Mediterranean Women Stay Slim, Too: Eating to Be Sexy, Fit, and Fabulous! (50 page)

2.
Shape the dough into 4-ounce balls and set them on a tray or towel. Let them rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a grill or pancake griddle ( you can also use a large sauté pan) over medium-high heat.

3.
Roll out each piece of dough on a floured surface until it is about 12 inches in diameter. It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle. Place the rolled-out piadina, one at a time, on the grill or griddle and cook for 1–2 minutes on each side.

4.
Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve warm.

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√ Cooking with Whole Grains

I love to cook with whole grains, and Price loves baking with them. They really are at the center of Mediterranean eating, and they are so versatile that you can shape them in many ways by adding different spices, herbs, cheeses, and oils, not to mention the various things you can put on them, from the curried couscous to the farro ragout recipes that follow. Whole grains can make you feel very good. Here are some of my favorite recipes to get you started experimenting in the world of Mediterranean grains.

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Farro Salad Agrodolce

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√Farro is such an overlooked grain, and so delicious, especially the farro produced by Anson Mills. This salad has the classic Mediterranean sweet-and-sour flavor called
agrodolce
. It is wonderful served at room temperature with hot dishes like lamb or grilled fish, or served cold as part of an antipasto. I often eat a bowl of this for lunch.

1⁄2 pound dry farro, preferably Anson

1⁄2 cup golden raisins, plumped for 15

Mills

minutes in 1⁄4 cup sherry vinegar

1⁄2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts (toast

then drained

in a cast iron skillet on medium for

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

about 2 minutes)

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch (about 5) chopped scallions,

Salt and pepper to taste

white and some of the green parts

1.
Cover the farro with cold water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. When it boils, remove it from the heat and strain off the cooking liquid. Repeat this process again with more water, but when the farro comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and simmer until the farro is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the farro.

2.
Add the pine nuts, scallions, plumped raisins, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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Curried Couscous Pilaf

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√This twist on plain couscous adds spice, color, and texture to chicken, fish, or tofu. Or enjoy this dish as a simple salad for lunch.

1 cup couscous (the larger-grained

1⁄2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and

variety, if you can find it, but any

diced very small

type will work)

1⁄2 red onion, peeled and diced very

1⁄4 cup Curry Oil (recipe follows)

small

1 cup boiling water

Salt and pepper to taste

1⁄2 cup dried currants, plumped in

Green Tabasco sauce to taste

3 tablespoons hot water

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime

1⁄2 bunch scallions

juice

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and

11⁄2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

diced very small

11⁄2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 carrot, peeled and diced very small

1.
Mix the couscous with the curry oil in a stainless steel bowl.

Pour the boiling water over the couscous mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.

3.
Mix the currants, scallions, jalapeños, carrots, red peppers, and onions into the couscous. Season with salt and pepper, green Tabasco, and the lime juice.

4.
Garnish with the chopped mint and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

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Curry Oil

M a k e s a b o u t 1 c u p

√This curry oil is good for drizzling over any cooked whole grains, from brown rice to farro to couscous. It’s also good on fish or pasta. You need only a little. Curry oil will keep up to a month in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

1⁄4 cup spicy curry powder

1 cup virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon water

1.
Moisten the curry powder with enough water to make a paste. Whisk in the olive oil.

2.
Let the curry oil steep overnight, mixing occasionally.

3.
Before straining, make sure the curry powder has settled to the bottom and do not mix. Strain through a fine mesh strainer without pouring the curry powder through. You can reuse the paste to make a second batch of oil.

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Creamy Polenta

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√This is true comfort food with just a hint of spiciness from the green Tabasco sauce. Polenta is versatile. It goes well with just about any meat, poultry, or seafood. It also makes a great base for interesting additions. You can add mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed corn and peppers, roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese, herbs—anything you want. Try stirring in Wilted Swiss Chard (page 194), Toscano kale, or collard greens. Let your creative Mediterranean spirit loose! I just love Anson Mills polenta and always use it for this recipe.

2 cups milk, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1⁄2 teaspoon minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

2⁄3 cup quick-cooking polenta (you can

Green Tabasco sauce to taste

also use stone-ground cornmeal)

1.
Combine the milk and garlic in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring almost to a boil. Watch carefully so that the milk doesn’t boil over.

2.
Slowly add the polenta, stirring continually, and cook for 6–8

minutes, or until it thickens to a porridge consistency.

3.
Swirl in the butter. Add the salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Adjust the consistency if necessary with more milk. Stir in other additions if you wish, then remove from the heat and keep warm until serving.

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Tuscan Bread Salad

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√I like to make this bread salad with levain, which is a type of sourdough using wild yeasts and rye flour, but you can use any rustic country bread. Avoid soft bread that will turn to mush when touched by dressing.

1⁄2 loaf levain sourdough, crust

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

removed, torn into chunks

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin

2 bunches arugula

olive oil

1⁄2 cup pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

1⁄2 cup dried currants, plumped in 2

2 shallots, peeled and minced

tablespoons warm water for about

1⁄2 cup white wine vinegar

10 minutes

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the bread chunks in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a little salt and pepper.

Spread the bread chunks on a baking sheet and toast until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

2.
Place the shallots in a bowl and add the vinegar and mustards. Let this mixture steep for at least 10 minutes.

3.
Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup oil into the shallot mixture, and add salt and pepper.

4.
Place the arugula in a bowl with the bread, pine nuts, and currants. Toss with the vinaigrette and serve.

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Wild Mushroom Risotto

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√Risotto is the ultimate comfort food, and this version is always popular. Flavored with rich, earthy wild mushrooms set against creamy, savory, tender rice, this so-called side dish might just eclipse anything you choose to call a main course.

31⁄2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or

1 tablespoon minced garlic

broth (or water)

1 cup Arborio rice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1⁄4 cup dry white wine

1⁄2 onion, finely chopped

1⁄2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup assorted wild mushrooms (try

Salt and pepper to taste

chanterelle, black trumpet, porcini,

portobello, shiitake, or domestic

mushrooms—soak any dried

mushrooms in hot water for

15 minutes to rehydrate before

using)

1.
Put the stock in a large saucepan and heat on medium. Bring it to a simmer and keep it simmering.

2.
In a separate large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil. Add the onions and stir, sautéing until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until their juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

3.
Add the rice and cook until it is coated with the oil, stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf and wine. Cook until all the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

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4.
Add the warm stock 1⁄2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until it is absorbed. Continue this process until all the stock is gone, adding just a little at a time and letting it slowly infuse the risotto. This should take about 30 minutes or so.

5.
Remove the risotto from the heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the Parmesan. Taste and add salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.

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Farro Ragout

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√Spoon this delicious vegetable ragout onto a plate and pile briefly sautéed dark bitter greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard) in the center. Top with 3 ounces of broiled fish or chicken if you wish. The farro and chestnut combination makes this dish “meaty” enough on its own.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin

1⁄2 cup roasted, peeled, and chopped

olive oil

chestnuts (purchase roasted

11⁄2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced

chestnuts, or roast and peel them

butternut squash

yourself on a grill or in a 425°F

Salt and pepper to taste

oven for 10–20 minutes; cut a slit

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

in each chestnut before roasting to

1⁄2 cup good-quality farro,

prevent them from bursting)

preferably Anson Mills,

1⁄2 cup chicken or vegetable stock or

cooked according to package

broth

directions

1.
Heat an ovenproof large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the olive oil begins to smoke, add the squash, salt, and pepper. Don’t move the pan or the squash until the squash starts to brown, then toss or stir it until it has browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

2.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Add the farro, chestnuts, and stock. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings.

Serve hot or warm.

I hope you are inspired to try some whole grains you’ve never tried before and to eat more of those you already know you like. If you think brown rice, oatmeal, or other whole grains
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are dull, reconsider them through the lens of these recipes.

Whole grains highlight the flavors of vegetables, fruits, spices, olive oil, meat, and fish. They’re too nutritionally important to pass up, too filling to avoid if you are trying to lose weight, and too delicious to miss out on if you really want to embrace the Mediterranean way of eating.

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X

8

Madonna of Moderation

Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.

Better an egg today than a chicken tomorrow.

Being a butcher, my grandfather Primo used to bring home varieties and cuts of meat that most of my friends had never heard of. We didn’t just eat steak and chicken. We ate duck, rabbit, and guinea hen. We had cuts of meat you never see in restaurants. But even with all this carnivorous bounty, our family didn’t focus on the meat. We ate in the Mediterranean style, where meat was a special treat and the feature of a meal maybe once each week. Otherwise, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and other high-protein foods were flavoring components of a meal, not the centerpiece.

This is the way meat is typically used in Mediterranean cuisine—as a flavoring in sauces, stews, or mixed in with vegetables and grains. Rarely is a hunk of meat the primary component in the meal. In the traditional Mediterranean, eating like this would be too costly. While people living in the Mediterranean in the 1950s often cited meat as the one food ingredient

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they would have
liked
more often, the reality for them was that meat was a luxury and an indulgence for special occasions.

In the United States, however, we have an abundance of meat and can usually purchase, prepare, and eat it whenever we want to. But this doesn’t mean that large quantities of meat are good for us. When I eat meat—which I only do about once a week, as is the Mediterranean way—I still like to be adventurous, and I like to offer adventurous choices to the diners in my restaurant, too. I offer free-range duck with orzo and figs, pecan and rosemary–crusted venison, or rabbit braised with Jack Daniels and prunes. I often serve lamb, which is common in Mediterranean cuisine, because it is a tender, flavorful, low-fat meat and because I can get fresh lamb right here in Maine. I also offer fish from local waters as an alternative to the ubiquitous salmon and grouper. I serve guinea hen or poussin instead of the standard chicken, and I even have a recipe for fried quail eggs. Not everybody jumps at these choices—people like to eat what they know—but courageous eaters can always find something exciting in my restaurant.