In today’s society, a meal can be created within seconds -- from Spaghetti O’s to McDonald's. But these meals are not the healthiest forms of energy that we can put into our body. There is actually a movement called Slow Food that focuses on endorsing healthier meal choices: cooking meals (they can be simple) using ingredients that are usually not processed. Now, a can of Spaghetti O’s or a burger from McDonald's is fine once in a while, but too much of that type of food is toxic for your body.
Eating healthy does not mean eating only vegetables such as spinach, like I believed, but rather it can be delicious meals filled with color and flavor. Instead, eating healthy means getting the nutrition that the body needs through different methods of cooking food. This past fall, I attended nutritional classes focused on cooking healthy yet delicious meals. In tradition of the Italian meal course style, a range of courses from appetizers to dessert will be listed.
1. Pinzimonio Con Maionese Alle Mandorle
2 carrots; 2 celery stems
1 leek; 1 fennel bulb
1 red pepper; 1 yellow pepper
extra virgin olive oil; cooked grape must
600g almond flour; 40g lemon juice
Directions:
1. Blend the almond flour with water to form a thick paste. Wrap in a cheesecloth and wring the almond milk from the cloth into a bowl.
2. Blend the liquid with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon until thick with a consistency resembling mayonnaise. Put into a serving bowl.
3. Whisk together the grape musk, salt, and olive oil for vinaigrette. Put into a serving bowl.
4. Cut the vegetables as desired (julienned is preferred) and display the slices on a serving plate.
2. Orzotto A,C,E
200g pearl barley; 100g carrots
2 oranges; 2 lemons
60g extra virgin olive oil; 60g parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 white onion finely chopped; ½ glass of white wine
Stock
Directions:
1.Bring a small pot of water to boil and begin peeling the carrot and cut it. Add in a small amount to the stock.
2. Segment the orange and set aside.
3. Sweat the chopped onion in a pan with olive oil until translucent. Add in the orzo and toast until fragrant and nutty. Deglaze with the white wine.
4. Ladle hot water into pot until orzo is covered and stir. Repeat until al dente and add in carrots. Season with salt.
5. Remove orzo from heat and stir to incorporate air while adding in olive oil and cheese. Add in orange and a little lemon juice.
6. Plate as desired.
3. Spaghetti Alla Chitarra Con Salsa Al Pomodoro E Basilico
70g Type “00” flour; 30g durum wheat semolina
1 egg; 2 garlic cloes
500g cherry tomatoes; 1 handful of basil leaves
Balanced salt; 40g extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic cloves, balanced salt, and basil leaves, with a little olive oil. Pour into a vacuum bag and seal.
2. Cook in a steamer at 68 degrees or boil in a pot of water for 12-15 minutes.
3. Prepare dough by mixing together the eggs and flours until a dough forms and seal in a large vacuum bag for 2 minutes.
4. Unwrap dough and divide into quarters for easy handling. Dust surface with flour and roll out pasta dough to desired thickness.
5. Put dough through a chitarra to make strips or cut by hand. Boil noodles in salted water until al dente.
6. Remove tomato mixture from vacuum bag and blend, pour into a sauté pan and gently heat. Transfer noodles into the pan and finish cooking.
7. Plate as desired.
4. Petto Di Pollo Al Caffè
300g chicken breast; 4g instant coffee
½ glass of white white; balanced salt
2 garlic cloves; 40g olive oil
sage; rosemary
2 red peppers; 2 small onions
flour for dredging; Basil, torn
Directions:
1. Julienne the onion and sweat in olive oil with torn basil until the onions are slightly tender and translucent.
2. Cut the red pepper into batonettes and add to pan. Sprinkle balanced salt and cook until the peppers are tender.
3. Cut chicken breast into small pieces, dredge with flour, and set aside.
4. Chop the sage, rosemary, and garlic together and lightly sauté in a skillet with olive oil until garlic colors slightly.
5. Sprinkle generously with balanced salt and add in chicken. Sautè until chicken begins to color. Deglaze with white wine and remove from heat when chicken is cooked through completely.
6. Plate as desired and top of with a sprinkling of instant coffee.
5. Millefoglie Con Salsa Alle Fragole
2 sheets of filo pastry; 300g fresh ricotta cheese, drained
100g agave syrup; 20g walnuts
20g pistachio nuts; 100g strawberries, sliced
50g brown sugar; 20g butter, melted
Pastry bag
Directions:
1. Using a round pastry cutter, cut 6 circles from the filo sheets.
2. For the pastry, brush the filo sheets with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Bake cut-outs in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 3 minutes (time may vary a few seconds).
4. For the filling, mix the ricotta cheese with the agave syrup and nuts. Put inside of the pastry bag.
5. For the strawberry caramel; in a sauce pot, combine sugar with 4tbsp of water (may vary) until it looks like wet sand. Without stirring, cook the sugar over medium heat until the mixture turns a light golden brown.
6. Add in the sliced strawberries and cook for 2 minutes.
7. To assemble, put a dab of filling on the plate and put down the first filo circle. Cover center in filling and place another filo layer. Repeat once more.
8. Decorate the dish with the remaining filling and add the strawberries with the caramelized syrup.
All of these recipes focus on healthy aspects of cooking. Quick cooking tomatoes in a plastic bag using hot steam helps to keep all the nutritional value within the fruit. Using olive oil instead of butter eliminates the unhealthy fats in your diet. Using carrots, oranges, and lemons provides the body with an intake of vitamins A, C, and E.
Meals do not need to be complicated, these recipes take around 30 minutes. Just because a plate has a lot of nutritional value does not mean that it will taste bad. From my own personal experience, I can guarantee that not only will adding these foods into your diet give you more energy, but it will also taste great and people will be surprised at how fancy of a meal it is.
