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Mangia Mediterranean - Recipes and Thoughts From My Kitchen

Mediterranean Cooking is Naturally Healthy - My Weight Loss Goal

February 17th 2010 15:14

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm on a quest to loose some weight and I plan to do that by eating a diet that my ancestors ate - that of the Greek people. Mediterranean cooking is healthy and filled with low fat and delicious foods. As you've probably noticed, I've been prone to rhapsodize about the simple artichoke. By the way, I'm still thinking of Venice ... ah ... spring in Italy...

Anyway, my first order of business is to reintroduce my former obsession with eating A LOT of fruits and vegetables. I used to eat well over 6 servings a day - now I think I might get 4 or 5 but that hardly seems like enough, don't you think? That is one thing that characterizes most of the Mediterranean - there is an ample supply of fruits and vegetables based on the season.

I just did some research concerning what's in season here. I'm only listing the things I like. For example, Fennel is in season but since I don't care for it, I'm not putting it down. And though cauliflower and the like is in season (Brussels sprouts) that family of vegetables have been upsetting my stomach lately so I'm just staying away from them for now.

My favorites are

** Grapefruits
** Leeks
** Oranges
** Tangerines
** Pears
** Greens
** Shallots
** Sweet Potatoes
** Chicory

I found a delightful list online... that's where I derived my list from (plus, I knew some of then already from my readings elsewhere). You can click to read the rest of the items.

So that will be my focus for the next week or more - in season fruits and vegetables. I'll let you know how it goes and whether or not I lose weight from it. I'm sure I will - eating lots of produce makes me feel so healthy.

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Easy Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe

February 16th 2010 09:32

I thought it was about time I shared a recipe in the "Build Your Own Pasta Dish" series. In the spirit of teaching you that you don't need to worry about measuring (and also because I've never measured things in this recipe) I'm just going to simply show you how to make it. don't worry about getting things perfect - as long as it tastes good!

If you notice, this method falls in line with the steps I've mentioned previously. This is the first post of the series. Check it out to compare the method! If you notice, these steps are just a little bit different. But don't worry, this is simply one approach you can take - you might like this method best and use it again and again.

Pasta Puttanesca Recipe

1. Cook the pasta of your choice to al dente in salted water.

No surprises there, right? I usually use whole wheat spaghetti but you can use whatever you want.

2. Reserve some of the cooking water when it's done and set it aside.

I always reserve the water and I very rarely use it, especially for this recipe. Still, it's needed at times especially if the pasta sticks together. If yours starts to stick together any time during the cooking process, add some of the water.

3. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

Add olive oil to a medium saute or fry pan (about 2 tablespoons). Add two chopped garlic cloves, one anchovy fillet (or 1 tsp or so of anchovy paste), and a few red pepper flakes. Turn heat to medium and saute until anchovy is broken down. Stir constantly so garlic doesn't burn.

Add some tomato paste - maybe 1-2 tablespoons. Stir around the pan for a minute or two, until all the flavors meld together. Just smell the air - you'll be able to tell! Add some white or red wine to the pan (whatever you have) and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get all the bits off.

Add lots of olives and capers to taste.

4. Drain the pasta. Let it sit in the strainer for a second.

Then put the fry pan on low and add the pasta. Toss together. Is there enough sauce? No? Then add some regular tomato sauce and a little of the pasta water. Taste it. Add anything else in if you think you need it. For example, I always add extra olives at the end! I also favor a sprinkle of oregano or fresh chopped parsley. I do that as a garnish. Oh and, my cheese of choice for this dish is Romano.

Enjoy!

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Weight Loss, Mediterranean Food, All Food - This Blog Has it All

February 15th 2010 20:18

You see - I love to cook, I like to eat. So - it seems rather limiting to keep this blog ONLY about Mediterranean cooking, right? For example, I'll be staring a fairly strict clean eating program tomorrow so that I can lose a lot of weight - I think it would be fun to talk about the food I'm eating and preparing.

I did promise you a series on pasta dishes and it is well underway so don't worry - I will be finishing that soon. But I just wanted to let you know that there will be some slight changes here at this blog.

In other words, this is my food blog AND my weight loss blog.

Look forward to posts about

** My weight loss progress

** Low fat recipes and other food tips

** Tales of food I'm eating on my travels

What do you think? Is there anything that you want me to share?

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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The Best Italian Food I've Eaten Has Been in ... Germany?

February 12th 2010 13:05

Yes, you read that correctly. I lived in southern Germany for two years and the Italian food I consumed while there has rivaled and eve surpassed anything I've ever had in Italy. Granted, I've only been to Italy twice - once in Tirol and once as an overnight in a very interesting trucker hotel filled with colorful characters.

The only thing I really remember about the meal we had in that town is that those who ordered the Weiss Bier had glasses that were glowing - in honor of Oktoberfest you see... Each glass had an LCD light at the bottom. Our focus wasn't to visit Italy - we were passing through to get back to Germany after a visit to Slovenia so

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Thoughts on Venetian Cuisine

February 11th 2010 17:42

At the bookstore today I found a wonderful cookbook about the food of Venice. I love books with pictures and stories as I read cookbooks not for the recipes per se, but to get a sense for the chef's style or to observe the essence of a place. I read these books from cover to cover like novels and I learn by imagining.

Images stay with me. I absolutely want a steamed mussel right now finished off with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. And why not? It's because of this book that I'm also desiring an artichoke made the old way- steamed with a dressing of lemon and olive oil

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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How to Build Your Own Pasta Dish - Beyond the Basics

February 10th 2010 22:55

In one of my last posts I talked about creating delicious pasta dishes at home worthy of restaurants - even fancy restaurants that hire experienced chefs.

All you need to do is take the basic technique and build on it. Here's more detail. What I'm doing is taking the original instructions from that previous post and building on them so you will feel confident creating your own unique pasta dishes

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Stocking the Pantry to Create Great Pasta Dishes in a Snap

February 9th 2010 00:47

Do you need some tips on stocking your pantry? I'd thought I'd take this moment to offer up a list of some key ingredients to have on hand for when you want to create delicious pasta dishes in a hurry. I'll be offering recipes with these ingredients in the days to come:

1. Several types of pasta such as spaghetti, linguini, orzo, etc

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Restaurant Quality Pasta Dishes You Can Make at Home

February 9th 2010 00:25

I love going out for Italian food because I absolutely love the way restaurants put together their pasta dishes. Some of my favorites are also classics. Spaghetti Tonno (with tuna fish), Linguini with Clams, Spaghetti Puttanesca, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Spaghetti Vongole. I was always in awe of these dishes. I knew they had to be fairly simple to prepare but how could they possibly taste so good if that really were the case?

Well, I've learned how to create my favorites at home. In the posts to come I'll share some recipes for my favorite pasta dishes and then some. But first, I want to share with you some basics on technique

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Thinking About Spain and Some of the Delicious Food I Ate There

February 10th 2009 05:56

I don't know if it's because it was a little chilly today or if it's seems like it's been a while since I lasted visited Europe but... I was thinking about Spain today and some of the foods I really loved while there.

One thing that really resonated with me is the concept of "Tapas" - or the little plates that are served in traditional tapas bars. I always ordered a bowl of olives and we always ordered several plates for the table to share. I discovered I like pate which is essentially pureed liver - would I have tried it if I wasn't in Spain? I'm not so sure

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Greek Butter Cookies Recipe

February 9th 2009 07:28

This was originally posted on my Greek Cooking Blog

Kourabiedes, or Greek Butter Cookies are my all time favorite Greek dessert cookies. They are known as the “celebration” cooking and are on the table whenever there is a special event such as a wedding or Christmas. I personally like to make them whenever I want! (But never, ever serve them at a funeral - my mom learned this one the hard way

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