Have you seen the huge bulbs of garlic, the size of oranges, that are suddenly in our supermarkets? Odd. Like being in California, where everything is the wrong size and shape - tomatoes the size of grapes and minty green, citrus fruits the size and colour of tomatoes - very confusing to someone like me whose eyes and taste buds are irrevocably linked.
But the good thing about the new Uber-garlic is that it's very mild, more like the Spanish garlic that makes those heavenly sauces such as the one for "huevos escalfados", a strange (to us) supper dish of poached eggs with an almond and garlic sauce and more toasted almonds sprinkled on top.
A peculiar combination? Yes, but gorgeous. You slow-poach the peeled garlic cloves for 30 minutes in deep olive oil that only ever reaches 80 degrees (use a thermometer if you can, or do it by eye - if the oil starts to bubble even a tiny bit it is too hot so whip it off the stove to cool for a moment, or else it can make the garlic sour). The Catalans call this method of cooking garlic "confit" - I don't think there is a term for it in Italian or French cuisine. The cloves come out milky-spiky-sweet, without a suggestion of dragon-breath: you can eat them like beans, just piled up beside an egg or a steak, or squished on bread, or in a host of other recipes.
For this sauce, though, you whizz or pound them up with a handful of ground almonds, some salt and a generous pinch of chilli, adding a little of the cooking oil to make the right consistency - there is your sauce. Drizzle it over your softly poached eggs, which are sitting on top of a hunk of toasted bread (possibly itself rubbed with a little garlic and tomato), and if you love them sprinkle more sliced toasted almonds on top. Nothing fancy. It's peasant food, not haute cuisine. An excellent and unusual vegetarian dish: very good, and very good for you too.
What is Choosy Food about?
Choosy Food is a new way of thinking about how we eat now. As two old friends who've spent their happiest times cooking for family and friends, we've noticed a definite shift in the way we all prefer to eat. Gone are the days when plates were politely cleared. In this pick and mix world, everyone¹s as individualist about their food as in everything else they choose.
A few of us have discovered a genuine allergy. Allergic reactions are on the increase, particularly amongst children - with apparently inoffensive ingredients triggering symptoms which can range from a mild rash or bloating to a life-threatening event. The Choosy Food way of thinking was cooked up with them in mind.
More and more people are selective about food for other reasons, too. Vegetarians, of course, who range from strictly vegan to fish-, chicken-, even game-eating. And we're all highly health conscious now, careful about our weight, cholesterol, blood pressure or a fear of migraine. Some people have religious scruples about ingredients. And finally, there's a growing number of us who are just plain picky: our choices about what we will and won¹t eat is as changeable as fashion - but we both like fashion.
What's to be done? Some of us cope with a household that has one or more allergies, and one or more preferences. Most of us have experienced a moment when we cook up something new and delicious, but one of our guests (who used to eat everything) will sit back and declare: "I'm sorry, I don't eat that!" The Choosy Food website and blogspot are here to help. Of course there are a plethora of books and websites devoted to each individual condition - special ones for gluten allergies, or for organic eating, for low-fat alternatives, and so on and on. But ours is the only one that aims to cover the whole range of special eating. Here you will find recipes, tips, advice and above all lively writing about the food we all love, and the food we all need. Our aim is that food designed for special preferences doesn't have to be self-denying, or seem somehow lacking or dull. We devise really delicious recipes which everyone at the table can enjoy - including us!
A few of us have discovered a genuine allergy. Allergic reactions are on the increase, particularly amongst children - with apparently inoffensive ingredients triggering symptoms which can range from a mild rash or bloating to a life-threatening event. The Choosy Food way of thinking was cooked up with them in mind.
More and more people are selective about food for other reasons, too. Vegetarians, of course, who range from strictly vegan to fish-, chicken-, even game-eating. And we're all highly health conscious now, careful about our weight, cholesterol, blood pressure or a fear of migraine. Some people have religious scruples about ingredients. And finally, there's a growing number of us who are just plain picky: our choices about what we will and won¹t eat is as changeable as fashion - but we both like fashion.
What's to be done? Some of us cope with a household that has one or more allergies, and one or more preferences. Most of us have experienced a moment when we cook up something new and delicious, but one of our guests (who used to eat everything) will sit back and declare: "I'm sorry, I don't eat that!" The Choosy Food website and blogspot are here to help. Of course there are a plethora of books and websites devoted to each individual condition - special ones for gluten allergies, or for organic eating, for low-fat alternatives, and so on and on. But ours is the only one that aims to cover the whole range of special eating. Here you will find recipes, tips, advice and above all lively writing about the food we all love, and the food we all need. Our aim is that food designed for special preferences doesn't have to be self-denying, or seem somehow lacking or dull. We devise really delicious recipes which everyone at the table can enjoy - including us!
Friday, 8 April 2011
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