ingredients to set together, especially if you opt for coconut paste, which will need several minutes to dissolve. Keep stirring and adding water, if necessary, but the final product should have a thick sauce rather than a watery one. In the meantime, during this time, prepare your rice in a different pot - again, of your preference (Feel Free to Fantasize - is this what FFF stands for?). When ready, serve together with the spicy lentils, either adding it to the mixture or separately as base/side.

I am curious to hear your comments, if you try it! It takes around 30-40 minutes, from prep to service, feeds 4 if using restaurant portions, and does not require any cooking technique. Enjoy!