Make Cooking Your (Next) Hobby

Tags

Cooking, food, Healthy Cooking, Hobbies, Hobby, Learn to cook, Sugar

If you want to get healthy, make cooking your(next) hobby!

I’m going to get mildly provocative for a moment and just put it out there that I believe you need to cook if you want to get really healthy. And, the corollary of that is, of course, that this will involve spending time in your kitchen. Unless you have as much money as Oprah, and have your own personal chef.

I have discussed this belief of mine on more than one occasion with The Paleo PI, most recently at our last Autoimmune Protocol Picnic. I quite like talking with PI. He’s male, and I’m not. He lives in a different city to me. And, there’s almost 20 years between us. He almost always gives me a different perspective. And he happens to be a great guy…

PI reckons he’s not much of a cook. I think he’s a little on the modest side. He’s successfully cooked for me, after all.

And – like anything – cooking takes practise. The more you do it, the better you get. And, given I happen to have a few years on PI, I’ve had a little more time to practise!

I didn’t start really cooking until I turned 30. Until then, I just ate!

I’ve mentioned before that my Mum is a great cook. We ate very well as a family growing up. My Mum’s chicken liver pâté remains a firm favourite for all of us. My annual birthday meal request was always filet of beef with Mum’s béarnaise sauce, usually served with duck-fat roast potatoes and green beans. And, I am still mourning the fact that I will never experience one of her 100% homemade Christmas mince tarts again (made with the shortest of gluten-filled pastry). They are so, so, SO good!*

But me, I didn’t really start to cook until I turned about 30. Don’t get me wrong, I loved to eat. Still do! But, cooking wasn’t really my thing during my traveling 20’s. I was too busy to do much more than reheat.

And, reheating is not cooking.

Now, I can’t help but wonder if I had cooked more and eaten out less; if I had taken more notice of what I was choosing to put into my mouth; if I had been more mindful about my food choices, would I still have had the same autoimmune issues…?

I suspect the answer is: probably. It’s never that simple. But, it has definitely contributed.

(Image from here)

I happen to quite like the actual craft of cooking. I definitely love eating good food. But, for me the real enjoyment is about the whole process – selecting the freshest seasonal and local produce at the markets, talking with the farmers (and sometimes the butchers) to understand where my meat comes from, learning about the nutrient density of the food I am ingesting, and the knowledge that the food I am preparing for those I love is doing them good.

And, occasionally, I like satisfying LM’s sweet tooth with a healthier version of traditional deserts and ice creams. And, in his case, this always means dairy free.

But, you don’t have to love cooking to make it your hobby.

You just need to want to make healthy choices. And, you can’t make healthy choices if you are always dining out or eating out of packets.

I dragged LM off to see That Sugar Film earlier in the week (I recommend the film!). Did you know that there is sugar added to approximately 80% of all products sold in an Australian supermarket? And that’s before we even start talking added preservatives, GMO foods, trans fats and other nasties.

‘That Sugar Film’ Q & A at the Orpheum cinema
(Image by TSL)

Do yourself a favour and spend some (more) time in your kitchen this week.

Commit to it. If you’re not a cook, start slow. Start easy. Make some bone broth. Make a frittata. Make a Jamie Oliver Inspired Four Hour Lamb (If you leave off making the gravy, it only has 3 ingredients!)

Do you cook? Have you made cooking your hobby? I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this topic!

*Maybe I’ll start working on a gluten-free version…?

The Great Sydney AIP Picnic!

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, community, Diet, food, Health, Lifestyle, Sydney

The Three Amigos
Rory from The Paleo PI
Jo (me!) from This Sydney Life
Kirstie from The Nutritionista
(Image by TSL)

What do you get when you mix ten followers of the Autoimmune Protocol with five kids and three puppies in the Sydney Botanical Gardens on a Sunday afternoon in March? – The inaugural Sydney ‘AIP Supper Club’ Picnic!

After the success of our first ever Australian AIP Supper Club shindig last November; Rory (from The Paleo PI), Kirstie (from The Nutritionista) and I thought it would be a great idea to extend our group to fellow AIPers in the general Sydney vicinity.

We had no idea what to expect, but we put the call out over social media to join the three of us for our first extended AIP Picnic (and crossed our fingers that it wouldn’t rain)…

The invitation…

What can I tell you?

We had a blast!

Such a great time! I’m not sure about you, but I reckon’ its a pretty big call to turn up for a picnic with a bunch of people you’ve never met, and may have only ‘seen’ on the internet.

So – to those of you who took the plunge and came along to the picnic, we say…

Thank you!

It was so wonderful to meet fellow AIP peeps and swap war stories with others who get it, over food you know you can actually eat without the worry of experiencing a flare.

Picnicking AIP Style…
(Image by TSL)

Everybody brought a plate. And, we dined very well!

Kirstie’s AIP Celebration Chicken Salad rocked! Rory’s always popular Bacon Wrapped Dates made the trip up from Canberra with him. We had a lovely selection of meat balls, sweet potato and spinach patties and fruit.

Super special mention and a HUGE shout out must go to the lovely Alaena from Grazed and Enthused.  We had two recipes from Alaena’s fabulous blog featured at our picnic – Avocado Carob Fudge and Cranberry Relish Meatballs. Did you realise you’re so famous in Sydney, Alaena?

Wanna see what I took along…?

Cranberry Relish Meatballs
Recipe from Grazed and Enthused
Recommended by TSL!
(Image by LM for TSL)

AIP Gingerbread People
Recipe by Tyler over at Primitive Homemaker
Also recommended by TSL
(Image by LM for TSL)

Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend’s success. (Oscar Wilde)

It was heart warming to hear of the successes people are experiencing through implementing healthy and positive changes to their diets and lifestyles. And, for me, it reinforced that the choices I am making are definitely the right ones for my health.

Some of the Sydney AIP Picnic Gang
(Image by TSL)

We’ll be holding another picnic and will keep you posted. Do feel free to leave a message if you’d like to be included in the next invitation mail out.

We’d love to see you there!

 

Heal Your Gut – Random Thoughts and an Update!

Tags

Autoimmune Protocol, Autoimmunity, Detox, Diet, food, Frank Lipman, Lifestyle, the Detox Summit, Toxic Thoughts

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here. And, if you want to know why I’m on the sugar-free version of the Autoimmune Protocol, you can read about that here.

In case you hadn’t been paying attention, I’m currently a little bit obsessed with health. Specifically, my health and how my diet and lifestyle choices can improve it.

It’s hardly surprising, really. Up to about 18 months ago, LM and I were considered the ‘foodies’ amongst our friends. We were the go-to people for advice on what was new and good in the Sydney eating scene. We’d dine out 2 or 3 times a week. We connected through our food experiences. And, it was fun!

And then, we started joining the dots around some growing health issues. Our dining out stopped. Abruptly.

I haven’t been out to dinner at a restaurant since 2013.

I can’t safely dine out on the severely restricted diet I have been on since the beginning of this year.

What I have been doing is an awful lot of reading on what it is to be healthy in today’s world. And, what I’m learning is both scary and enlightening.

I’m learning that the rate of autoimmune disease is rising at an alarming rate in the western world. I’m learning researchers have identified between 80-100 different autoimmune diseases and they suspect at least 40 additional diseases of having an autoimmune basis. These diseases are chronic and can be life-threatening. I’m learning that autoimmune disease is now one of the top 10 leading causes of death in female children and women in all age groups up to 64 years of age. And, I’m learning that there is a close genetic relationship that exists among autoimmune disease sufferers which explains the clustering found in individuals and families.

So, there’s a genetic component, which you can’t control. It’s a lottery. And, then there’s a lifestyle component. This, you can – to some extent at least – control. And, if you don’t, there’s a good chance that at some stage it may come and bite you. You just don’t know when.

This week, I’ve been dipping into the Detox Summit, an online event bringing 30 experts together to discuss all aspects of detoxification with the goal of helping you return to a healthy state of wellness.

(Image from here)

The problem is we are not eating food anymore, we are eating food like products. (Alejandro Junger)

I haven’t had time to listen to all the interviews, but I was particularly interested in hearing from Dr Frank Lipman. I wasn’t disappointed.

Dr Lipman is a New York-based medical practitioner who marries Eastern and Western medicine to facilitate wellness. During an earlier lecture from him, he painted a wonderful picture that resonated for me about how Western medical practices tend to treat the body like a machine – if a part breaks down, we put a patch on it or replace it. Eastern practices, on the other hand, treat the whole body like a garden. Every part of the garden requires attention for the garden to truly thrive.

(Karl Maugham Image from here)

Even though you may have been given a diagnosis, always ask these two questions with any chronic problem:
1) What is harming you and needs to be removed to permit the body to heal?
2) What is lacking or what does your body need to promote healing? (Dr Frank Lipman)

This time, Dr Lipman was speaking about detoxing and the effects of toxicity on our general wellbeing. Some of the wee pearls that really jumped out for me during his detox session were:

• There is growing understanding that toxic thoughts – anger, resentment and worry – can have devastating effects on health.  As you fix mental and emotional issues, you become more resilient and this has a snowball effect on health.
• As a practitioner, if he doesn’t have the answers, he will always treat the gut. Generally, when you treat the gut, you can see improvement relatively quickly and, because of the high levels of serotonin found in a healthy gut, this will have a direct impact on mood.
• Dr Lipman finds gut dysbiosis in at least 75% of his patients. This is caused by a number of factors – GMO foods, antibiotics (including those in meat), an unfavourable gut environment from illness and/or stress.
• More and more people are becoming sensitive to – not only gluten, but – all grains. There is a general growth in insulin resistance.

I have written before (here) that I am a worrier of epic proportions. And, that I’m pretty masterful at hiding my amazing ability to worry. For me, this idea that our thoughts can make us physically ill is a difficult pill to swallow (bad pun – sorry!). So, as I enter week 3 of my gut-healing protocol, it is with a firm focus on watching my thoughts and working at being more present. I’ve a couple of wee experiments on the go – I’ll tell you about them a little down the track.

My new mantra is ‘be kind to yourself’! Maybe it should become yours, too?

 

Why Bone Broth is the Bomb…

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Bone Broth, Broth, Dairy Free, food, Kitchen basics, Nutrition, Paleo, Sauces, Soup, Stock

(Image by TSL)

It’s not art. It’s not haute cuisine. It’s not the latest new and groovy Sydney restaurant. It’s not even very sexy. But it is my biggest food obsession…

It’s no secret that LM and I have undergone a massive paradigm shift in the last couple of years with the way we eat. The discovery of a combined shellfish/dairy allergy for LM and – in amongst other health ‘stuff’ – a sensitivity to gluten for me, means life at Casa TSL is no longer quite the same. Poor old LM has well and truly divorced Adriano Zumbo. My favourite Sonoma sourdough looks like it may well be permanently off the menu. <sigh>. And, at the time of writing, we are entering our eighth week of the Autoimmune Protocol.

I have undertaken a lot of reading about different approaches to food, and its effects on the body, in an attempt to work out what might work best for LM and me. And, we have experimented a little, too. This has led to a growing understanding and appreciation of more traditional eating – the way our great grandmothers ate. And, by this I mean: –

Locally

Seasonally

LOTS of fresh vegetables

A nose-to-tail approach (for reasons of health, sustainability and budget)

Cutting out highly refined, processed and artificial food

A nutrient-rich diet (including lacto-fermented foods)

And, one of our biggest steps towards a more traditional diet was when I started making bone broth. Regularly. As in at least every other week.

You looking’ at me…?
(Image from here)

So, what exactly is bone broth?

Bone Broth is typically made with different varieties of bones from the same animal – like pasture raised-beef, -lamb, -chicken, and fish – and may have a small amount of meat still attached to the bones. The wider the variety of bones – knuckles and feet give lots of gelatine; marrow bones give great flavour and added nutrients; ribs and neck add flavour – the better. As with the preparation of a good stock, bones are usually roasted first to improve flavour.

Bone broths are typically simmered for a very long – as long as 72 hours, in some cases. This long, slow cooking time is to allow as many minerals and nutrients as possible to be removed from the bones.

Why bone broths are good for you

Bone broths are hugely rich in nutrients – particularly minerals like sodium, chloride, and iodine as well as magnesium, potassium and other important trace minerals.They are also a good source of amino acids – particularly arginine, glycine and proline. Glycine supports our bodies’ detoxification process and is used in the synthesis of haemoglobin (oxygen-carrying within the blood), bile salts and other naturally-occurring chemicals within the body. Glycine also supports digestion and the release of gastric acids. Proline (along with vitamin C) is great for our skin health. Bone broths are also rich in gelatine which has multiple uses – it aids in digestion, helps in the absorption of cooked foods (particularly the muscle meat cuts that are so popular now), and also supports skin health.

Bone broth made from chickens helps alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu. There’s a reason chicken soup is an old Jewish tradition!

Why can’t I just buy ready-made stock from the supermarket?

Well, you can. You just shouldn’t. For a start, they won’t taste nearly as good as your home-made version. And, they’re expensive. And, if that’s not enough, commercial stocks are often pasteurised – killing off all the goodness you get from your long slow simmer, and they have additives and preservatives that you just won’t put in yours.

(Image by TSL)

What Can I do With my Bone Broth?

Well, the simplest answer is: drink it! Just heat to a simmer in a small pot, add a little good quality sea salt, and sip away. It’s great before or with meals and helps with digestion. You can also enhance the flavour by adding freshly grated ginger, fresh herbs, or even (if the thought is not too way out for you) throw in some sea vegetables.

Of course, bone broth is a great flavour base for soups and sauces. A simple soup can easily be created just by adding vegetables. For sauces, just add a little broth to the pan as you are cooking various meats.

We’re now cooking lots of braises in bone broth. You can see from my recent Osso Buco recipe that secondary cuts of meat not only taste amazing, they’re cheaper, too!

I also cook veggies with broth, too. Leafy greens, cabbage and fennel are great braised in broth. Adding broth to a root vegetable mash is a good alternative to dairy.

Can you tell that I’m a little passionate about bone broth? Well, here’s my very easy recipe…

TSL's EASY Bone Broth

• Servings: approximately 3 litres (depending on the amount of bones)
• Time: 12 - 72 hours
• Difficulty: easy peasy
• Print

(Image by TSL)

Ingredients

1.5 – 2 kilos bones from happy, hormone free animals (a mixture of bones from different parts of the animal is good. I save the bones and carcasses from my roast chickens)
a couple of chicken feet (optional – will ensure your broth has a good gelatin level)
a good glug of apple cider vinegar (lemon juice also works)
2 or 3 onions
2 or 3 carrots
2 or 3 sticks of celery
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
A bunch of parsley stalks

You will also need a large stock pot.

Method

1) If making beef or lamb bone broth, heat your oven to 180°C/360°F. Pop your meatier bones into a roasting dish and roast until well browned (about 30 – 45 minutes). Place your knuckle and marrow bones into your stock pot. Add your apple cider vinegar and cover with cold water. Now, just let this sit while your meaty bones brown. When your bones are nicely browned, add these to the pot, along with your onions, carrots, celery (and chicken feet, if using). Make sure you deglaze your roasting dish and get all the good bits out of the bottom to add to the stock pot. Ensure your cold water just covered your bones. Top up if necessary. Note: if using leftover chicken carcasses and bones, there is no need to roast the bones.

2) Bring your stock pot to a boil. Carefully skim off any scum that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to low and add your peppercorns, parsley stalks and bay leaves.

3) Now just leave it. Let it simmer for 12 – 72 hours (I simmer chicken bones for 24 – 36 hours and beef bones for 48 – 72 hours).

4) When you have finished simmering your bones, turn off the heat. Carefully remove your bones and vegetables (these can now be discarded). Place a sieve covered with cheesecloth or a clean tea towel over a large bowl. Strain your bone broth. Cool in the fridge.

5) Once cooled, there will be a layer of congealed fat that has risen to the top of your bone broth. This is easily removed (and can be saved for cooking if you’re feeling adventurous!)

6) Transfer your broth into smaller containers for freezing. Your broth will keep up to a week in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.

E N J O Y !

If you’re worried about leaving your stove-top on for that length of time, or you just don’t have the time, the Nourished Kitchen has a great recipe for Perpetual Soup (chicken bone broth) she has going in her slow cooker.

Things I’m Learning on the Autoimmune Protocol

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Disease, Elimination Diet, food, Healing, Healing through diet, Healing through Food, Health, Hippocrates, Liver, Observations, Paleo, The Autoimmune Protocol

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity. (Hippocrates)

People who know me well will tell you that I’m a moderately impatient woman (I prefer to think of myself as ‘passionate’). When I set a course of action, I want it to happen. NOW. So, with that in mind, given I am now five days into the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), it will be of little surprise to you when I say changes are not happening fast enough… Never-the-less, I thought a wee update on my observations – so far – might help me to pace myself.

Once you get your head around what the AIP involves, there are really two key things to understand, even if you forget everything else:

Planning is everything: You really can’t decide at the eleventh hour what you’ll be having for any given meal. It just doesn’t work. I am finding I plan (loosely) about a week out. I’m doing this on a Friday so that I can pick up as much as possible at the farmers market on Saturday morning. When you get home late from work and you’re tired and the kids are yelling at you and the dog needs a walk  – the last thing you feel like doing is planning what to eat for dinner.

As part of the AIP planning phase, it’s also critical that you give your pantry (and fridge) an overhaul. Get rid of all the non-AIP food. My brother-in-law happily received all the chocolates I had made. I got rid of mustards and other ‘illicit’ foods that were just waiting to call out to me at a moment of weakness.

Learn to love your kitchen: Seriously. You will definitely be spending more time in it. It is impossible to truly undertake the AIP without preparing food from scratch. There are no packets of pasta. In fact, there are no tins of tomatoes, either. (A staple for me before AIP).

To be honest, I find myself enjoying this aspect of the protocol. I get a kick out of creating good food from quality ingredients. I like experimenting with different cuts of meat and I find myself looking at unusual vegetables at the farmers market, wondering how I can incorporate them into a meal.

(Graphic by TSL; Kitchen Image from here)

OK. We’ve moved past the two key things to remember. What else have I discovered?

Mindfulness

Sounds a tad weird, but I am definitely becoming more mindful about what I’m eating. When you limit your food to primarily fresh vegetables, quality animal protein, a little fruit and healthy fats, you really start to notice flavours. Partly, this is because there are no heavily spiced sauces to accompany your meals. And, yes – this has taken a little getting used to. Because seed based spices are out, I’m using a LOT of garlic, my fresh herb intake has increased and I’m finding all sorts of uses for mace.

Full disclosure: a good friend of mine in New Zealand sent me an email in response to my last post introducing the AIP. She said, “I will confess that I am in shock – no more COFFEE. You were the original coffee queen back in the day (before coffee was even the thing!).”  I was dreading giving up coffee. Absolutely DREADING it. You know what? – It’s been easy. But, what I
R E A L L Y miss are eggs. That is taking some getting used to.

Mood

As crazy as it sounds, I think my mood is lighter. I’m feeling more positive generally. I had read that this would happen and I was a smidge sceptical. But, it’s true. AND, we’re only on day 5. I could be dangerous by day 20!

Batch Cooking Saves the Day

If you know a recipe works, when you next make it, double it. Use the leftovers for the next day or freeze them for the day you can’t face cooking another meal.

Roasts go a long way. Depending on the cut of meat, leftover meat can be made into shepherds pie, be added to a salad, or chopped up for breakfast hash (with leftover sweet potato). Then save the bones for bone broth.

And, I’ve discovered you can get a pretty good gravy by roasting onions with your meat. After cooking, while your meat is resting, pour a cup or two of bone broth into the roasting dish that still has the onions and all the good crusty bits in the bottom. Bring it to a slow boil and scrape up all the goodies from the bottom of the pan. Whip out your stick blender and whiz it all up. Pretty damn tasty!

Easy Ways to Incorporate Liver 

Increasing consumption of organ meat is a key pillar in the AIP. And, liver is arguably the best for us of all of them. The liver is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). When we eat the liver, especially from pasture raised, hormone-free, happy animals; these nutrients give us some of the tools we need to get rid of toxins. And, we don’t eat enough of it any more.

I now have the Paleo Mom’s chicken liver pate recipe on rotation. I love it. But then, I like liver. I have no recollection of where I read this tip but, a great way to incorporate more liver into your diet is to dice it finely and freeze in ice cube trays. Every time you make a braise or ragu, throw a couple of blocks in. Unless you are my sister, you won’t even know its there.

Soups

You can make very good soups FAST by cooking your vegetable of choice (broccoli, cauliflower, parsnip, carrot) in chicken bone broth, then adding an avocado (mace optional) for a few minutes. Throw everything into a blender or food processor and blitz. Check for seasoning.

Great way to incorporate your bone broth AND more vegetables into your diet. We had a broccoli number last night as an entree (starter). It was surprisingly tasty. And, the avocado adds a creaminess. YUM!

So, at day 5, I’m humming along quite nicely on the AIP. Really, I think it was a bigger mental shift to give up gluten (grains). But it is early days, yet.

I’ll keep you posted!

Change is Afoot. A Personal Post…

Tags

Allergies, Blogging, Dairy allergy, Diet, food, Gluten intolerence, Life, Reflection, Roald Dahl

(Image from here)

This is my third year in TSL land. Sometimes, I surprise even myself.

At the time I started this blogging caper, I was dipping my toe in the waters of things design oriented. I completed a couple of tours at the International School of Colour and Design here in Sydney.

And, I learnt a few things. Mainly, I learnt that I am not a designer. I just have a strong sense of what I like!

Along the way, despite protesting that this is not a food blog, my most popular posts – by a considerable margin – have been those about food. Perhaps I should have read between the lines…

I was lucky enough to grow up with a Mum who is a great cook. She experimented with new dishes. She was making her own taramasalata years before it became fashionable in wee New Zealand at the bottom of the world. And, she had some favourites – as a family, we still think her chicken liver pâté is the best. Every year, my sister asks Mum to make her version of Zuppa Inglese* at Christmas. And, speaking of Christmas, her Christmas mince tarts are widely acknowledged as THE BEST IN THE WORLD. (No bias here.)

Until I left home, I never really appreciated that not everyone ate like we did.

George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl
(Image from here)

As a result, I have always appreciated good food. But, it has taken a bit of time, not to mention a reasonably circuitous road, for me to understand just how important food is in my life, and how much I enjoy cooking for those I love. Sounds a little hokey when I see it written down, but it’s true.

Here at Casa TSL, over the past year or so, we have been evolving the way we eat. This is the direct result of a few niggling health issues – mainly LM’s strong allergy to all things cow juice, and my intolerance to gluten. I have done a serious amount of reading in an effort to understand what it all means, not to mention how it happens.

And, you know what? – It takes work. Putting nutritious and delicious food on the table takes work. But, when you add the removal of all things gluten and dairy, it complicates the cooking experience further. And, dining out becomes MUCH more of a challenge.

The more I learn, the more I realise that these allergies to food are on the increase. They are not going away. So, rather than fight it any more, this year TSL is going to have a change in direction. The focus will be more towards food – both here in at Casa TSL, and dining out in Sydney. I haven’t quite worked out what it all means in blog-terms, but I promise you’ll be the first to know!

I hope you’ll stick with me for the ride…

* My Mum’s Zuppa Inglese is nothing like the linked recipe. But, hers is a safely guarded secret!

My Salt isn’t as Pretty as Simon Johnson’s Salt…

Tags

Cooking, craft, food, Gail Simmons, Garlic, Garlic salt, Homemade, Homemade Christmas Present, Preserves, Salt, Sea salt, Simon Johnson

Garlic Salt à la TSL
(Image by TSL)

Dark chocolate, and salt and vinegar chips are my weakness – but not together. (Gail Simmons)

When I told you I had a toothache last week, I was understating things a little. Tooth issues can be nasty. So much so, that I don’t think we want to relive it. So we won’t.

What I will say is that when I was in the city having yet another dental appointment on Friday, LM and I happened upon Simon Johnson’s pop up at the MLC Centre. Apparently, its been there since October. Huh.

I love Simon Johnson’s.

For the uninitiated, the man himself (originally from across the ditch in New Zealand) is a serious food providore. He now has 8 Simon Johnson retail stores around the country –  all stocking some of Australia’s best ranges of imported and home-grown quality foods, sourced from over 80 producers internationally. His Woollahra store has the most divine cheese room AND the well-trained crew he has on board offer you a complimentary coffee when you step into the store. And, it is great coffee!

So, since the pop up shop was there, I had to have a browse. Two reasons for this, really. It would have been rude not to. And, when you can’t find Christmas presents for anyone on your list, the rule is you can buy something for yourself. Well, that’s my rule, anyway.

Time for a small segue – I’m making a few Christmas presents this year. One of the homemade items in my repertoire is flavoured salt. I’m actually getting a little obsessed with the whole idea. Have you tried it? It’s so good! Salt is a natural preservative and holds flavour incredibly well. It will extract the moisture from whatever ingredients you choose to add to it – say fresh herbs, citrus, garlic – and preserve the flavour. Those favours are then imparted into whatever dish you add the flavoured salt to. Genius!

At dinner parties I sit below the salt now. There are a lot of interesting people there. (Donald T. Regan)

I started with garlic salt. As with all things, the better your ingredients, the better your end product. So, I roasted some lovely organic garlic before squishing the meat out of each wee clove and then mashed them all up and mixed them with some Himalayan sea salt, before dehydrating the resulting mixture in a very low oven…

This is what mine looked like…

Garlic Salt (sans label) à la TSL
(Image by TSL)

Yep – it looks like plain, unadulterated Himalayan sea salt. BUT, it actually tastes fantastic – full of roasted garlic flavour. I have been adding it to all sorts of dishes with gay abandon and achieving great tasting results.

So, while I wasn’t wildly enthusiastic about my salt’s visual appeal, I was ok with that…

Until I saw this at Simon Johnson’s…

Falksalt Wild Garlic Salt Flakes
(Image from here)

For just $7.50 you can get this beautiful looking flaked salt with lovely speckles of wild garlic mixed throughout. SO much prettier than mine. And, that’s not all.

Check out these flavours.

Falksalt Smoked Salt Flakes
(Image from here)

Falksalt Rosemary Salt Flakes
(Image from here)

Falksalt Citron Salt Flakes
(Image from here)

Clearly, the presentation of my flavoured salt needs some work. I had to pick up some Ortiz anchovies and some Aphrodite halloumi to console myself (so perhaps that will go some way to make up for my disappointment!)

(Image from here)

(Image from here)

If you’re a foodie visiting Sydney, pop Simon Johnson’s Woollahra store onto your list. You can find it at 55 Queen Street, Woollahra, NSW, 2025. It’s open 7 days and chock-full of lots of wee goodies.

And, if you’re in the city, William at the MLC pop up store was most helpful when we visited!

An Open Letter to Bryce Longton at KTCHN13…

Tags

Australia, Bryce Longton, Christmas, Design, food, Food Stylng, Food52, Foodie Gifts, Homewares, Kitchen Letters, KTCHN13, Personal Gifts, Provisions, Recipes

Jenny’s Chocolate Cake Recipe
A Longton family recipe immortalised in print by KTCHN13
(Original image from here)

Dear Bryce,

I know you’re probably very busy being the Shop Editor & Stylist at Provisions for the very fabulous Food 52. It’s a seriously beautiful site – so please know your styling is much appreciated!

And, I know Provisions only launched in July.

Salt Plate from Provisions
(Image from here)

And, I also know your wonderful Kitchen Letters – where recipients receive letters in the mail from chefs only really kicked off in May of this year.

I think this is just the best idea. I have a number of foodie friends who would just love a gift like this. How ever did you think of it?

Kitchen Letters at KTCHN13
(Original image from here)

And, now your Custom Recipe Print concept has popped up in my in-box. How wonderful are they?

Just the thought of taking a favourite recipe and having it designed, printed, and shipped to a friend’s door, so they can hang it in their kitchen makes me smile. It’s such a personal gift.

Perfect Guacamole by KTCHN13
(Original image from here)

There’s just one teensy-weensy catch. I live in Australia. And, you don’t ship outside the United States. And, nor does Provisions, for that matter. (sniff). So, that means I can’t acquire any of your fab’ offerings this Christmas.

Do you realise the potential market you are missing out on down here?

And, I know you are obsessed with all things food, travel, and style, and living a great life (because you told me so on your website). Did you know we have some seriously cool and cosmopolitan chefs down here. I’d be happy to write you a list of say, my top 10… Or, even my top 20 – if only you would start shipping down under. Please?

In much anticipation,

TSL xx

TSL’s BEST EVER Ragu Bolognese…

Tags

Alexx Stuart, Best Bolognaise Recipe, Best Bolognese Recipe, Best Lasagne Recipe, Best Pasta Sauce, Best Ragu Recipe, Cook, Dairy Free, Delia, Delia Smith, Dolly Parton, food, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Main Course, Paleo, Ragout Recipe, Real Food, Recipe, Sea Vegetable

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
inspired by Delia
(Image by TSL)

My weaknesses have always been food and men – in that order. (Dolly Parton)

I like to cook. Which is rather fortunate, because I also like to eat. And, as I get older I find myself becoming more particular about what I will eat, and where my food comes from.

There are times, though, when even the most passionate of cooks can’t face the kitchen. I have friends back in New Zealand who have lovely wee lamb cutlets as their ‘go to’ meal when they can’t be bothered thinking about cooking at the end of a particularly long work day. I think they may even have a super-special crumb recipe in which they coat their wee cutlets. They buy the little chops in bulk, do their magic ‘crumb-thingy’, and then freeze them in portion-size packages. Yum.

My go-to ‘can’t be bothered thinking about cooking‘ answer has long been to have portion-sized containers of Delia Smith’s Authentic Ragu Bolognese in my freezer. It’s so good and has a secret ingredient to make it seriously smooth and rich. Chicken livers. Yep. That’s right – chicken livers.

Wanna’ know why we should eat more chicken liver? Among other things, it is:

• high in protein and a rich store of folate
• loaded with iron (for energy and immune system health)
• a treasure trove of certain B vitamins, most notably B12 (guards your body against anemia, good for tissue repair).
• one of the top sources of vitamin A (which promotes good eyesight)

And, even if the idea of liver has you running for the hills, you won’t even know it’s in this recipe. True!

I used to make the ragu as part of Delia’s Lasagne al Forno. That’s no longer an option in the gluten-free, dairy-free world I now cook in at Casa TSL.* So, now I just make the ragu and have it on hand for whenever I can’t face the kitchen…

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
inspired by Delia
(Image by TSL)

Lately, I’ve had a wee bit of a girl-crush on Alexx Stuart of Real Food. Low Tox Living. She is a great proponent of eating real food, which just makes a lot of sense to me (and I like her pragmatic, unpretentious style). I saw her in action at the MINDD Foundation ‘Food is Medicine’ seminar. Now I like her even more!

And, as a result of Alexx’s presentation, I received a metaphorical kick-in-the-bum regarding making my own stocks from grass-fed bones again. So, this past week, I picked up some lovely bones from G.R.U.B. and made a massive batch of beef bone broth. So much, in fact, that I couldn’t fit it all in the freezer.

With all this excess broth and a need to replenish my emergency supplies of ragu, I have adapted Delia’s recipe to suit my needs. And, you know what? It works AND it’s more kiddie-friendly because there’s no wine in it. Delia’s recipe makes 8 225g portions, each serving 2 people. Mine makes more…

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
inspired by Delia
(Image by TSL)

Ragu Bolognese TSL-Style
(adapted from Delia Smith’s recipe)

Ingredients:
About 500g grass-fed Beef mince
About 500g pork mince (from happy pigs)
Coconut oil (or fat of choice)
About 225g chicken livers
2 x medium onions (chopped)
4 x large cloves of garlic (minced)
About 150g speck (or pancetta), chopped
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
4 x heaped tablespoons tomato paste
500ml beef bone broth (preferably home-made!)
Fresh herb of choice (basil, parsley or whatever you have to hand)
Salt & Pepper
Sea Vegetables (Optional, but soooooo good for you! I use this one)
grated nutmeg (preferably fresh)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 140°C (275°F)
2. Heat your largest frying pan over a medium heat. Add a generous dollop of coconut oil. Gently fry the onion and garlic until softened – about ten minutes. Give it a stir every now and then.
3. Add the chopped speck to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a large casserole (my beloved le Creuset holds just over 4 litres).
4. Add some more coconut oil to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Add the minced beef in batches to brown. I use a wooden fork to break it up in the pan. Add the cooked mince to the casserole. Repeat until all your beef is browned.
5. Do the same with the pork mince. While the pork mince is cooking, rinse the chicken livers and dry them with a paper towel. Trim off any sinew and chop them into teeny-tiny pieces.
6. Once the pork is browned and transferred to the casserole, heat a little more coconut oil and briefly brown the chicken livers. Add these to the casserole.
7. Place the casserole over a direct medium heat and give everything a good stir. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bone broth and a generous seasoning of good salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the nutmeg (and the sea vegetables, if you are going to. Go on – dare you!). Stir again and allow to come to a simmer.
8. Add the chopped leaves of about half a bunch of basil or parsley
9. place the casserole in the oven (without a lid) for four hours. I give it a stir every hour or so. You should end up with a thick, unctuous meaty sauce with only a teeny bit of liquid.
10. Check for seasoning and add the remaining half bunch of your herbs.
11. When the sauce has cooled, divide it up. Delia reckons 225g feeds two people, so that’s the measure I go with. I use my scales.

Some suggestions for your ragu:

• the obvious one – over pasta, gnocchi or noodled squash or zucchini
• as a pizza topping
• as a stuffing for potato, kumara (sweet potato), eggplant, peppers or mushrooms
• as a sauce over steamed or roasted vegetable (my preferred option is over roasted broccoli)
• in shakshuka (baked eggs)
• As a super fancy-schmancy mince-on-toast

Bolognese-stuffed Eggplant
(Image from Taste)

If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart. (Cesar Chavez)

*But, if you don’t have these limitations and you feel like showing your family and/or friends just how much you love them, Delia’s lasagne recipe is an absolute corker. SERIOUSLY GOOD.

Blog Stalking Teresa Cutter – THE Healthy Chef

Tags

Bread, Cook, Dairy Free, food, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Bread Recipe, Grain Free, Health, Healthy Chef, Mindd Foundation, Paleo, Pumpkin Bread Recipe, Recipe, Spike Milligan, Teresa Cutter

Teresa Cutter at MINDD Foundation ‘Food is Medicine’
(Image by TSL)

So, as I mentioned last week, Saturday was the MINDD Foundation’s ‘Food is Medicine’ seminar. I tootled off to attend (and dragged LM along for the ride. Bless him!)

I have the body of an eighteen year old. I keep it in the fridge. (Spike Milligan)

One of my favourite presenters was Teresa Cutter, of the Healthy Chef fame. I’ve been a fan of hers for quite some time, but seeing her in action was great. She made whipping up a fresh pesto in no time look insanely easy, and her presentation style was wonderfully warm and engaging.

Teresa Cutter at MINDD Foundation ‘Food is Medicine’
(Image by TSL)

And, while the title of this post is a wee bit of a misnomer (to the best of my knowledge, Teresa doesn’t actually blog, but she does have a regular newsletter), there are oodles of fab’ and healthy recipes to check out on her website (here).

After seeing the talented Teresa in action, I was motivated to get into the kitchen today. As a result, as I write this, I’ve got an awful lot of nuts currently activating away in preparation for nut milk and a batch of the BEST grain free granola ever (a.k.a. Nutola) AND, I’ve made a loaf of Teresa’s pumpkin bread.

The Healthy Chef Pumpkin Bread à la TSL
(Image by TSL)

Now, I’m not going to tell you that this pumpkin bread recipe beats a fresh sourdough from Iggy’s… BUT, if (like me) you’re unable to eat gluten or you’re grain-free, this pumpkin-y tasting loaf ain’t half bad – especially if you are missing your bread.

It received LM’s tick of approval, too.

If you’d like the recipe to the Healthy Chef pumpkin bred, you can find it at Teresa Cutter’s website (here). Teresa also demonstrated her raw chocolate cake, which she made from her chocolate cupcake base. It looked divine but I don’t need another excuse to eat chocolate, so I’m saving that one for a special occasion…