2013

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT

I warn you now, this is a longer than normal post. Settle in. But there is a yummy recipe for dinner.

As you know, I had come to a full stop - so much so that I have found it hard to get going over the past few weeks. That's the newest addition to the family up there - Constance, exhausted after freaking out on her first day in her new home, away from her Mama. That's pretty much what I've looked like too - draped on the couch (or the bed), diving deep into the nothing. But, in that nothing tiredness has begun to leave my body, I'm finding my mind beginning to work (just a bit) and my soul beginning to become excited (a little bit more each day). I've watched TV series I wanted to see  (Walking Dead, Treme, Newsroom) and read some fabulous books. Without doubt my favourite has been the Newsroom and I've fallen in love with Will Mc Avoy - I told my cousin Franni I wanted a guy like that - her answer "And yes, that is the crazy person who is easy to be attracted to but unhealthy to b with". True. Message to self -  listen to Fran. 

Love this stove and the cup of coffee - I'll have to go to Tartine in San Francisco for that

As my mind has cleared, lessons and understandings from the year past have been revealed and sparks of excitement are clues to where I want to go. The vision board is done and up. My understanding of the issues that trouble me in how we eat and our interpretation of healthy food have become more deeply rendered. In what was a busy but fabulous 2012, what I noticed most was that whilst a more wholesome and sustainable approach to food  (indeed even Master Chef had a 'sustainable' episode, and cooking schools offer a whole pick and cook approach from organic gardens) something is not quite right. Two things seem to be happening - wholesome and sustainable has become the 'flavour' of the month with very little understanding of what it actually means, and our approach to what is actually wholesome and healthy has become even more fractionalised than ever. This fractionalised view of food goes something like this - " I'm very healthy because:  I only use agave/eat gluten free/ eat dairy free/eat raw/eat paleo/super foods/cacao etc. There is no context, and the thing that has rendered most deeply to me is how important context is - that and real food. If you can bear me repeating the following, I'd like my Will Mc Avoy moment ( from The Newsroom).  What makes food healthy?

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT:

1. Wholefood is that which is closest to it's natural state with as little that is edible removed and as little that is inedible (additives etc) added to it. It is an understanding that the whole is always far, far greater than simply the sum of nutrient parts and includes those parts we cannot see. 
2. That it is good enough to eat: that is, synthetic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides are not compatible with any part of a human system, but are designed to interrupt and kill living systems. You are a living system. I am a big supporter of organic/bio - dynamic (and whatever it will be called in the future) farming systems. 
3. That it should be real: that is the human body is evolved to eat a real strawberry, not a strawberry flavour made from chemicals. The body is a real thing and it does not compute with fake things - that bottle of milk might look like milk, but your body is infinitely wise and knows the difference.
4. That it should match you - not your naturopath, dr or someone else: This is a fundamental Ayurvedic premise. Some will be fine with cold, raw food in winter or summer, others will suffer. Some do best with cooked vegetables, some with grain, some with no grain.
5. That it should be delicious. Deliciousness, in ways i do not understand but absolutely know exist, allows food to be taken in and properly digested, absorbed and utilised by the body. Deliciousness  is a nutrient in it's own right. Deliciousness also includes not being so stressed out (from a too busy life), that you are unable to experience deliciousness in other walks of life. One of the best nutritional readings this year has been this article - The Island Where People Forgot to Die
6. That the food you choose should be prepared appropriately to ensure compatibility with the human body: that is low fat milk, pasteurised milk, refined oils, fractionalised foods are not understood by the body. Some foods (such as beans or grains) require special preparation methods to ensure they are understood (digestible). 
7. That the human body requires fuel - the nutrients found in the food nature provides. On the whole you might get away with a little white flour and white sugar  (also in it's other guises - pasta, etc) - if you have enough of the other good stuff. But, better to have less refined (more whole) flours and sweeteners.
8. Good Gut Ecology is a fundamental pre requisite for good health.
9. That sweetness is not a dirty word: that is, a bit of wholesome sweetness, cake or dessert in a whole and balanced diet is not going to kill you. Eating a lot of shallow, nutrient deficient, refined, additive laden food will. 

To Sum Up: It's not generally what the food is, but how we grow it, process and prepare it that matters. The current hysteria over sugar is a perfect example. Where is the question asked " what makes this food bad"? If that question was asked, answers would include 1: we remove every nutrient from it in the the refining process (and sell the molasses as a health supplement 2: we then concentrate it to pure bleached sucrose and eat tons of it 3: most often we eat nothing much else other than white flour (white sugar in another form). You don't have to be too smart to work out that is never going to bode well. We then replace it with alternatives that have not had the question "what makes the thing I'm going to replace this with good?" asked (see #10).

One of my favourite readings this year has been Gumbo Tales (Finding my Place at the New Orleans Table). Now those of you who know me, know that in my heart, New Orleans is my soul home, always a part of me though I am West Australian born and bred. Obviously I loved this book. But it was much more than this, it struck me that what New Orleans has in spades is context - the food culture is strong and people are strongly tethered to it. I think this is a most important point - where there is little food culture (and it is deteriorating rapidly), we are without reference, and untethered. We are prey to extreme views. Whilst I have flirted with extremism when younger, I was always tethered to the food culture within my home when growing up. 

So let's get to eating, right here, right now. My garden is green (with some yellow tomatoes and yellow zucchini). On Tuesday, I knew dinner would have to be green and was thinking what to do with the copious amounts of kale, silverbeet and pepetual spinach in the garden. Into my in-box popped the latest from one of the very few blogs I follow The Yellow House  with a galette of winter greens. Perfect for me to give my own twist, I had pretty much everything in the garden.

Finished and ready to add as much pesto as you like (it's sitting there in the jar)

You can see I didn't have quite enough filling for the pastry, so I just cut it to size and froze the bits for a small tart another day

Ready to go into the hot oven - make sure the pastry is cold. 

Whilst I've ready many, my other favourite books for the year were The Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler, and Meat - A Benign Extravagance by Simon Fairlie. (a hard, but great read). As I step out into 2013, my quiet time has reinforced for me how important it is for me, to have values and integrity. Whilst I know it's only a show, I love the value and integrity with which Alan Sorkin writes - and how he uses his craft to voice those views both in The West Wing and now The Newsroom. I hope I continue to try to voice both value and integrity in my work. Sparks of excitement for the year ahead include the new book Wholefood Baking out in May, visits to pretty much all states for afternoon tea parties (and classes and seminars ), re - doing the web site, including on line classes, the Whole and Natural Foods Chef Training Program commencing in August and finally to give more context and help to those with intolerances and tummy issues.  In all I also plan to do a lot more marvelling at just how wonderful life and nature is in all it's glory. I plan to spend more time within my home and kitchen over just existing in them (check out that gorgeous stove and couch on my vision board) and let's face it when the going gets tough before we know it, that's what happens. 

Wishing you sparks of excitement for your 2013 too.... Jude

RUSTIC TART OF SUMMER GREENS

This is my version of the recipe you will find on The Yellow House. Because I had made pesto earlier, I used that to mix in (about 2 tablespoons) - if I didn't have it, I would have used lots of garlic, fresh basil and pecorino in the mix. Another option would be garlic chives..... chop in and use what you've got. This would also be fabulous with the Tofu Ricotta from Wholefood - heal, nourish, delight  spread over the base and topped with this mix.Another great option is a delicious goats chevre/curd in place of the tofu.  It will cook to a souffle consistency. I really love the cream and cheese in this and both work help buffer the oxalic acid ( predominantly neutralised and broken down by the cooking) in the silverbeet and kale. It's delicious hot or at room temperature and freezes well. What more can we ask? 

Pastry

You'll find the pastry here. For a savoury version omit the sugar, add a pinch of salt - used 1 1/2 cups (approx 215 gm) wholemeal spelt. Basically the more butter you use, the flakier it will be - I used 130gm unsalted butter, using the Thermomix or food processor option. Add the water bit by bit. If using wheat flour, use 20g more butter and you will need a little more water also.

The Filling

good splosh of extra virgin olive oil - 1 - 2 tablespoons

2 - 3 small - medium leeks, if fat go for 2, finely sliced and well washed

Big handful of greens - you can see how much I used in the photo, but I could have handled more I think (Yellow House calls for 6 - 8 cups). As mine were very fresh - just picked - I used a small amount of the stem, finely chopped. Leafy bit I sliced approx 1 cm wide. 

2 (or go crazy and use as much as you like) cloves garlic - finely chopped

pinch sea salt and generous grinding of fresh black pepper

1/3 cup cream (or sour cream is fine)

2 tablespoons good pesto or big handful fresh basil roughly chopped

good grating of parmesan or pecorino - yellow house calls for 1/4 cup, again I used the pesto.

It's also delicious with goat cheese / fetta studded through it

Make sure the pastry is made and chilling in the fridge before you start the filling. Add the olive oil to a medium size frying pan and add the leeks. Cook over a gentle heat for a few minutes until well wilted and melting, stirring frequently. Add the stemier parts of the silverbeet and kale, and the garlic with a pinch of salt -  toss to distribute well and cook over a medium heat until they begin to have a 'melting' look. Add the cut leaves in one handful at a time, tossing it through and cooking for a few minutes before adding the next - if you are using fresh basil, add that too. When they look soft and melting - about 5 minutes, add the cream and cheese and cook for a few more minutes. It should look like the picture above. If using pesto, stir that through and give it a good peppering. Leave to cool.

Pre heat the oven to 200c or 180/90 fan forced. Line a baking tray with parchment paper (a black tray will help the bottom crisp).

Roll the pastry out to a circle about 3 mm thick and place on the baking tray. Transfer the filling, trying to centre it. If you find you don't have enough, cut the pastry - but I actually made my filling quite deep. You can see mine above. Fold the edges over and place in the freezer for 5 - 8 minutes to chill. Place into the hot oven and cook for 40 - 50 minutes. Check after 25 minutes - if it's getting too dark you may need to reduce the oven a bit - it took a fair time, but this was because I had made the filling so deep - The Yellow House version is much shallower.  It should be bubbling when cooked. If you take it out and find the base is not quite cooked, put it back in a lower temperature.