[Food] Mediterranean diet

[The Clamp]

I have ordered this which was recommended by a friend..

 

[BrightonCottager]

Pasta puttanesca (ie tart's pasta) is one of my signature dishes and very simple. Serves 2.
Fry a clove or 2 of garlic, add chilli to taste, then a few chopped salty anchovy fillets. Mash the fillets so they dissolve, add a tin of chopped toms, a handful of olives and couple of tablespoons of capers. Season with salt n peppa. Let it simmer and thicken. Boil pasta. When sauce is gloopy serve with grated parmesan and torn basil (or as Jamie O would say 'you've gotta tear the c***y basil').

And don't forget tahini (not on the above). Lush on toast with marmite (not very Mediterranean though ).

 

[clapham_gull]

Forget the cod and embrace the hake. Only the fish cod could have been.

The Spanish know.

Waitrose frozen fillets amazing. You are looking for British Hake, not the insipid tribute band "cape" hake.

Cooked "as is" in a pan, fried skin side down then flipped to gently finish this is not a fish where you hanker for the missing batter.

Lemon zest, salt and pepper before cooking and make sure the skin is very dry.

Little bit of butter at the end.

 

[clapham_gull]

At some point, I'll post an easy flat bread recipe that anyone can make. No rising and the cheapest ingredients. Mediterranean ? No, but very much in spirit especially if you add fresh herbs. It all started when a Kenyan showed me how to make they call a "chapatti" which is very different from the Indian version.

It's genius and all to do with the way they "roll" it. You don't need yeast if you create layers.

It's so good you can even make a thin crust pizza with it and all you need is a frying pan and a grill.

 

[jackanada]

Plenty of tasty food ideas to be taken from sunnier climbs, but the health benefit may well be largely bollocks and mainly due to the inhabitants generally having a decent level of vitamin D because they live in sunnier climbs.

 

[clapham_gull]

Plenty of tasty food ideas to be taken from sunnier climbs, but the health benefit may well be largely bollocks and mainly due to the inhabitants generally having a decent level of vitamin D because they live in sunnier climbs.

Yes, but I think we underestimate the proportion of vegetables to meat they eat.

We all know the classic Greek and Turkish dishes based that are served up over here but locally the diet is far more based on interesting things done with veg.

That said of course and their stress levels are probably much lower too.

I could eat the same food over here than Spain but my digestion works better. Oddly and I've never really understood it, I can drink copious amount of wine in Spain but NEVER get a hangover. Over here, even a few glasses of Rioja makes me feel rubbish in the morning.

 

[Zeberdi]

I have ordered this which was recommended by a friend..

Thanks! That looks like a great book - I have just ordered myself a copy from Amazon £14.37 - (one day delivery for Prime - only kindle or hard copy available)

 

[Bakero]

Oddly and I've never really understood it, I can drink copious amount of wine in Spain but NEVER get a hangover. Over here, even a few glasses of Rioja makes me feel rubbish in the morning.

I guess you're more likely to be eating and drinking at the same time in Spain, which certainly helps. I do still manage to get hangovers here thanks to my efforts.

Also, a mild hangover when you're on holiday with no work to do is always better than one where you've got to drag yourself out of bed in the morning.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

This is my favourite and it's a cheap brand. The oil also has a bit of highly reduced sun dried tomatoes floating about. Luckily I live near Vauxhall / Stockwell.



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Since when has Gary Barlow done tinned food ?

 

[um bongo molongo]

Yes, but I think we underestimate the proportion of vegetables to meat they eat.

We all know the classic Greek and Turkish dishes based that are served up over here but locally the diet is far more based on interesting things done with veg.

That said of course and their stress levels are probably much lower too.

I could eat the same food over here than Spain but my digestion works better. Oddly and I've never really understood it, I can drink copious amount of wine in Spain but NEVER get a hangover. Over here, even a few glasses of Rioja makes me feel rubbish in the morning.

I’d add: more fresh food cooked from ‘real’ ingredients and very little processed cr*p. I lived in Italy for a bit when I was 21, and my only experience of living away from home was at Uni. I went to a supermarket on my first day and had no idea what to do as there were no ready meals etc. I enrolled on a cooking course that day!

 

[Bakero]

Plenty of tasty food ideas to be taken from sunnier climbs, but the health benefit may well be largely bollocks and mainly due to the inhabitants generally having a decent level of vitamin D because they live in sunnier climbs.

There's no doubting the health benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet. I mean, it's not rocket science that a wide variety of fresh fruit and veg, a bit of dairy, fish and poultry, minimal red meat is better for you than processed food.

You're right that it's not just diet though. Activity and conviviality are also key factors. Older people in Southern Europe traditionally spend a lot of time with family and, thanks to the good weather, are out and about not stuck at home.

However, it should be noted that the health benefits shown in the original Med diet studies were based on the habits of certain rural communities in Greece and Southern Italy in the 60s, which are quite different to thier counterparts today. Obesity rates, as well as a look at plates, show it's not what it once was.