Consuming Consciousness

Hearty soups and stews make the winter seem less cold and dreary. Here in Switzerland, though, the kind of meat I used in the U.S. and Berlin is impossible to find at reasonable prices, and sometimes impossible to find at all. Hence, this oxtail stew has become a marrow bone and veal stew. (Surprisingly, veal is often cheaper than beef here, especially the lower grade cuts, which is just fine for this kind of stew.) The addition of the habanero pepper makes it very spicy, so if you have low tolerance for heat just use a 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, or substitute another less spicy pepper like jalapeno.

The stew is relatively quick to make if you soak the lentils beforehand. Check out the recipe!

Lately I’ve rediscovered my wok, in large part because I now have a wonderful gas stove with a wok burner in the center. This heats my wok really quickly, and allows it to stay hot when I dump in a bunch of cold ingredients. I highly recommend it to those considering purchasing a new stove since it makes wok cooking so easy and attractive.

Especially when working with a very hot wok, it’s important to pre-assemble all your ingredients so that they’re immediately to hand when you need to add them. Here’s a dish where preparation takes a bit longer than cooking, but you can have the whole, healthy meal finished and on the table in about half an hour. Clean-up, with woks, is also a breeze if they’re properly seasoned and maintained. (more…)

For such a rich-tasting dish, this has surprisingly few calories and packs a huge protein-wallop. It’s also a one-pot meal, very quick to assemble, and relatively inexpensive for a seafood dish.

Though I love fresh mussels, they’re hard to come by in many U.S. supermarkets, and I rarely have time to wrestle with bearding the beasts before even beginning to get around to preparing dinner. Lately, though, I’ve been finding large bags of frozen, pre-cooked mussels in my local Turkish and Asian markets in Berlin. My guess is that they’re also available in the States. Here they’re quite cheap, and I can feed four people very well for under 10 Euros. I love how easy they are to use — they’re already clean and simply need to be heated through.

Mussels have a powerful flavor and need to be countered by other strong but complementary tastes. In this dish I use a combination of garlic, shallots, chilis and hot peppers and balance it with white wine, cream and orange peel. Any citrus peel would be interesting, and next time I’ll try it with lemon. You can serve these mussels in a bowl like a stew, or spoon them over rice or pasta if you can handle the carbs. (more…)

Moving to a new apartment left my kitchen in disarray, and so I haven’t been cooking much lately. That’s going to change, though, as I get ready for my big housewarming party. Here’s a version of dolmas that I assembled after a visit to the local Turkish market. They came out so well I think I’ll make them again and again.

The filling and sauce are quick and easy, but unless you have practice, rolling the grape leaves is time consuming. Novices should expect to spend about 90 minutes on assembly, expert rollers less than half that time. (more…)

I decided to try my hand at making classic borscht a couple of days ago. Or almost classic, since borscht is traditionally made with about a half a pound of butter or shortening or lard. I wanted the taste, but didn’t to take the calorie hit. I was cooking for a tough audience, since my Russian partner emphatically claimed never to have tasted authentic borscht outside of the homeland. I love a challenge and rolled up my sleeves, grating beets with a vengeance. Both of us were pleased by the result, so I thought I’d share the recipe here.

For those who love beef but can’t afford the expensive cuts (like me!), a borscht, like a good stew, allows us to get the taste we crave using cheap cuts of meat that would be too tough if they were cooked any other way. The combination of red and orange vegetables gives a pleasing taste and flavor, and the spiciness can be varied by adding more or less black pepper.

Borscht tastes best on the second day and is fine on the third day but if kept longer it will begin to taste sour.

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I love cassoulet — the rich, full flavors of duck, sausage and beans and the herbs of the French countryside combine to create a hearty and satisfying main course. On my diet, though, a single bowl of traditional cassoulet would use up my entire daily calorie allotment, so I decided to try to put together a relatively low-calorie version of the dish.

Skinning the duck (or simply starting with boneless breast meat, which is very convenient but more expensive) immediately reduced the calorie load by almost 75% percent. Using smoked turkey sausages (or other low-fat sausages) keeps the spirit of the dish while further reducing calories from fat. And aside from skinning the duck, the recipe takes less than half an hour of time to prepare all the ingredients for the stew pot or crock pot.

The result was surprisingly successful while, I think, remaining true to the flavor, consistency and texture of the original. A heaping bowl will cost you 600 calories, which seems about right for a main course dish. Because cassoulet is a stew and gains flavor for the next 48 hours while the leftovers sit in your refrigerator, I’ve written the recipe for a substantial 10 servings; enough for a dinner party or for several days worth of tasty eating. It also freezes well, so you can eat half now and save the rest for another family meal. If you want to make less, simply cut the recipe in half.

You can cook this in a stew pot on the stove top, or in a slow cooker. On the stove it takes about 1 1/2 hours; in a crock pot set on low you can slow-cook it all day, while you’re at work. (more…)

On an emotional level, dieting is sometimes hard to distinguish from starving, and there are times one simply wants to sit down and tuck into a large bowl of rich, meaty stew. Here’s a way to do that without shooting your calorie count through the ceiling. I love the flavor of pork, but it’s often expensive, it packs a lot of calories (especially from fat), and like other red meats, it’s not wonderful for you in large amounts. My answer has been to capitalize on the flavor while minimizing my consumption of meat, and this stew is a model for stretching both the flavor and one’s dollar to feed a small army on only a pound of flesh. A single serving is a whopping 1000g bowl (you can, of course, eat less if you like), but you’ll only chalk up about 420 calories (520 if you decide to add the optional potatoes). In addition, you get a tasty meal that is high in protein, vitamin C, niacin, phosphorus, selenium and thiamin. As stews go, it’s not very time-consuming: it’s ready in two hours, and you need to spend less than an hour active in the kitchen. (more…)

I enjoy cooking with turkey because it’s tasty, healthy, and relatively inexpensive meat. Prepared correctly it’s juicy, flavorful and tender, and it goes extremely well with a wide variety of sauces. This recipe explains how to pan-sear turkey breast slices so they retain their moisture and tenderness. You can do this with very little oil, and without breading. The trick is heating your pan to the proper temperature and using the right combination of spices. (more…)

A very hearty, low-calorie meal that tastes filling and substantial. The texture of the mushroom and carrots augments the full-bodied flavor of the tuna, and the yoghurt gives the filling a creamy and rich taste. The cabbage leaves hold it all nicely, and add to sense of luxurious eating. (more…)

A diet that’s restricted in calories should be rich in flavors and textures. I created this chick pea and tomato curry to satisfy my cravings for a hearty, spicy meal… without increasing my carbohydrate intake. Chick peas are among the best carbs for those of us with insulin resistance, and they’re a great base for stews. The mixture of Indian spices fills the kitchen, promising a satisfying meal. (more…)