Opinion
Resolve To Get
Healthier This New Year!
John Ridley suggests a resolution to cook healthy, home cooked meals, using the best of ingredients.
John R Ridley
organisation’s list of endorsed products is limited in number, but growing. Ingredients s ORGANIC FREE RANGE CHICKEN BREASTS s TABLE SPOONS BEEF TALLOW s ONION s ML WATER s BAY LEAVES s GRAMS ORGANIC WALNUTS s TABLESPOON ORGANIC GLUTEN FREE CORNmOUR s ML POMEGRANATE JUICE
N
ew Year has always been a time to change one aspect of our lives for the better. For some this may mean getting out of bed fifteen minutes earlier and giving the dog longer morning walks - either for the dog’s benefit, or the owner’s. For others, it may be a promise to stop watching “Arabia’s’ Got Talent� and tuning into “Inside Story� instead. This New Year, make a resolution that could make a life-long improvement to your well-being - spend more time with your loved ones and friends. Enjoy each other’s company over delicious, healthy, home cooked meals, using the best ingredients. By buying fresh ingredients, instead of frozen or processed food, you’ll pay more attention to what is in season. Fresh ingredients are healthier, better for the environment and have a positive effect upon the local economy - changing our collective lives for the better. Don’t change everything in one go, find what suits you. Long hours of work do not have to be incompatible with improving your well being. Instead of toiling in the kitchen alone, share the meal preparation; discuss the latests episode of that TV programme whilst dicing carrots or chopping coriander. Take a journey of discovery, experiment with new ingredients, new tastes and new textures; try different vegetables or bake with alternative flours. For instance, try cakes made from polenta, instead of ordinary flour, you will never bake with wheat again - the
58 | Bahrain Confidential | December 2012
taste and texture are sensational. This winter, experiment by cooking Fesenjan, a wonderful Persian stew, normally eaten on special occasions. Dark in colour, it looks uninspiring; my first encounter was cautious. However, the toasted walnuts are rich and warm and the pomegranate juice sharp, from the very first mouthful I knew I had fallen in love. The ingredients are few; the method is simple, and whilst cooking, there is time to enjoy the company of others. I, and a growing number of people, prefer to cook with animal fats, instead of oils. Vegetable oils are heat extracted using chemicals derived from petroleum, then further chemically processed to make them palatable. The molecular structure of these processed oils is radically different to the animal fats that our bodies have evolved to digest. Eating natural fat helps the body digest and absorb nutrients; people who consume a reasonable amount of natural fat have far healthier hearts and less incidence of diabetes. If you buy oils, look for the cold pressed or virgin varieties - they have been extracted without chemicals. Where possible, use animal fats for cooking, but should you prefer to use oil, cold pressed sesame, ground and coconut oils are safe as they remain stable at high temperature. Take the opportunity to experiment, tallow is available in 100gram tubs from The Organic CafĂŠ and Shop, in Seef Mall. You can be assured of the quality, they make it themselves and have been independently endorsed by a UK based organisation that only approves products meeting strict guidelines on ingredients and production. The
Method for the Fesenjan qToast the walnuts, ensuring that they don’t burn. Leave to cool on a baking sheet, then chop in a food processor. qSautÊ onion in tallow. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to the onion and cook for a few minutes, turning once - do not let the chicken breasts brown. q!DD BAY LEAVES AND ML OF WATER #OVER AND COOK FOR MINUTES In a second pan, thoroughly mix the corn mOUR WITH ML OF WATER !DD GROUND walnuts and stir in. qCook on a low heat, taking care that the mixture does not burn. Watch for a layer of oil forming on top of the walnuts. Add pomegranate juice and mix well. qAdd the chicken breasts and onions, making sure that each piece is submerged. Cook for a few minutes so that the flavours incorporate and chicken warms through. qServe over rice and garnish with pomegranate seeds. qIn this first article I have touched upon many important topics, in the coming months I will discuss how food affects the many stages of our lives.
Do write and tell me if you enjoyed the Fesenjan! May I be the first to wish you all a Happy and Peaceful New Year John Ridley is a Bahrain based journalist, he can be contacted at john@johnridley.nuorjohn@ghostwriting.me The right words, the right copy, the right impact.