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RECIPE ROUNDUP
Crossroads of Flavor and Health
By Kevin Hargis
Eating healthily and enjoying rich flavors don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Take, for example, the cuisine from the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
The sizable body of water covers about 950,000 square miles (the size of 3 1/2 Texases) and for centuries has been a crossroads of exchange among many cultures. This trade brought foodstuffs from different regions to the people living along its coast.
From grains and spices found on the northern rim of Africa, Middle Eastern dishes loaded with garlic and cooled by yogurt sauces, or classics from European chefs, the food of the region exhibits a wide variety and a mix of influences.
And because of the wide use of heart-healthy olive oil, fresh produce and whole grains, the Mediterranean diet is considered one of the most beneficial around.
You can find a generous sampling of recipes from all areas of the Mediterranean in Martha Rose Shulman’s Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World’s Healthiest Cuisine (Rodale, 2007). In it, she writes that the heart of Mediterranean cooking “is produce, with bread and grains as backbone. ... Used in small quantities, meat adds flavor to many dishes, particularly sauces, soups and stews. But the day-to-day diets of the Mediterranean have always been sparing of meat.”
The book touches on the many regional cooking styles and talks about the benefits of the food, citing several studies that prove the point.
“In July 2006, Spanish researchers found that people following a Mediterranean diet that included a relatively high amount of fat from olive oil and nuts, and also a certain amount of saturated fat from cheese and whole milk yogurt, had lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar than those following a low fat diet,” Shulman writes.
“The widespread use of olive oil is only one of a number of characteristics that links the Mediterranean diet with longevity. Just as significant is the fact that this is a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Besides health benefits, Shulman’s book delves into cooking techniques, explains how to use herbs and spices and make blends, and shares some stories of the culture surrounding food.
Here is one of several versions of ratatouille, or eggplant stew, offered in the book:
TURKISH RATATOUILLE (Türlü)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1 large eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 medium onions, sliced
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed
2 green bell peppers, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and sliced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, plus additional for serving
1/4 pound green beans, trimmed (optional)
1/4 pound small okra, trimmed (optional)
Stir together tomato paste, water, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and paprika. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a deep earthenware baking dish.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant slices in one layer and cook each side until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking dish.
Reduce heat to medium, heat remaining oil, add onions and cook until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and coriander. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add green peppers and zucchini. Continue to cook, stirring often, until vegetables are limp and zucchini is just beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and scrape into baking dish.
Add tomato paste mixture to skillet, bring to boil and scrape with wooden spoon to deglaze. Add to baking dish along with tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, mint, and, if using, green beans and okra. Season generously with salt and pepper, cover and bake until vegetables are very soft, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. Discard bay leaves before serving.
Cool slightly before serving with yogurt and additional chopped fresh herbs. Serves 6.
Serving size: 1 cup. Per serving: 222 calories, 6.6 g protein, 10 g fat, 33 g carbohydrates, 420 mg sodium, trace cholesterol
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HOME COOKING
Recipe Contest Winner: Carol Barclay Nueces Electric Co-op
Prize-winning recipe: Aegean Shrimp Nueces
The recipes you all sent in for the Mediterranean Food contest were universally delicious. But this garlicky, cheesy concoction featuring shrimp and balancing the rich flavor of feta cheese with the sharpness of tomato rose above them all.
“This is a family favorite and it uses the bountiful harvest of our beautiful Gulf of Mexico,” wrote Barclay of Portland, across Nueces Bay from Corpus Christi. “My husband retired from the Marine Corps, and we have lived here for 30 years and have enjoyed this recipe immensely.”
AEGEAN SHRIMP NUECES
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup extra light olive oil
3/4 pound tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot sesame oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 pound shrimp, shelled
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
8 black olives
1/2 lemon
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet or wok, sauté onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft. Add tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, basil, oregano, parsley, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in uncooked shrimp. Put in 12-by-7 1/2-by-2-inch baking pan. Crumble feta over top. Arrange olives on top of feta and squeeze lemon over all. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Serve over rice.
Serving size: 1 cup. Per serving: 448 calories, 26.2 g protein, 32.6 g fat, 10.7 g carbohydrates, 2.4 g fiber, 708 mg sodium, 178 mg cholesterol
TZATZIKI PITA PIZZA
2 pita bread rounds
2 cucumbers, sliced thin
1 tablespoon oregano
Black olives
Toast pita, spread Tzatziki Dip (recipe below) on it as if you were making pizza, garnish with cucumber, sprinkle with oregano and add black olives.
Tzatziki Dip
2 cups Greek yogurt
5 cloves garlic
1 pinch salt
5 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Combine ingredients and mix well.
Serving size: 1 1/2 pita. Per serving: 276 calories, 8.2 g protein, 14 g fat, 27.7 g carbohydrates, 2.3 g fiber, 293 mg sodium, 15 mg cholesterol.
Gina Isabel Fentiman
South Plains Electric Cooperative
HERBED MEDITERRANEAN KID GOAT
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
4 pounds goat, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh oregano
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup water
Coat the bottom of a large Crock-Pot with 1 tablespoon oil. Add meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Snip herbs over top of meat. Pour lemon juice, wine, water and remaining oil over top. Cook over low heat 6 hours or until meat falls off the bone. Debone and transfer to serving plate. Strain gravy into serving bowl.
Serve over rice with bowls of feta cheese, chopped red onion and chopped red and green olives on the side.
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups. Per serving: 425 calories, 62.7 g protein, 12.8 g fat, 5.4 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 1,026 mg sodium, 172 mg cholesterol
Joan E. Osth
Mid-South Synergy
COOK’S TIP: Use shoulders, hindquarters and loin of very young goat for best results.
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RECIPE CONTEST
January’s recipe contest topic is HEALTHY TAILGATING. We want your fanciest cookie recipe suitable for trading at the holidays. The deadline is SEPTEMBER 10.
Send recipes to Home Cooking, 2550 S. IH-35, Austin, TX 78704. You may also fax them to (512) 486-6254, e-mail them to recipes@texas-ec.org, or submit online at www.texascooppower.com. Please include your name, address and phone number, as well as the name of your electric co-op. The top winner will receive a copy of 60 Years of Home Cooking and a Texas-shaped trivet. Runners-up will also receive a prize.
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