As my guru Mary Poppins would say....'well begun is half done'..... so instead of launching ourselves 'cold turkey' into new regimes which are just too much of a shock to our delicate systems, why don't we try and make one small change each week, and who knows, maybe these changes can become a way of life more successfully.
First on the agenda is always addressing what we eat, and after the excesses of the season we are laden with guilt and a few extra pounds!, but this year I am not going to mention the dreaded 'D' word!
Without fail, each year beginning brings a renewed determination to change ones eating habits and frankly I'm quite bored with it all because after a few well behaved weeks in which we are totally miserable but just won't admit it, we realise that these habits are unsustainable and it's back to business as usual!
So let's try a different approach. Instead of attempting another new extreme fad why not change a few simple things about your eating style. For example...how many times a week to you have a takeaway or fast food? come on now, tell the truth!...one?...two? more than two? and if so why is that? ....If the answer is you don't have time to cook, well then maybe you can think of ways to organise yourself a bit better so you will have the time.
There are so many meals that can be made in batches and frozen, or even kept in the fridge for a few days, that there is no excuse for not cooking and eating real food at home, and really, how much time does it take to put together a healthy yet hearty salad, or a tasty stew or stir fry, especially when you can buy everything already prepared from the supermarket. Meat etc. can be bought already minced or diced, vegetables can be bought peeled and shredded or diced.....I even saw chopped onions for sale the other day...how great is that!
You will also find that home cooked meals are more satisfying, not only from the pleasure and feeling of accomplishment you get, but they do keep you fuller for longer as they contain more of those vital nutrients which the high processing of junk foods strips away.
Cooking your own food also makes you more aware of exactly what you are eating. Fast foods, pre-prepared meals, and processed foods have many hidden dangers lurking in the form of excess unhealthy fats, salts, and sugars. If you are cooking at home you know what you are adding to your food and can make conscious decisions to maybe not add more salt to your meal or to add some extra vegetables which you can easily see are missing as part of your balanced meal.
You will also find that home cooked meals are more satisfying, not only from the pleasure and feeling of accomplishment you get, but they do keep you fuller for longer as they contain more of those vital nutrients which the high processing of junk foods strips away.
Cooking your own food also makes you more aware of exactly what you are eating. Fast foods, pre-prepared meals, and processed foods have many hidden dangers lurking in the form of excess unhealthy fats, salts, and sugars. If you are cooking at home you know what you are adding to your food and can make conscious decisions to maybe not add more salt to your meal or to add some extra vegetables which you can easily see are missing as part of your balanced meal.
So take a look at what you eat and think about what little changes you can make to improve your eating and cooking habits, and after a while you might be surprised at the other little changes you begin to notice!
So for our first recipe of the new year I will start with what seems to be everybody's favourite.....PIZZA!
But this is not the classic Neapolitan pizza you might recognise from the freezer or local pizza outlet characterised by a layer of dense rubbery cheese that sits like a dead weight in your stomach and if you actually read the packaging you will notice how many exorbitant calories etc. there are in a minuscule portion!
But this is not the classic Neapolitan pizza you might recognise from the freezer or local pizza outlet characterised by a layer of dense rubbery cheese that sits like a dead weight in your stomach and if you actually read the packaging you will notice how many exorbitant calories etc. there are in a minuscule portion!
The PISSALADIÈRE or in tourist speak 'pizza provençal' is a dish filled with the flavours of Provence.
A rich bread dough base is spread with onions, black olives, anchovies and occasionally tomatoes are cooked with the onions, and depending on which 'boulangerie' you buy it from, is strewn with either fresh basil or herbes de provence.
A slice of this with a side of mixed salad makes a substantial meal and the leftovers are very tasty eaten cold in a packed lunch and will last at least 2 days in the fridge, so there is 1 dinner and 2 lunches sorted......don't forget the salad!
Onions are a very underrated vegetable. They are cheap, tasty, and if you go for the mild variety, not too gaseous!
Onions are a very underrated vegetable. They are cheap, tasty, and if you go for the mild variety, not too gaseous!
You will need..........
140g strong bread flour...preferably organic
40g butter at room temperature....real butter!
1 egg at room temperature
15g fresh yeast or 1 sachet of dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
warm water
500g mild onions
some fresh garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
stoned black olives...as many as you like
1 dozen anchovy fillets approx 1 small can
dried herbes de provence
How to......
- place the flour in a mixing bowl, add the salt, mix well, then add the butter and rub in
- add the dried yeast at this point if using, if using fresh yeast.......
- blend the yeast with a couple tablespoons of warm water until it is all dissolved
- beat the egg then whisk in the yeast and water, pour this mixture into the flour and mix gently on low speed, add a little more warm water if you think it is needed
- continue mixing the dough until it forms a ball and comes smoothly away from the sides of your mixing bowl
- turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a minute or two
- place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise somewhere warm for an hour or so
- meanwhile you can cook the 'filling'
- peel and slice the onions as thinly as you can
- heat a little olive oil in a pan and gently cook the onions until soft and golden in colour but don't allow them to brown...you can add a little crushed garlic if you like
- season to taste with salt and pepper then set aside
- once the dough has risen, flatten slightly with the hands and place on the baking sheet
- press the dough outwards to cover the sheet
- brush with a little olive oil then spread with the cooked onions
- make a criss-cross pattern with the anchovies on top of the onions
- cut the olives in half or leave whole as you like and dot all over the surface of the onions
- scatter some dried herbs over then leave the dough to rise again for another 20 minutes
- bake in a pre-heated oven at 200oC until well risen and the edges of the dough have browned
- enjoy straight away served with a nice green salad, any leftovers can be allowed to cool and stored in the fridge to enjoy cold for a light lunch or to add to your lunchbox
If you like you can add tomatoes to the onions and make a more Italian style mix, use about 200g of chopped fresh tomatoes add to the onions when cooking. Cook until the liquid has all evaporated and they have become one with the onions. Try adding some fresh chopped basil just before baking.
Personally I don't like anchovies except when they are blended in something like red pesto or a Caesar salad dressing so I usually leave them off.
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