Mediterranean Women Stay Slim, Too: Eating to Be Sexy, Fit, and Fabulous! (6 page)

Try using parsley in your cooking more often. Use my gremolata recipe for garnishing, or try it over soup or stew to add a Mediterranean flair. Spread it on a chicken breast before grilling. Sprinkle it over halibut for an elegant dinner, or mix it with canned tuna and stuff into half a whole-wheat pita for an elegant but quick lunch.

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Gremolata

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√This version of gremolata uses orange rind instead of lemon, but you can use either one. The delicious flavor of toasted coriander seeds—the seeds that grow the cilantro plant—add depth. Use Italian parsley in this dish rather than curly parsley.

You can also add mint or anise hyssop.

3 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Zest of 3 oranges (reserve fruit for

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

another use)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely

2 cups chopped fresh Italian parsley

minced

1.
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and toast the coriander seeds, stirring constantly, until they turn just a shade darker brown and you start to smell them. This should take just 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Be careful not to burn them. If you burn any, just throw those away.

2.
Thoroughly combine the toasted coriander seeds with the other ingredients in a medium bowl. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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Yogurt and Mint

Classic Mediterranean food doesn’t include a lot of dairy, but certain cheeses are used, and in some countries, a lot of yogurt.

If you aren’t used to yogurt or you are only used to the kind of yogurt that you buy in the grocery store premixed with a bunch of sugary fruit, then you haven’t really tried yogurt Mediterranean style—yogurt that is creamy, rich, and tangy. The natural probiotics in yogurt help keep your digestion in good working order, which can be a great help if you are eating more vegetables and grains.

In the Mediterranean, yogurt is usually used in savory dishes rather than sweet dishes. I love the taste of plain yogurt, but you might not be used to it yet. Experiment with it. Use the whole-milk variety, and relish that rich, creamy texture and mouth-filling taste. Use yogurt in recipes that call for sour cream or crème fraîche. Eat one spoonful every day. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup—it’s delicious! Pretty soon you’ll be hooked.

Another way people use yogurt in the Mediterranean is to drain it in a colander lined with cheesecloth so that it becomes thick, like the consistency of whipped cream cheese. This yogurt spread or yogurt cheese is great as a sandwich spread with fresh vegetables on good bread, and you can even make cheesecake with it. Mix it with fresh fruit and spread it on toast, or slather it on pita bread and top it with white beans, chopped tomatoes, and slivers of fresh basil.

You can buy some really good yogurt in the store these days.

Goat’s milk and sheep’s milk yogurt are very authentic for the Mediterranean. If you’re interested, yogurt is simple to make with a basic yogurt maker that keeps the milk at just the right temperature to become yogurt. These machines make about 1 quart at a time, keeping you supplied with fresh yogurt all
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week. I like the inexpensive Salton machine, which makes yogurt in a single quart container. It is easy to use and clean.

Mint is another popular herb in Mediterranean cooking, particularly in Greece. Mint sauce is a classic accompaniment to lamb. People like to flavor peas and potatoes with mint, but I like to put it in yogurt. Mint grows like a weed in most climates, so it is easy to have fresh mint on hand. Freeze or dry extra mint for year-round use. Try this recipe to see if it doesn’t help win you over to yogurt’s savory side.

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Mint Yogurt

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√This recipe combines plain yogurt with herbs and spices. Mint yogurt is delicious as a garnish on a simple bowl of chickpea or white bean soup, or as a condiment on a sandwich of chicken or lamb wrapped in warm pita bread. Or just eat it with a spoon.

1 cup plain yogurt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime

1 teaspoon minced garlic

juice

1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin

1.
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.

2.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour so that the flavors can blend. Serve chilled. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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Salsa

Salsa
is the Spanish word for sauce. Although we usually associate salsa with Mexican cuisine, it is an important part of Spanish cuisine, too. Salsa usually refers to an uncooked sauce or relish that is often spicy. A variety of salsas make great accompaniments to fresh vegetables. Salsas are so much better tasting and better for you than fatty, bland dressings and dips. They are also quick and easy to make. Just put two cloves of peeled garlic, one teaspoon sea salt, and two to four cored and seeded hot chile peppers (like jalapeños) in a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop. Add four cored fresh tomatoes and a cored and seeded green or red bell pepper. Puree. Stir in one-quarter cup chopped fresh cilantro and the juice from one lime and voilà!

Fresh salsa.

Salsa verde simply means “green sauce,” and it is the Italian version of salsa, using Italian herbs: parsley, capers, anchovies, lemon, and olive oil. It’s nothing at all like the tomato salsa you are used to, but try it for a change and relish the bright, bold flavor.

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Salsa Verde

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√Try this recipe with toasted pita bread, grilled baguette slices, as a garnish for cooked foods, or even stirred into freshly cooked hot pasta. Or split open a baguette, sprinkle the inside with a good sherry vinegar, spread this salsa on both sides, and share with a friend. If you include the hard-boiled eggs, you’ve got lunch. Use whatever herbs are freshly available in addition to the parsley.

3⁄4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon

1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil, oregano,

juice

chives, and/or rosemary

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1⁄4 cup capers

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 fresh or canned anchovy fillets,

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

rinsed, patted dry, and chopped

2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1.
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.

2.
Let the salsa sit for at least 1 hour so that the flavors can blend. Serve chilled, at room temperature, or stirred into hot dishes such as pasta or vegetables. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

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Tomatoes

Tomato is one of the key components in Italian cooking, but other Mediterranean countries make liberal use of tomatoes, too. Fresh tomatoes taste fantastic, especially if you buy them vine ripened from a farmers’ market or grow them yourself. For truly concentrated tomato flavor, however, sometimes I like to use dried tomatoes. They really give you the full impact of tomato flavor.

Pesto is a classic Italian pasta sauce made of basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil, but as long as we’ve got a green salsa, I want to include a red pesto. Pesto is supposed to have a big, bold flavor, and this red pesto fits that profile. Make sure you buy dried tomatoes that don’t have additives. They are easy to dry yourself in a low oven overnight.

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Red Pesto

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√This isn’t technically a pesto, but you use it the same way. Instead of combining fresh basil with pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil (as in a regular pesto), this recipe uses sun-dried tomatoes pureed with olives, garlic, and olive oil. You still get a lot of taste in every spoonful of this piquant sauce, so toss just a little with a cup of hot cooked pasta, add a green salad, and you’ve got a fantastic and colorful light meal. You can also serve red pesto on meat or fish to jazz them up. This pesto should be thick but pourable. If it is too thick, add a little more olive oil.

10 sun-dried tomatoes, dry or oil-

20 salt-cured olives, pitted

packed (rehydrate dried tomatoes

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

in warm water for about 20

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

minutes, drain, and then use)

1 garlic clove, peeled

1⁄2 tablespoon crushed red pepper

flakes

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

(slightly less if using oil-packed

tomatoes)

1.
Pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until well combined.

2.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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Balsamic Vinegar

Vinegar adds tang to many recipes, and a little goes a long way.

Balsamic vinegar, however, is sweeter, more like syrup, and when it is of the highest quality, it is expensive. But many delicious and affordable balsamic vinegars are now available in the United States, and any of them will work in my recipes.

You may think of balsamic vinegar as an ingredient in salad dressing, since it is often used that way. However, in Italy, it is also a common foil for strawberries. In the Mediterranean, people eat fresh fruit when they want something sweet, and fruit is sometimes paired with cheese. In this recipe, try fruit, cheese, and balsamic syrup together to get a taste of what a real Mediterranean finish to a meal is all about.

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Garden Strawberries

with Fresh Sheep’s Cheese and Balsamic Syrup

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√Because of the time I spent at Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, I came to appreciate the full mellow flavor of sheep’s cheese. I prefer it in this recipe, but you could also use fresh goat’s milk or even a fresh soft cow’s milk cheese. You can use a high-quality balsamic vinegar as is, without making the syrup.

1⁄2 pound fresh sheep’s cheese

1 quart strawberries

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Balsamic Syrup (recipe follows)

1.
Scoop the cheese onto four plates.

2.
Sprinkle each scoop of cheese with pepper.

3.
Divide the strawberries between the four plates, arranging them around the cheese.

4.
Drizzle the cheese and strawberries with balsamic syrup.

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Balsamic Syrup

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1 cup balsamic vinegar

1⁄2 cup sugar

1.
Mix the vinegar and the sugar together in a small saucepan.

Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling.

2.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the mixture thickens to the consistency of syrup, stirring occasionally. This should take 10–15 minutes. Store in a glass jar for up to 1 month.

These are just a few of the tastes that distinguish and char-acterize Mediterranean food. I want you to try these things not so much to feel as if you are in the Mediterranean but to feel as if you can taste and appreciate anything. Remember that the key to eating in the style and spirit of the Mediterranean is to eat from a broad variety of fresh foods that come from the earth all around you or from the sea. To eat Mediterranean is to eat like a woman who appreciates life’s great adventure, not like a woman who is too bored, busy, or distracted to savor the pleasures of the table.

This is just the beginning of your culinary journey and the transformation of your mind and body. Are your passions ig-nited yet? Are you getting excited about the food in your life and the life in your food? Have one more strawberry, and let’s move on.

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jm

3

Abundant Variety

Mediterranean people eat an abundant variety of foods. Most Americans don’t. The problem with eating a lot of the same thing is that you miss out on important nutrients that keep you strong, energized, and even better emotionally equipped to handle your life. Nutrient deficiencies can compromise a woman’s immune system and can contribute to health problems down the line, not to mention low energy right now.

All the nutrients your body could ever need are available to you in abundance. They come from your mother, the Earth, and they are most potent in freshly picked seasonal fruits and vegetables. In the Mediterranean, plant foods really are the heart of the cuisine. Why do we tend to relegate just a little bit of our plates to fruits and vegetables, then overcook them or eat them when they are old or out of season? I’m sure I don’t know!
C’est
ridicule
.

But I do know that it’s easy to get in a food rut. You find

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something you like—Caesar salad, or pasta perhaps—and you stick with it. Maybe part of the problem is that even though Americans have access to foods from all over the planet, when your veggies are shipped from another country thousands of miles away, they just don’t taste very good. Not only is this food far from being freshly picked (even if it is sold as “fresh” in the store), but to keep it from spoiling on its long journey, produce is often gassed to retard ripening, sprayed with pesticides to prevent infestation, and coated with wax to make it more durable. Does that sound tasty to you? Not to me, either.