Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (45 page)

SMOOTH TOMATO SAUCE

Makes 2 cups

2 ripe tomatoes

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup
beef stock
or
chicken stock

8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Blend tomatoes, pepper and onions in food processor. Place in a pan with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 3 minutes. Remove top and cook, stirring constantly, for another 5 minutes or so.

CHUNKY TOMATO SAUCE

Makes 2 cups

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup onion, finely chopped

3 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, mashed

½ cup basil, finely chopped

pinch of sea salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

This sauce is good with grilled tuna, sweetbreads and many other dishes. To peel tomatoes, see
Kitchen Tips & Hints
.

Saute onions in olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes, vinegar and garlic. Bring to a boil and reduce until liquid is almost gone. Stir in basil and seasonings. Remove from heat for about ½ hour to allow herb flavor to amalgamate into the sauce. Reheat before serving.

In one fascinating experiment scientists deprived a group of test rats of taste sensation. Both this group and a control group were placed on normal rat diets, and in a short time the taste-deprived rats all died. When the rats were autopsied, scientists could find only one cause of death—clinical malnutrition. The scientists could come up with only one explanation—that there are important yet unknown physiological connections between taste and health. Similarly, hospital patients fed intravenously or through feeding tubes that bypass the mouth often report a nagging hunger for taste. Though the mechanisms that govern these phenomena are little understood, this much is certain: To be fully nourished by food, we must experience it through tasting and chewing. Marc David
Nourishing Wisdom

GRANDPA'S SALSA

Makes 2 cups

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 cup green chile peppers, fresh or canned, diced

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes and peppers to onions and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated. This is delicious with scrambled eggs.

In 1957, Dr. Norman Jolliffe, Director of the Nutrition Bureau of the New York Health Department, initiated the Anti-Coronary Club, in which a group of businessmen, ranging in age from 40 to 59 years, were placed on the Prudent Diet. Club members used corn oil and margarine instead of butter, cold breakfast cereals instead of eggs and chicken and fish instead of beef. Anti-Coronary Club members were to be compared with a "matched" group of the same age who ate eggs for breakfast and had meat three times a day. . ..

Nine years later, the results of Dr. Jolliffe's Anti-Coronary Club experiment were published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
. Those on the Prudent Diet of corn oil, margarine, fish, chicken and cold cereal had an average serum cholesterol of 220, compared to 250 in the meat-and-potatoes control group. However, the study authors were obliged to note that there were eight deaths from heart disease among Dr. Jolliffe's Prudent Diet group, and none among those who ate meat three times a day.
The Oiling of America

GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE

Makes 3 cups

2 onions, chopped

8 fresh tomatillos, husked and finely chopped

3 medium mild green Anaheim chiles, seeded and chopped

2 small jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1¾ cups
chicken stock

pinch of sea salt

l bunch cilantro, chopped

This may be made in large batches and frozen. Be careful when preparing the chiles. It's best to wear rubber gloves when seeding and chopping jalapenos and to avoid touching any part of your face.

In a heavy skillet, saute onions in olive oil. Add tomatillos and chopped chiles and saute gently several minutes. Add the stock, garlic and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer about 30 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Process in batches in a food processor until smooth. Reheat gently.

1923 was also the heyday of Prohibition. When booze became illegal here, sugar consumption zoomed. The whole country acted like a gathering of arrested alcoholics spending the evening at AA; they couldn't keep their mitts out of the candy jar. Teetotalers were often the biggest sugar fiends, vowing alcohol would never touch their lips while pouring in the sugar which produces alcohol in tummies instead of bathtubs. William Dufty
Sugar Blues

RED ENCHILADA SAUCE

Makes 3 cups

4 ounces whole dried New Mexico or Ancho chiles

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups
beef stock
or
chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 small cans tomato paste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

sea salt

This sauce is far superior—both nutritionally and in terms of taste—to anything you can buy in a can. It can be made in large batches and frozen to have on hand when needed. Use either Ancho or New Mexican chiles—both are available in Mexican or Latin American markets, in specialty stores and in supermarkets in the West. The New Mexican chiles are slightly milder.

Clean the dried chiles by removing the stem and seeds. Be sure to wear rubber gloves for this process and be careful not to touch any part of your face.

Meanwhile, saute onion in olive oil. Add cumin and cook, stirring constantly, until well amalgamated into the oil. Add stock and chiles, bring to a boil, skim and reduce heat to a simmer. Whisk in garlic, vinegar and tomato paste. Simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes. Pass the sauce through a food mill. (See
A Word on Equipment
.) Season to taste.

Hydrophilic colloids form the substratum of all living protoplasm. They possess the property of readily taking up and giving off the substances essential to cell life. . .. Man's food in the raw state consists largely of hydrophilic colloids. The heat of cooking. . .precipitates the colloids in our diet. This change in colloidal state alters the hydration capacity of our foods so as to interfere with their ability to absorb digestive juices. . .. Uncooked foods contain sufficient hydrophilic colloid to keep this gastric mucosa in excellent condition. On the other hand, man living largely on cooked foods presents a different problem. . .. The use of a hydrophilic colloid [such as gelatin] in the dietetic treatment of gastric complaint is frequently sufficient in itself to rectify what are apparently serious conditions. Gelatin may be used in conjunction with almost any diet. . .. Its colloidal properties aid the digestion of many foods which cause the patient to suffer from "sour stomach". . .. In children who present problems of growth and development and those who show symptoms of allergy in the bowel, the hydrophilic colloid proves to be of great value. One usually prefers to use it in conjunction with a diet designed for the child's general upbuilding, although the addition of the colloid to the usual diet may be all that is necessary. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD
Hydrophilic Colloid Diet

PINEAPPLE VINEGAR

Makes 2 quarts

skin and core from 1 pineapple

2 quarts filtered water

2 teaspoons dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red chile flakes

2 tablespoons whey
Whey and Cream Cheese
, optional

This is a tradition of the West Indies and is used to make
cortido
. Place all ingredients in a bowl, cover and leave at room temperature about 36 hours. Skim and remove pineapple pieces. Strain vinegar into clean jars and cover tightly. This will keep in a cool place for several months.

PAPAYA PEPPER

seeds from 2 papayas

The papaya seed is rich in enzymes and can be used in place of pepper in any recipe. Place seeds with adhering pulp in warm water and work with hands to remove pulp. Let stand about 10 minutes. The pulp will rise to the surface where it can be skimmed off. Let seeds soak, covered, about 7 hours. Rinse seeds in a strainer and spread on a stainless steel baking pan. Bake at 150 degrees overnight or until completely dry. To use, grind in a pepper mill.

FERMENTED FISH SAUCE