Food for thought
Although I don't feel sufficiently qualified to be of real help, my first advice is to seek out as much organic or bio-dynamic food as possible and to eliminate processed food totally from your diet. As more and more people are being advised by their doctors to omit certain foods from their diet, one has to ask why so many people are unable to tolerate these foods any longer?
The answer is no doubt complex but the reality is much of our food is being produced in an increasingly intensive way, the main criteria being price not quality. In very intensive production systems, animals and plants are being pushed beyond their natural limit. Consequently, everything is cracking at the seams and it's one crisis after another.
Farmers are in a catch-22 situation, as the multiples force farmers and food producers to produce food below an economic level. Backed into a corner, they have two choices: throw in the towel and sell up, or intensify further. The latter usually means less healthy food produced with more chemical inputs and artificial fertilisers. In both cases, we are all losers.
Cheap food is an illusion. As Professor Jules Pretty of the Centre for Environment and Society at the University of Essex clearly states in his study Crops without Profit, there is no such thing as cheap food, the reality is as tax payers we pay three times over for the seemingly "cheap food" on the supermarket shelf: once at the checkout, again through our taxes to provide the subsidies to support this unsustainable system of production, and a third time to clean up the environment and contribute to the health service. As long as this continues we will have more and more problems, not only with allergies and food intolerances and food-related illness, but also with obesity.
The Irish diet has changed utterly in the past 20 years with an extraordinary decline in the past four or five years as a startling percentage of the population live on convenience food with scant regard for freshness or nutrition.
Increasingly, GPs are coming across cases of malnutrition in teenagers, not from impoverished families, but simply as a consequence of eating a diet of nutrient-deficient junk food. Few connect the food they eat with how they feel. What kind of twits are we to think we can shovel any kind of old rubbish into ourselves and then expect to feel full of energy and vitality.
For those with, or cooking for someone with food intolerances, every meal is a challenge. Chupi and Luke Sweetman, authors of What To Eat When You Can't Eat Anything, faced exactly this situation. With the help of nutritionist Patricia Quinn, they embraced a diet of whole, naturally produced food, and eliminated all processed food: yeast free, dairy free, wheat free and sugar free, additive, colour and preservative free. Panic set in, what was left to eat?
They realised there was a need for a cookbook for others in a similar situation. This new way of eating has transformed their lives and health. This book will be a lifesaver for those who are at a loss as to what to cook when many staples have been eliminated.
Feeds 4
There's something about pizza that nothing else quite replicates. But pizza does take a certain amount of work, so here are some quickie pizzas which are perfect as a snack.
2 farls, sliced open 4 very ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced 1 red onion, sliced paper-thin enough organic mature cheddar, or feta, to cover the pizzas 1 tbsp mixed fresh rosemary, basil and parsley, finely chopped 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper What you do: Pre-heat the oven to 150C/350F/gas mark 4. Slice the farls open to get four separate pizzas, pop into the toaster for a minute or two to crisp up. On the cut side, layer the tomatoes, then the onions and then the cheese. Season generously with olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot. You can serve these as a main meal, with a green salad to fill up the corners.
Different toppings: Our favourite pizza is definitely a margarita, so it is no surprise that the above is topped with a quick imitation of that pizza. You can, however, use other toppings, say 6-8 slices parma ham underneath the tomato layer for a meat version of the above. You could try spinach frittata spread across the base, topped with feta cheese or 6 tbsp creme fraiche, cooked as above. The only limit is your imagination.
450g white spelt, or wholegrain spelt, or organic wheat flour 1teasp bread soda 188ml water or rice, oat, soya or cow's milk 1tablesp bio-live natural yoghurt
Put the flour and bread soda into a mixing bowl and combine. Pour in your chosen liquid and the yoghurt, mixing with a knife (strange, I know, but it works), until you have a soft, dry dough.
You can shape the farls as you please, but the traditional way is to form the dough into a ball and roll out into a circle less than 1cm thick and slice into four quarters.
Put a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium heat and sprinkle with flour.
When the flour starts to brown, place a farl onto the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes per side until lightly browned. Take the farl off, sprinkle some more flour onto the pan and continue with the rest. Keep in a warm place until you're ready to eat.
Feeds 4 The Burgers: 1tsp each ground cumin and coriander 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 1 cup/110 g gram flour 1 tin cooked chickpeas, drained and whizzed 4 scallions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 3tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper The Buns: 3 cups/450 g white spelt or organic wheat flour 1tsp bread soda 3/4 cup/188ml water or rice, oat, soya or cow's milk 1tbsp bio-live natural yoghurt The Extras: 8 slices organic feta cheese 2 tomatoes, very thinly sliced salad leaves ¼ red onion, very thinly sliced 2tbsp mayonnaiseHarissasea salt and freshly ground pepper homemade chips
Get your burgers together first. Whizz the chickpeas to a lumpy consistency. Add the rest of the burger ingredients and combine with a spoon if it's too sticky, add more gram flour. Season generously. There should be enough mix for about 8 burgers just store whatever you don't need in the fridge. Dust your hands with plenty of flour, take four handfuls of mix, roll each into a ball then flatten into burgers about 1cm thick.
Now you can get the chips on. Warm half a tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the four burgers and cook on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side or until done to your liking. While the burgers are cooking, make the buns. Mix all the bun ingredients together, to form a soft, not too sticky dough. Divide into four balls and flatten to 1cm thick. Put another frying pan on a medium heat and sprinkle with flour. When the flour starts to brown, put the buns on for about four minutes per side. To serve, slice the buns in half, plonk on the burger, add a couple of slices of cheese, a twist of pepper and salt, a few salad leaves, the red onion, the tomato, some garlic mayonnaise and some harissa. Serve with pomme frites or plain ol' chips and a green salad.
Makes 1 lot 3tbsp sunflower oil 3tbsp local honey 2 cups oat flakes 2 cups jumbo oat flakes 1tbsp pumpkin seeds 1tbsp almonds, chopped 1tbsp brazil nuts, chopped 1tbsp currants, washed 1tbsp dates, washed and roughly quartered ½tbsp dried papaya, chopped and washed
Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Melt the honey and oil in a large saucepan on a gentle heat, being careful not to let the mixture come to the boil. When the honey has melted, remove the mixture from the heat.
Add the remaining ingredients, minus the dried fruit. Stir and mix until well coated. Spread out on a large baking tray and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Half way through the cooking, remove from the oven and mix thoroughly. Return to the oven. The granola is cooked when it is crisp and golden. Take out of the oven, stir to break up the lumps and allow to cool. Add the dried fruit and mix again. Store in an airtight container.
Serve with your favourite milk as a breakfast or snack, or with some stewed fruit as a dessert.
Makes approx 10 doughnuts 1 cup/150g white spelt or organic wheat flour 2tbsp local honey 1tsp bread soda ½ cup/125ml rice, oat or goat's milk sunflower oil for deep-frying 5tbsp raspberry jam
Put the oil onto a medium-high heat. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the honey and milk. Beat to a gloopy consistency. The oil should have been heating up for about 7 minutes now, so get a tablespoon of mixture and, using your finger, push the mixture off the end of the spoon into the hot oil, being very careful. Repeat.
Cook the doughnuts for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Half cut each doughnut along its middle and put in 2 tsp jam per doughnut. Serve at once while still warm.
Learn to cook Book some afternoon cookery demonstrations at Ballymaloe Cookery School Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 1.45-4.45 Tel. 021-4646785.
* Visit your local garden centre and buy some vegetable seeds to start your own little vegetable plot. A few cabbage plants would get you off to a quick start.
* Order half a dozen hens so you can have your own wonderful free-range eggs- the scraps from the kitchen come back as eggs so you're a winner all the way.
* Resolve to plant a little herb garden, order parsley, thyme, chives, annual marjoram and rosemary to get you started.
* Resolve to put real energy into sourcing fresh, locally produced food in season for the good of your health it's often been said that if you don't put it on the table you will give it to the doctor and the chemist.
