Robin Ellis's Blog, page 15
March 3, 2016
MEDITERRANEAN COOKING for DIABETICS–PUBLISHED TODAY!
MEDITERRANEAN COOKING for DIABETICS–Delicious dishes to control or avoid diabetes.
Published today in the UK–available from bookstores and on-line and as an ebook.
Here’s a visual tour of some of the recipes you’ll find to cook in the book.
All photos by Meredith Wheeler–(bar one, which she’s in—only fair!)
To know how to eat is to know enough….
~ Old Basque saying
Bon appétit!
Filed under: Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis Tagged: Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics, Meredith Wheeler, robin ellis
March 2, 2016
Learned at My Mother’s Knee: Cooking day-to-day
“Big Ears” with Molly and Trike on the Heath Extension
It’s the summer of 1946, approaching 4pm one afternoon, in the kitchen of a house in Hampstead Garden Suburb, north London.
Molly Ellis (age 31) is coming to terms with life as a full-time housewife in post-war Britain, looking after her young son in a bigger house than she’s ever known.
She’s coping– but this afternoon her friend Rita, “Auntie Rita,” is coming to tea–and Molly is not happy about it.
“Just one more thing– the day isn’t long enough; wish Rita wasn’t coming today!”
The front door bell rang and four-year-old Big Ears, goes to open it while Molly takes the scones from the oven.
“Mummy doesn’t want YOU to come to tea today….”
We never saw Auntie Rita again!
* * * * *
It’s stressful cooking for a family–however much you enjoy it–and my mother enjoyed it.
She did this for a lifetime–for a family that grew to five.
With younger brother Peter and Jack (a babe in arms).
No sign of pressure, no complaining–regular as clockwork.
(The Auntie Rita episode is the only time I can remember the pressure getting to her. Maybe she really didn’t like Rita!)
Ma had staying power–the stamina of a professional.
Her duty is how she might have characterized it. Christmas cakes started in September, a little brandy added every month. Home-made marmalade with the bitter oranges from Seville bottled every February. The weekly roast on Sunday stretched ’til Wednesday–cold on Monday, minced on Tuesday. Good home husbandry! I was the admiring sous-chef, specializing in licking out the bowl.
I’m not cooking for a family–but I do cook twice a day.
Of course, I have the time–well usually–and the inclination (usually).
Many people have neither–or maybe one, but not the other.
Shame–they are missing out!
(Not how they might see it, perhaps–“better things to do….”)
As a Type 2 diabetic (my mother was Type 1 and had to inject insulin), cooking puts me in control of what I eat which is a huge advantage.
I like the “day-to-dayness” of it–the regularity.
Perhaps I thrive under the pressure.
Early days as an actor, usually on my way to the unemployment office known as the Labour Exchange, I often thought how much happier I’d be sitting behind a desk, answering the odd phone call–a rosy view of a 9-to-5 job! Or maybe gardening in the fresh air–honest toil.
Then the phone would ring–a job!
Now, I cook twice a day–lunch and dinner.
There’s my pressure.
Enough of this idle musing…
From my about-to-be-published third cookbook, Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics—Delicious dishes to control or avoid diabetes. (Launching TOMORROW, March 3rd)
Smoky cauliflower soup
Cauliflower is not everyone’s first choice as a vegetable–let alone as a soup.
But this soup usual wins over even the most doubtful….
We love it– and marvel that something SO delicious comes from such simple ingredients:
The key ingredient is smoky bacon.
1 large cauliflower--broken into florets
2 cloves of garlic–chopped
1 medium onion–chopped
2 oz smoked bacon–chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 litre/2 pints stock
salt and pepper
Gently heat the oil in a pan and sauté the bacon bits until they colour a bit.
Add the garlic and onion.
Cook the mix on for five minutes until the onion has softened.
While this happens break up the cauliflower into florets and add to a large saucepan.
When ready add the onion and bacon mix to the cauliflower pan with the bay leaves and the stock.
Cover and bring this mix up to the simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender.
Lift a couple of tablespoons of the mix out of the pan and into a bowl with a slotted spoon letting the liquid fall back in the pan
Liquidise the contents of the pan and test the seasoning.
Use the set-aside florets to garnish the soup and serve hot.
Meredith asked, “What is this? It’s so creamy? Does it have potatoes in it?”
“Cauliflower soup,“ I replied, somewhat sheepishly.
(Somehow cauliflower is not a vegetable that’s easy to own….)
It’s delicious!
Filed under: Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis
February 24, 2016
Brussels sprout eggs
The winter version of the Courgette eggs recipe in my new cook book Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics (out March 3 in the UK).
And something NEW to do with the not-always-popular Brussels Sprout–poor little mites.
There are usually a few left in a brown paper bag in the fridge and just half a pound of them works well for two people.
Forgot the parsley for the photo!
250gm/8oz Brussels Sprouts–outer layers removed and sliced on the horizontal into thinnish slices
1 medium onion–peeled and chopped
1 oz smoky bacon–diced
3 tbs olive oil
2oz parmesan–grated
4 eggs
1 tbs parsley–chopped (if you have some)
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a medium pan and fry the onion and the bacon until the onion softens.
Add the small discs of sprouts and mix the well in.
Cover the pan to allow the sprouts to soften up. Test them after 5 minutes. They need to be tender to match the scrambledness of the eggs.
Whisk the eggs together and mix in the cheese.
Pour this into the sprout combo and stir constantly as the eggs begin to set over a lowish heat.
Take care to keep scraping–as the eggs can quickly burn in the pan.
Test for seasoning–(and fight the temptation to scoff the lot!)
We had this for lunch today (sitting outside in the “spring” sunshine) with a simple salad.
Filed under: Food, other sides to this life, Recipes Tagged: brussels sprout eggs
February 22, 2016
Leeks in red wine
A simple marriage this, arranged by Elizabeth David–who seems surprised in the original recipe that her matchmaking is a success.
We had these tonight with roasted cabbage slices and flageolet beans in a tomato sauce.
The three made good company rather than a crowd!
Serves 4
4 medium leeks
3 tbs olive oil
1 glass of red wine
2 or 3 tbs stock (I use organic vegetarian stock cubes.)
salt and pepper
Cut off the root ends of the leeks and pull off the damaged outer layers.
Peel back the tops a little to make sure the soil is cleaned away.
Slice the leeks into stubby lengths.
Place the stubs in a single layer in a suitable pan that has a cover.
Add the oil and a pinch of salt.
and cook over a medium heat until they start to brown.
A touch overdone–some. Next time turn a tidge earlier.
Turn them and add the wine and stock. There’ll be a spluttering–be careful!
Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat until the leeks are tender and the sauce silkily viscuous–about 10 to 15 minutes.
(Add a little more stock, if needed.)
Filed under: Food, other sides to this life, Recipes Tagged: leeks in red wine
February 19, 2016
Trout sautéed with smoky bacon and garlic
An air of resignation? Fishmonger comes on Friday…
Our walk round the lake last Sunday reminded me of trout and that we have not eaten much fish this winter–just haven’t fancied it.
I checked a list of recipes to try this morning and found trout featuring strongly.
So a visit to our Friday market fishmonger in Lautrec–the more reliable Pascal–yielded two very fresh (clear-eyed) trout from the Pyrenees.
Home James!–and get out the organic bacon from the fridge–an ounce per trout suffices, sliced into dice!
The smokiness of the bacon nicely informs the finished taste.
2 fresh-as-fresh-can-be trout–kept whole, cleaned (innards removed) and patted dry with kitchen paper
2 oz smoked bacon (you could use unsmoked, of course)
1 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves–peeled and chopped
2 tbs chickpea flour or wholewheat flour
salt and pepper
With a sharp knife make three short slashes through the skin each side of each trout–taking care not to cut the flesh.
Spread the flour on a large plate and season it with salt and pepper.
Turn each fish in the flour and shake off any residual flour–season the cavity with pinches of salt and pepper.
They are ready to cook.
Heat the oil in a fry pan large enough to take the trout and add the bacon.
Sauté over a low heat until it yields some fat and starts to color and crisp a little.
Add the garlic.
Place the trout on top of the bacon bits and the garlic.
Cook on a lowish heat for about six minutes each side–depending on the size of the fish.
Meanwhile, back at the lake….
Filed under: Food, other sides to this life, Recipes Tagged: Trout sautéed with smoky bacon and garlic
February 15, 2016
Cauliflower gratin with black olives
Adapted from a Martha Rose Shulman recipe, this went down a treat with a distracted Meredith, a moving target the other day with her mind on the Bells of St. Martin and their imminent relocation.
I like both the convenience and look of Gratins.
They often involve pre-cooked ingredients so the final stage is a simple matter of heating through which means you can do an assembly job beforehand, heat the oven and hey presto!
There’s a section on them in my new cookbook, Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics, out March 3rd in the UK, August 3rd in the USA.
(Photos by Meredith, Available for pre-order)
The juicy black olives lend depth and mystery to this simple dish.
“You are kidding me–cauliflowers bring mystery?!”
OK then–“lend an exotic twist.…”
1 medium cauliflower–broken up into bite size florets
3 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion–chopped
2 cloves garlic–pulped with a pinch of salt
a dozen or so, juicy black olives preserved in oil–stoned and halved
2 tbs parsley–chopped fine
4 tbs grated parmesan OR 2tbs each of parmesan and pecorino (if you use pecorino, keep in mind that it is quite salty.)
2 tbs wholewheat breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 190c
Steam the cauliflower florets to your taste in tenderness–I like them a bit firm.
Set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft and browned a little–about five minutes
Add the pulped garlic and the parsley and cook for another couple of minutes.
Turn off the heat and mix in the olives.
Add the cauliflower to the pan and turn it over in the mix–seasoning as you go with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle over half the cheese and turn it over.
Taste for seasoning.
Turn this into a shallow gratin dish.
Mix the remaining cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over a tablespoon of olive oil
Uncooked
Place in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes.
It should come out sizzling quietly and nicely browned on top.
We had it with sautéed brussel sprouts.
Not the most photogenic dish, but scores high on taste and suitable for vegetarians.
Filed under: Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, Robin Ellis Tagged: cauliflower gratin, Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics
February 12, 2016
Farewell to the Bells of St. Martin–quel dommage!
Church WITH bells
A heavy knock on the door yesterday,
“The knock of authority,” Meredith said.
Sure enough, the village policeman was standing there–in his uniform–looking a little nervous.
He’d come, he said, to inform us that a firm of builders would arrive at eight the following morning [today] to enlever les cloches de l’église.
This was not news to us.
The building firm—a family of four: father, mother and two sons, all of whom turn up—had already paid us a courtesy visit the day before to warn us that they’d been employed to do the deed.
“We’re coming to get you!”
We knew them–because months ago, we had engaged them to put in a gate in the driveway, to send a message to potential buyers of the church, that the approach belonged to us and that access was extremely problematical.
They’d never returned to do the job–a dispute with the electrician they told us–so when we finally had our offer for the church accepted by the Mairie of Lautrec, back in August, we were happy not to have become a “gated” site.
We were told the bells were not included in the sale as they belong to the parish– and were scheduled to be removed.
Makes some sense (bells are for ringing), though disappointing–especially to Meredith, whom I suspect is a campanologist (bell ringer) manquée and may have had plans to ring them on Independence Day and Thanksgiving every year!
She put up a good fight–rattling the cages in French of anyone who might have an influence–but it was a lost cause.
The job (evil deed, according to MW) was done this morning in the pouring rain–adding to the feeling of tristesse.
On ground level and close up, the bells look virtually unscathed.
A macabre twist on a sad morning: resting on the front left “eye”of the smaller bell, was a dead mole (!), appearing to cling on for dear life–as keen as we were to hang on to the bells. The prey of a hawk most likely, stored for dinner–plus tard!
Date on the smaller bell, 1821–six years after the battle of Waterloo!
We still are waiting for the Archdiocese of Albi to deconsecrate the church so that we can complete the purchase.
It has been a long wait.
Now that the bells have gone to a new life (we hope!) and the interior is shorn of its statuary and pews, the church is an empty shell.
In the right light it remains impressive though….
Benches on the move…
Church WITHOUT bells
Filed under: other sides to this life
February 10, 2016
Little white beans in a simple salad on Ash Wednesday
These little pearls are half the size of their better known cousins, cannellini beans, but are cooked the same way.
These were a gift from Polly Wessel–a “Braveheart” (a cooking workshop alumni) last year–kindly brought from Rome.
They have sat on the shelf patiently waiting. Now they are in the spotlight–and I’m appreciating them.
They are called Fagioli del Purgatorio and come from Gradoli–a town 60 miles north west of Rome in Lazio.
Traditionally served at lunch on Ash Wednesday (today), which marks the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar–a time to purge one’s sins by giving up something one enjoys.
(I remember dreading it as a child in the fifties! No chocolate and or sweets for seven weeks–purgatory!)
One definition of PURGATORY has it as
“…a temporary condition of torment or suffering.” *
When it comes to eating beans Meredith would agree–and would willingly give them up for longer than Lent!
She said today that if she were to take over in the kitchen–something she is capable of doing–she’d cook more or less like I do–except NO beans!
(Meredith grew up near Chicago–the Windy City–perhaps she’s had her fill of wind! The only beans she saw were the long green ones from the family garden–and those she likes!)
Annibale Caracci’s The Bean Eater
The size of the beans suits this little salad but use any white bean.
8oz dry white beans–soaked in water eight or more hours or overnight (evening of Pancake Tuesday!)
1 carrot–halved lengthwise
stick of celery–chopped in two
1 onion–halved
sprig of rosemary
for the dressing;
4 tbs olive oil
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove–pulped in a little salt
1 smallish red onion–diced small
2 to 3 tbs parsley–chopped
salt and pepper to taste
a lemon quartered to squeeze over for perfection!
oven at 170c
Put the first five ingredients in a saucepan and top by two inches or more with water.
Bring gently to the boil.
Spoon off any white froth that has collected on the surface.
Cover the pan and place in the middle of the oven and cook for an hour.
Test the beans for softness.
If they still seem a little crunchy cook on until they are soft.
This depends on the age of the beans–the older they are, the longer they cook.
When you are happy with their tenderness–drain them and pour into a pretty serving bowl.
Mix the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper into a vinaigrette and pour over the beans while they are still warm.
Add the onion and parsley and carefully turn it all over.
A fuller definition of PURGATORY is:
an intermediate state after death for expiatory purification; specifically : a place or state of punishment wherein according to the souls of those who die in God’s grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so become fit for heaven
Well, I’d be happy to take my punishment–I love beans!
Wind or no wind!
Filed under: Food, other sides to this life, Recipes Tagged: annibale The Bean Eater, ash wednesday, purgatory beans, white bean salad
February 6, 2016
“Pork and beans”
These little white beans are called purgatory beans
I originally published this recipe (I’d watched Gordon Ramsay demonstrate it on YouTube), four years ago almost to the day.
It was a bitingly cold February back in 2012.
My, what a difference four years makes!
We are eating this in a sunny courtyard with the first daffodil peeking round the corner, looking as surprised as we are.
Faux Printemps is all very well but one has to be a little anxious.
Jack Frost can be a patient fellow….
“Bonjour, Madam–deux cotes d’échine, s’il vous plait.”
Spare rib chops are tastier and less prone to dry out than loin chops–and they are the less expensive cut.
These two cost under 3€ (about $3.30 or £2.40).
“Elles sont trop cher, Madam!”
Our Lautrec Friday market pork butcher looked confused--until she heard the woman next to me laugh.
The rosemary needles take on a nice crunchiness and are worth eating, as is the garlic.
for 2
2 spare rib pork chops
Sprigs of rosemary and thyme
3/4 cloves of garlic–squashed, peeled and halved
olive oil
salt and pepper
heat the oven to 200C/400F
Dribble some olive oil and sprinkle some salt on a shallow oven tray.
Scatter over a couple of the cloves of garlic.
Place the chops on top.
Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Strip the rosemary needles from the stem over the chops.
Do the same with the thyme (not so easily done).
Dribble more olive oil over the tray.
Put it in the higher part of the oven for about 20 minutes.
(The cooking time depends on the thickness of the chops.)
Best to cut into them to check–the juices should run clear.
Filed under: Food, other sides to this life, Recipes Tagged: spare rib pork chops
February 4, 2016
Red Onion and Celery Frittata
Needs must, when the cupboard is almost bare….
No option but to improvise when supplies are depleted.
I thought there would be leftover spicy cauliflower in the fridge from dinner a couple of nights ago–enough for an interesting new spin on a frittata–the slow-cooked Italian omelette.
I went through the very male thing of looking in the fridge and not finding it and assuming it must be there because of the very male thing of looking in the fridge for something, not finding it and then Meredith looking and finding it.
This time Meredith looked– and didn’t find it.
Conclusion: It isn’t there!
So–what is?
A still use-able bunch of celery.
Never thought of celery in a frittata before–but why not?
Helped by a couple of red onions–all sliced thin.
We’ll see, I thought…..
6 eggs
1 bunch celery– remove any damaged outer leaves and flowery tops and slice thinly
2 red onions–outer casing removed and sliced thinly
2 tbs olive oil
100gm/2 oz parmesan–grated
salt and pepper
1 tbs olive oil to heat in cooking pan
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide-ish pan and add the celery and onion.
Cook on a medium heat–about 20 minutes–until the chopped vegetables soften.
Leave to cool.
Beat the eggs in a bowl.
When the onion and celery have cooled, empty them into a mixing bowl and season well.
Fold in the grated cheese and then the eggs and mix well.
Heat a 10″ frying pan to HOT and add a tablespoon of oil.
Carefully pour in the egg mix and smooth it flat.
Turn the heat down to the lowest temperature and cook on until there is just a hint of a pool left on top.
Heat the oven grill to HOT and slip the pan under for about a minute–possibly less! You don’t want it to burn the frittata or dry it out.
My invention today registered a distinct DING for Meredith.
That still leaves the opportunity to try frittata with spicy cauliflower–when I can find it!
Filed under: Diabetes, Food, Recipes
