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FRESH & HEALTHY
Step-by-Step to Life
   
We are delighted to introduce our book Fresh & Healthy Step-by-Step to Life by Annette Kesler together with the Heart Foundation of South Africa published by Lannice Snyman.
In Fresh & Healthy Step-by-Step to Life you will find an accessible way of cooking, not necessarily of the moment, but one that is life enhancing, helping to ensure an enduring quality of life for you and your family. Heart healthy topics play their vital part in this book from exercise to medication, cholesterol management to understanding stress.
 
Fresh & Healthy offers a sustainable blueprint for life. A clearly defined style of living that embraces words such as ‘simple’, ’fresh’, ‘substantial’, ‘delicious’ and ‘healthy’.
Cultivate passion and enthusiasm for food and an understanding of it, and respect for honest ingredients. To cook well is an admirable skill and remains one of the most indispensable and practical tools we have in day-to-day living.
Correct eating nourishes, revitalizes and prolongs our lives; food is our core source of sustenance. Each recipe in this book has been analyzed by the Heart Foundation, a ‘not for profit’ organization, actively involved in health promotion, and has been approved as part of their eating plan. Per serving indications are given for energy, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate and fibre content. Shân Biesman-Simons, Director of Nutrition & Education at the Heart Foundation introduces heart healthy topics from Good Stress and Bad Stress to Frequently Asked Questions.
As we are searching for ways of living (and eating) Fresh & Health Step-by-Step to Life is a timely publication, a helping hand, that will remain an invaluable guide for years to come.
SHOWCOOK takes a bite out of the book.
FROM THE SEA TO THE PLATE
More people are enjoying fish than ever before. However, for fish dishes to be truly pleasurable the fish needs to be pristine, have a pink-tinged colour and a fresh aroma. Choose fish with care and be adventurous. It pays to find out where the best fish is to be found, and to explore lesser known varieties; they often offer excellent value and interesting flavour.
CHOICE INGREDIENTS
Good quality olive oil, soft crushed sea salt, mustard powder, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, white wine, fresh lemon, herbs such as dill, tarragon, basil, bay leaves, oregano, parsley and fennel. Vegetables that marry well with fish when used as a base include onions, leeks, and tomatoes. Complementary vegetables to serve with fish include potatoes and rice, steamed spinach, green beans, broccoli, grilled tomatoes, young peas, green and white asparagus, and roasted butternut as well as various vegetable purées.
ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
Heavy-based grilling pan, non-stick frying pan, stainless steel ovenproof dish (large enough to hold whole fish fillets; foil can be substituted) and a cooler bag.
VITAL HINTS
When buying fish, leave the purchase until last and pack it in a cooler bag for the trip home. Failing this, ask for fish to be packed on ice.
To store fish, wash under cold running water, place in a large dish, cover with wax paper and refrigerate. Before cooking, rinse again and pat dry with paper towels.
Only freeze fish that is absolutely fresh. Freeze in portions and packed airtight. Defrost in the fridge. Don’t freeze for too long; use as soon as possible.
Rather undercook than overcook fish. When it’s perfectly cooked, fish peels away from the bone and retains all its juices. Remember that it continues to firm up as it stands.
QUICK CHANGES
When buying a whole fish ask for the head and bones to use as the base for an excellent fish soup. Nothing needs to be wasted. There are many menu choices other than deep fried fish! Once you’ve prepared a good grilled or whole baked fish and served it with a flavourful salsa you’ll never look back.
Whole fish can be prepared with a dash of dry white wine, a gentle sprinkling of mustard powder, chopped garlic, a scattering of fresh herbs (lemon thyme or tarragon), a grating of fresh lemon zest and a little sea salt. Bake covered in light foil at 160°C for approximately 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.
Grill fillets on a lightly oiled baking tray, sprinkled with lemon zest, finely chopped garlic, chilli, a scattering of fresh ginger and dash of olive oil. Grill as close to the source of heat as possible for 7 to 10 minutes.
Tuna, a versatile fish, is most often pan-grilled over high heat. However, it’s just as successful prepared in a gentle oven in medium thick slices. Place in a non-stick pan or on foil on a baking tray. Add a dash of canola or olive oil, season lightly with sea salt, then sprinkle with lemon thyme and lemon zest, and a little finely chopped garlic. Bake at 160°C for about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven; it will continue to cook for a few minutes longer.
NOTE FROM THE HEART FOUNDATION
Eating fish regularly helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that appear to reduce the incidence of cardiac and circulatory problems. Fish is an excellent provider of protein, vitamin B12 and iodine.
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LAMB CUTLETS WITH COURGETTE TIAN
  
Serves 4
In Provence a vegetable casserole is known as a tian. It’s traditionally prepared in a shallow earthenware dish and makes an excellent side dish for lamb cutlets, roast chicken or homely braised beef. Vary the vegetables according to the season. This version uses courgettes, tomatoes and potatoes. In winter try root vegetables with sliced butternut, bay leaves, salt, a touch of mustard powder and black pepper. Prepare the tian, place in the oven and forget about it for an hour. Then grill well-trimmed lamb cutlets and serve them with a dollop of creamed garlic.
COOK’S NOTES
• You’ll need: large, shallow oven dish, cook’s knife, foil, tongs, fine grater, paper towels, heavy ironstone grilling pan, barbecue or grill.
• Slice the potatoes either into thin rounds or thick matchsticks.
• To prepare the lamb cutlets, trim off excess fat and wipe carefully with damp paper towel to remove the bone dust. Make sure the cutlets are dry, otherwise they won’t brown well. Season with a little sea salt, mustard powder (never prepared mustard), fresh rosemary and black pepper.
• Seasoning of meat is always done at the last moment as salt draws out the meat juices if it’s added too soon.
• Lamb cutlets can be cooked in a hot grilling pan, barbecued, or grilled. If using a grilling pan, oil the pan and heat it thoroughly before adding the meat. Don’t overcrowd the pan as this causes moisture and the meat won’t caramelise and crisp. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on either side.
• Creamed garlic: Peel the cloves of a whole head of garlic (bash them with the flat edge of a knife to release them from their skins). Boil for about 15 minutes until soft in 125ml (½ cup) salted water in a covered pan. Purée until smooth. Briskly beat in 5ml (1 teaspoon) olive oil until the garlic thickens.
• Gently flavoured courgettes with their thin, delicate skins and soft seeds have a high water content and don’t require long cooking. Either steam or blanch them, then refresh in cold water. Look for those with a bright colour and are free of bruising.
• Refrigerate courgettes for no longer than 4 to 5 days.
• Try courgettes are room temperature with a squeeze of lemon, a dash of olive oil and a lavish sprinkling of fresh dill.
• Root vegetables are very underrated and can be used throughout the autumn and winter months. Parsnips combined with carrots are excellent partners flavoured with a dash of orange juice and a little honey.
8 lamb cutlets
6 baby leeks, well rinsed and sliced
250g slender young courgettes, trimmed sliced lengthways
4 potatoes, cut into slices or matchsticks
4 ripe tomatoes, blanched, skinned and chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
10ml (2 teaspoons) sugar
5ml (1 teaspoon) mustard powder
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
sea salt
4-6 sprigs fresh tarragon, or 5ml (1 teaspoon) dried tarragon
few sprigs of thyme
15ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
15ml (1 tablespoon) finely grated low fat hard cheese
creamed garlic (see Cook’s Notes)
Trim the lamb of all excess fat and prepare as described in Cook’s Notes ready for cooking. Heat the oven to 180°C.
To make the tian, layer the leeks, courgettes, potatoes and tomatoes with the garlic in a shallow ovenproof dish. Add the sugar, mustard, lemon zest, salt, tarragon and thyme. Sprinkle with the olive oil and cover with foil, shiny side in. Bake for about 1 hour until the vegetables are tender.
Sprinkle the tian with the cheese and place under the grill until golden.
While the tian is browning pan-grill or barbecue the lamb cutlets for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until done the way you like them.
Serve the courgette tian hot with the lamb cutlets and creamed garlic. Garnish if you wish with sprigs of fresh herbs.
Energy 1890 kJ
Protein 40.6 g
Total Fat 15.6 g
Saturated Fat 4.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g
Cholesterol 115 mg
Carbohydrate 30.9 g
Fibre 6.00 g
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CHICKEN BREASTS ON RISOTTO WITH A GREEN SAUCE
Serves 4
Once you’ve mastered the art of making of a good risotto, you’ll enjoy the versatility of this Italian speciality. It’s necessary to patiently stir hot stock into the rice and continue stirring and adding stock until the rice is soft. Risotto is surprisingly delicious served warm or at room temperature, rather than hot. The chicken, risotto and green herb sauce can be made in advance, making them ideal for entertaining or buffets.
COOK’S NOTES
• You’ll need: 2 large saucepans, frying pan, blender, wooden spoon, grater, cook’s knife, paper towels.
• Use an absorbent short-grained rice for risotto as the grains swell gradually when the hot stock is added. The end result is creamy, although the grains remain separate.
• Use homemade vegetable, chicken or fish stock. Otherwise use good quality commercial liquid stock.
• You can flavour risottos with vegetables such as pumpkin, mushrooms, and courgettes.
• The more briefly you cook chicken breasts the tenderer they’ll be. Do this in a piping hot oiled pan or roast quickly on a thin, well-oiled baking tray.
• Green herb sauce: whiz together in a blender or food processor 1 wedge onion, 50g watercress (remove stems), 8 leaves baby spinach, 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, 30ml (2 tablespoons) white wine vinegar, 5ml (1 teaspoon) mustard powder, sea salt and ground black pepper. Add 30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil and the juice of ½ lime or lemon (optional). Blend until the sauce thickens.
15ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
6 spring onions, sliced
250g white mushrooms, diced
500ml (2 cups) risotto rice (arborio rice)
250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock (page ##)
60ml (4 tablespoons) grated parmesan cheese
4 skinless filleted chicken breasts
cornflour, for dusting
15ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil, to coat the pan
sea salt and milled black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the spring onions and mushrooms, cover and sauté until slightly softened. Stir in the rice.
Slowly add the wine and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Add the stock about half a cup at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until it’s been absorbed before adding more. Continue until the rice has softened and become creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese.
Pat the chicken dry and dust lightly with cornflour. Brush the frying pan with vegetable oil, heat it and flash-fry the chicken until golden and cooked through. Cool slightly then slice on the slant. Place in a row of chicken on top of the risotto. Season with salt and pepper and serve with spoonfuls of green herb sauce.
Energy 2168 kJ
Protein 39.2 gm
Total Fat 16.6 gm
Saturated Fat 4.3 gm
Monounsaturated Fat 6.4 gm
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.3 gm
Cholesterol 103 mg
Carbohydrate 39.0 gm
Fibre 1.3 gm
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BRINJAL AND RICOTTA BAKES
Serves 4
The rich aromas, colours and flavours come together in a most satisfying way. These mouth-watering morsels are a cross between an hors-d’oeuvre and a salad, but are ample enough to serve as a light lunch piled onto thick slices of lightly toasted, crusty white bread. Inspired by the rich flavours and bright colours of Mediterranean cooking, they combine the heartiness of brinjals with tomatoes, their natural partner. The surprise is the creamy ricotta base, which superbly complements both brinjals and tomatoes.
COOK’S NOTES
• You’ll need: chopping board, cook’s knife, paper towels, non-stick baking tray, citrus squeezer, lifter, large platter.
• For the best flavour, choose slim, young, unblemished brinjals.
• Salt brinjals lightly and leave until beads of moisture appear. Place in a colander and rinse gently under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Don’t worry if the top of the tomatoes blacken during grilling; it adds to their delicious flavour.
• The simple ingredients in this dish thrive on generous seasoning and a shower of fresh basil. Where possible, grow your own in a pot on a sunny windowsill or in the garden.
• Ricotta, meaning ‘recooked’ is quite a delicate, bland cheese, which makes it an ideal base for these bakes; it adds an appealing creaminess and takes on the flavours of the vegetables. In Italy it is made from they Whey of a cooked cheese such as mozzarella. Choose ricotta that is absolutely fresh, white and moist.
• When peppers are plentiful, choose plump, crisp yellow ones. Roast them halved and pipped until their skins blister. Peel, quarter and sprinkle generously with seasoning, add a dash of olive oil and white wine vinegar. Mingle with brinjals and tomatoes for gorgeous colour and vibrant flavour.
• Ideally you should serve this dish with lightly toasted, crusty white bread.
3–4 slim, young brinjals
sea salt
30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
30ml (2 tablespoons) finely chopped garlic
milled black pepper
30g fresh basil leaves
5 ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
5ml (1 teaspoon) sugar
10ml (2 teaspoons) lemon juice
5ml (1 teaspoon) mustard powder
50g can anchovies in olive oil, well drained
12 black olives, stoned and halved
125g ricotta cheese
extra basil leaves, for garnishing
Wash the brinjals and slice fairly thickly. Place on a large flat board, and sprinkle with salt. Alow to stand for about 15 minutes until beads of moisture form on the slices. Rinse off the salt with cold water, and pat the brinjals dry with paper towels. Heat the oven to 180°C.
Place the brinjal slices on a non-stick or well-oiled baking tray and brush with half the olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over, sprinkle with the garlic and season with pepper and a little salt. Cover with the basil leaves and tomato slices. Season with sugar, lemon juice and mustard, and a little salt and pepper. Arrange the anchovy strips and olives on top.
Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Place under the grill for 5 to 8 minutes to char the tomatoes. Allow to cool.
Arrange the vegetables on a large platter with small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese. Drizzle over the juices from the baked vegetables, and garnish with basil leaves. Serve with toasted, crusty bread.
Energy 931kJ
Protein 10.1g
Total Fat 12.2g
Saturated Fat 3.0g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4g
Cholesterol 10mg
Carbohydrate 14.7g
Fibre 6.9g
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BAKED QUINCES WITH BLACKCURRANTS
Serves 4
Quince, a member of the rose family, is an intriguing and underrated fruit with a warm yellow, almost downy skin. Apart from quince jelly, quince paste, quince marmalade and quince and apple tart, the fruit is not as widely used as it could be. Quinces turn an exquisite ruby red by baking or long, gentle simmering. When sliced and chilled, they add an unusual sweet-sour note to fresh fruit salads, and are very refreshing served with thick fat free yoghurt and honey at breakfast. As a dessert they’re delectable poached in vanilla-scented fruit syrup with a scattering of softened blackcurrants.
  
COOK’S NOTES
• You’ll need: chopping board, citrus squeezer, bowl, cook’s knife, shallow ovenware dish, light foil.
• As you peel and quarter the quinces, place immediately in cold water with a good squeeze of lemon juice. They’ll start turning brown, but this will disappear during cooking.
• Quinces need long slow cooking (they’re often served too firm), so baking them gently is an effortless way of softening them, bringing out the flavour and enhancing their colour.
• When preparing lemon peel, wash it, then cut a broad strip with a knife and slice off every bit of white pith. You’ll need 4 to 6 pieces to scatter in between the fruit.
• Before using blackcurrants rinse thoroughly in cold water once or twice.
4 large quinces, peeled and quartered (reserve the pips)
750ml (3 cups) fruit juice (apple, pear or orange)
125g sugar
2 vanilla pods, halved and seeds scraped out
peel of 1 lemon (see Cook’s Notes)
60g (3-4 tablespoons) blackcurrants
45ml (3 tablespoons) fat free yoghurt
5ml (1 teaspoon) grated fresh ginger
5ml (1 teaspoon) finely grated lemon zest
Slice the quinces fairly thickly. Place in a shallow ovenproof dish.
Add the quince pips, fruit juice, sugar, vanilla pods and seeds, lemon peel and blackcurrants.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 160°C for about 2 hours until the quinces have softened and turned a deep, rich ruby red, and the blackcurrants have swelled. You may need to add a little extra liquid from time to time.
While the fruit is baking, mix together the yoghurt, ginger and lemon zest. Chill well in the fridge.
Serve the quinces and blackcurrants in wide brimmed, shallow dessert plates accompanied by the ginger and lemon-flavoured yoghurt.
Energy 1759 kJ
Protein 2.7 g
Total Fat 0.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Carbohydrate 85.4 g
Fibre 23.5 g
Photography by Franz Lauinger
Available at leading book stores in South Africa.
For further information contact: LANNICE SNYMAN PUBLISHERS
P.O.Box 26344, Hout Bay, 7872
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