The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook Review and a Giveaway

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Amy Riolo is not so much a diet cook book as a way of life, unleashing the power of one of the world's healthiest diets. It integrates the latest research and clinical findings with 100 delicious, authentic, easy recipes and Mediterranean lifestyle tips while dispelling any myths and misinformation. Gluten free variations of recipes are also included.

About the Author
AMY RIOLO is an award-winning author, chef, television personality, cuisine and culture expert
and educator. She is a Culinary Advisor for The Mediterranean Food Alliance and her work has
appeared in numerous print media including USA Today, Cooking Light, The Washington Post, The
Wall Street Journal and CNN.com. Amy’s most recent book, The Mediterranean Diabetes
Cookbook, won the 2011 Nautilus Book Award. She also won the World Gourmand Award for
"Best Arab Cuisine Book" in the United States for her book Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture
(Hippocrene Books). She is also the author of a noted culinary/cultural blog amyriolo.blogspot.com

The Review
Introduction and Welcome to the Mediterranean Diet
As I said this isn't just a recipe book, Amy Riolo gives a comprehensive introduction to the principles of the Mediterranean diet. with the science behind the diet and how the lifestyle is as important as the actual food. Using the Mediterranean Pyramid as a guide, Amy gets to the core of the Mediterranean lifestyle, and explains what is eaten, when to eat it, and why. Each recipe in The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook contains a cultural tip from the Mediterranean region. Fun historical facts, legend, and lore, as well as nutritional information accompany each recipe.

Each recipe chapter begins with a useful introductory essay on the appropriate foodstuffs. Here are a few of my favourite recipes by chapter:

Plant Based Foods - the foundation of the Mediterranean diet
Wholegrains: Gooey Mediterranean-Style Cornbread which contains sundried tomatoes and mozzarella; North African Spice-Dusted Sweet Potatoes; Libyan Lamb Couscous and Turkish Eggplant and Herbed Rice Pilaf.
Fruits: Apricot and Orange Blossom Pudding with Pistachios; Roasted Plums with Basil-Yogurt Cream.
Vegetables: Quick Italian Pickles; Provencal Bistro Carrot Salad; Lebanese Fattoush
Legumes and Nuts: Herb Infused Falafel Pomegranate, Roasted Red Pepper, and Walnut Dip and Moroccan Harira Soup
Olive Oil: Kale and Almond Pesto Sauce, Olive Oil cured Eggplant; Provencal Herb Tapenade and Sweet Olive Oil, Cherry and Almond Cake

Fish and Seafood - the bounty of the Mediterranean sea
Sicilian Swordfish Bundles; Citrus Marinated Salmon with Fennel Cream and Sizzling Rosemary Shrimp over Polenta.

Dairy and Poultry - Farm fresh flavors
Dairy: Herb Marinated Mozzarella, Cypriot Greengrocer's Salad with Feta (see recipe below);
Poultry: Chicken Skillet-Style Shwarma with Tahini Sauce; Jerusalem-Style Chicken with Rice, Golden Raisins, and Pine Nuts.

Meat and Sweets - Mediterranean Indulgences
Southern Italian Goat and Herb Stew; Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb and Corsican-Style, Almond-Stuffed Figs in Chocolate Sauce, Sweet Carrot and Cardamom Torte.

Mediterranean Cooking Basics covers everything you need to know about how to choose and cook the staples of the Mediterranean diet such as beans, polenta and stock.

The Mediterranean Pantry is an alphabetical list of ingredients used in the book with information about what it is, where it comes from and how it is used in cooking.

Who is it for? This is an ideal book for anyone who wants to eat a healthy diet and is looking for information and recipes to help them achieve and sustain a healthful way of life.  It's also for anyone who loves good food, never mind whether it's healthy, as there are lots of really mouthwatering recipes.

Pros
Lots of good healthy recipes, plenty for vegetarians and vegans too.  I loved the comprehensive introductory chapter information and the Mediterranean Traditions with each recipe.

Cons
The only thing I would say is that the book doesn't stay open very well, so you need a book stand or have to bend back the spine, which would break it (I simply can't bear to do that!).

The Verdict
This would be a useful book to have in your collection if you would like to understand more about eating well.  The recipes are easily achievable, although I have to say that they are more attractive to eat in the summer when we have a chance of at least some more Mediterranean weather, than in the cold days of winter when comfort food is more attractive.

The Recipe

CYPRIOT GREENGROCER'S SALAD WITH FETA /CHORIATIKI SALATA
serves 6

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, dried and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 baby (Persian) cucumber, or 1/3 English cucumber, slice thinly on the diagonal
1/4 lb (115g) feta, cubed or crumbled
1/4 cup Greek Olives, pitted
1 yellow onion, sliced into rings
1 small green bell pepper, cut into rings
3 tablespoons (45ml) red wine vinegar or lemon juice
unrefined sea salt or salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil (preferably unfiltered)

Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl.  add the tomatoes and cucumber, and toss to combine.
Scatter the feta, olives, onion and pepper over the top in an attractive pattern.  Pour wine vinegar or lemon juice into a small bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking vigorously.  Once the dressing is emulsified, pour it over the salad and serve immediately.


The Ultimate Mediterranean  Diet Cookbook
by Amy Riolo
Published by Fair Winds Press
RRP £14.99 Paperback


I have one copy of The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook to GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels: cookbook, Diet, feta, giveaway, Healthy, olives, recipe, review, salad, The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, win

posted by Janice @ 22:53 120 Comments

Black Treacle Marinated Chicken and a feast of flavours on my kitchen table in May

Time for another round up of tasty treats that have arrived at my Kitchen Table in May.
Marks and Spencer are a very British company and they have introduced the Tastes of the British Isles range to celebrate all that's great about British food.  There are over 300 delicious new food and drink products including 21st century twists on UK classics the revival of historical dishes and some great nationwide exposure of regional favourites.

The selection of treats I received included lovely buttery Scottish All Butter Shortbread Rounds, and a very tasty Parkin Loaf with the proper texture of oatmeal.  The Cucumber, Gin and Mint Relish is the perfect partner for salmon and  you can snack on some West Country Cheddar, Chive and Caramelised Onion Jumbo Peanuts and Cashews or Free Range Chicken, Mustard and Worcester Sauce Crisps with your aperitif while you are waiting they are all totally delicious


However, as soon as I spied the Black Treacle and Porter Ale Sauce and Marinade in the parcel I knew I couldn't wait to use it.  I knew I would love it and I was right.  It's ideal for a quick marinade for any kind of meat.  I marinaded some chicken breasts for a couple of hours, pan fried them to blacken the skin, then baked them in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked through and tender.  The marinade added a delicious flavour, not too sweet. The chicken breasts were good served hot with some of the unused marinade heated and served as sauce.  I also served the chicken cold with salad and it was equally good.  With barbeque season upon us, this sauce would be ideal to pep up your barbie fare.

Scottish All Butter Shortbread Rounds £1.50 for 180g
Parkin Loaf  £2.00 for 235g
West Country Cheddar, Chive and Caramelised Onion Jumbo Peanuts and Cashews - £3.50 for 200g
Cucumber, Gin and Mint Relish £2.00 for 195g
Free range Chicken Mustard and Worcester Sauce Hand Cooked Crisps £2.00 for 150g (not shown)


Back in 1897, Don Santiago Camacho Roman founded a family business in Seville to produce olive oils. As with all Spaniards, Don Santiago’s home in the sunny Andalucían region of Spain was never without the humble Spanish olive. It was his passion to share Spain’s most delicious olives with others, and so, in 1925, the Fragata Spanish Olive brand was brought to life.

More than 86 years on and Fragata Spanish olives are now sold across the world and remain a firm favourite and kitchen staple for millions of Spanish families.

Fragata Spanish Olives can be used in hundreds of different ways to create authentic Mediterranean dishes and mouthwatering tapas. What better way to create a unique culinary corner of Spain in your own home – go on, Savour the Flavour of Spain!

Labels: capers, Fragata, hamper, Marks and Spencer, olives, On my Kitchen Table, peppers, Seranata Flowers, Tastes of the British Isles, Vintage Cheddar

posted by Janice @ 18:30 0 Comments

Crock-pot Chicken Tagine for Crocktober

As my regular readers know, I am slightly obsessed with my slow cooker and use it pretty much every week to make all kinds of slowly cooked recipes. There are many different brands of slow cooker but the original Crock-pot is still has a certain cachet, if slow cookers have cachet!  I was delighted to be invited by Crock-pot to try out the Crock-pot Countdown Slow Cooker  join them making some recipes for Crocktober over on their Facebook page.


My sister-in-law gave me a jar of preserved lemons that she had made and everytime I open the larder I see them there, so it seemed like the ideal opportunity to make a Tagine in the Crock-pot.

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons
Serves 4

300g  hot chicken stock
pinch of saffron
6 chicken thighs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ras el hanout
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 large preserved lemon (two quarters)
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
100g green olives
50g chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Soak the saffron in the hot stock to bring out the colour.
2. Heat the oil and brown the  chicken thighs and place in the bottom of the Crock-pot
3. Cook the onion until it starts to become transparent.
4. Add the garlic, ras el hanout, ginger coriander and cinnamon stick and cook for a minute.
5. Add the stock and bring to the boil, add to the Crock-pot and cook on Low for 5 hours.
6. Add the chickpeas, the olives and the preserved lemons, roughly chopped.
7. Cook on Low for a further 1-2 hours.
8. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.

If you are not ready to eat, the Crock-pot will keep the Tagine warm for a couple of hours without coming to any harm.

Serve with couscous, I added some sultanas to the cous cous and used some of the juices from the Tagine, with some added boiling water, to swell the grains.

The Tagine was much lighter than the usual lamb recipe that I make, I missed the sweetness of dried fruit in the dish, which was why I added sultanas to the couscous. I would probably add some dates or apricots if I was making it again.  I would recommend that you don't add any salt to the dish while cooking as I found that the preserved lemons (preserved in salt or brine) and the olives added enough salt without any additions.



So how did the Crock-pot perform?  

• I really liked the solidity of the Crock-pot, it feels substantial and looks attractive
• The 'stay warm' feature is really valuable as you know that if you are a little later getting home, your meal will be kept warm without being over cooked. 
• My other slow cooker has a metal 'pot' which can go on the hob, I did miss that but not as much as I thought I would. 
• The electronic timer means that you can be accurate with your timings.
• Best of all for me, the Crock-pot bowl and lid can go in the dishwasher - woo hoo!

If you would like to try to win a Countdown Slow Cooker Crockpot and Crockpot Warmer (I'll tell you about the Crockpot Warmer in another post) my friend Karen is running a giveaway over at her blog  Lavender and Lovage - Crockpot Slow Cooker and Crockpot Warmer Giveaway ending 9th December 2014.


I'm adding this to my own Slow Cooked Challenge, anyone is welcome to join in with a slowly cooked recipe whether in a slow cooker or by other slow cooking method.


Thanks to the people at Crock-pot for providing me with this Countdown Slow Cooker Crock-pot, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: Chicken, chickpeas, couscous, Crock-pot, Crocktober, olives, Preserved Lemons, slow cooker, tagine

posted by Janice @ 21:40 7 Comments

On my June Kitchen Table: Super Speedy Eats!

A collection of the foodie products that I have been sent for review, or simply want to share with you this month. It turns they all fit into the category of quick and easy meals, enjoy!

Terra Nostra is, at first glance, a typical restaurant in the centre of St Ginesio, however they also make and sell high quality pasta and I was able try their Truffle Tagliatelle  and dried tomatoes Papparedelle.  Both were excellent quality pasta, the kind that easily retains a bit of bite and the flavourings in the pasta also adds to the dish.  Each pack also contains a sachet of flavoured oil, which has an authentic taste of the herbs or truffle oil as appropriate to the pasta type.

I made a simple seasonal dish of tomatoes slowly roasted in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic, then I added some sliced olives and at the last minute threw in some feta cheese cubes, this was mixed through the cooked Papparedelle al pomodori with the basil oil and made a really delicious and simple supper.
You can buy the Terra Nostra pasta through the e-shop  the prices are in euros and I have no information about purchasing in the UK.  8/10 

I'm not averse to a ready-meal, I always have a pizza in my freezer.  However, I'm not inclined to buy pasta dishes as ready meals as they are so easy to prepare.  I was intrigued by the blurb from Charlie Bigham's " the posh ready meal brand especially for twosomes. It's perfect for when you and your other half want to spend some quality time together, without having to sacrifice the taste!"  We don't have a Sainsbury's or Waitrose near where we live and Ocado don't deliver to our area,  but I managed to find a Sainsbury's on one of my frequent work trips. 

I was supposed to try out the new range of 'world' meals but there weren't any of those available in this store, so I took the chance to get the Moussaka and the Meatballs al Forno.  Each ready meal feeds two (although I did get the Moussaka to stretch to feed three) and costs £7.00. That's relatively expensive, but they are the best ready meals I have tasted, you could easily have thought they were homemade.  Himself was very impressed and enjoyed both dishes.

Another bonus is that the packaging is environmentally friendly using paper and wood rather than plastic, all of the packaging can be recycled.  Bighams recommend that you bake the dishes in the oven, but on one of the nights I was short of time and microwaved the dish for 6 minutes before finishing it off in the oven to crisp up the top.  9/10

Labels: #review, Charlie Bigham's, coconut, feta, fruit ices, lemon curd, Meatballs al Forno, Moussaka, olives, papparedelle, Smooze, strawberries, tagliatelle, tomatoes, yogurt

posted by Janice @ 21:08 4 Comments

Sweet and Savoury Snacks on my Kitchen Table

I've heard about Cobnuts, but live a long way from Kent and have never had the priviledge of tasting them. A Cobnut is a type of hazelnut traditionally grown in Kent. They are harvested in their green state form mid August and with brown shells and husks by mid October. All the Kentish Cobnuts are sold dehusked from November onwards.  I still haven't tasted the fresh green cobnuts but I can certainly recommend this Handmade Chocolate and Kentish Cobnut Fudge which was sent to me, for review, by Potash Farm.  The fudge has a smooth creamy texture with lots of small nut pieces through it and a rich chocolate flavour, it was a big hit with my husband.

Potash Farm have a range of nuts, fudges and brittles, chocolates, biscuits, preserves and sauces sold from their website. A 200g bag of Handmade Chocolate and Kentish Cobnut Fudge costs £5.25

YOU CAN GET A DISCOUNT OF 10% OFF ANY ORDER FROM POTASH FARM UNTIL 10TH OCTOBER 2013, JUST USE THE CODE: FARMERSGIRL 10

I'm a big fan of olives and Oloves is a new way to eat olives as an 'on the go' snack.  The little foil pack contains 30g of flavoured olives and there are four different flavours: Lemon and Rosemary, Basil and Garlic, Chilli and Garlic and Chilli and Oregano.  The Oloves were very tasty and the flavourings tasted natural.  One of the big pluses for this way of presenting olives is that there is no oil or brine in the packages and they are only 50 calories per pack.  Holland and Barret are currently selling packs of Oloves for 99p with two for £ 1.48.

 I also used one of the packs as part of my homemade pizza topping which worked well,  they stayed moist and added a great flavour to the pizza.

I was given a pack of this locally produced In House chocolate for my birthday.  I've tried the Green and Blacks Spice Chilli chocolate, but this little bar packs a much bigger punch.  It has real pieces of dried chilli in the dark chocolate and a small piece is quite sufficient to give you a real buzz of chocolate and leave your tongue tingling from the heat of the chilli.  I loved it!

In House chocolates gained 6 Gold Great Taste Awards and 2 Shortlistings in the Scottish Food Excellence Awards, renowned as the Food Oscars of the Scottish food industry.  All the chocolates are made by hand in Scotland and they run chocolate workshops and have an online chocolate club.

Labels: chocolate, cobnuts, fudge, olives, What's on Farmersgirl Kitchen Table?

posted by Janice @ 17:16 4 Comments

Tart with olives and capers - a greek treat from Kitchen Nomad

What will you cook today?
World cuisine delivered monthly, from Kitchen Nomad

I chose to cook Tonia's Tarta me elies, Kapari kai tomata  
or  Tart with olives and capers as a quick and easy supper dish which can be put together and baked after work.

From the box
16 Kalamata olives
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
4 tbsp of Kalamata olive oil

At Home
1 sheet of puff pastry (works with any kind of pastry)
4 large vine tomatoes
1 tsp of caster sugar
salt and pepper
fresh basil or rosemary to garnish

Prep  5 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Serves 4

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.  Place the dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and crimp along the edges to form a shallow rim.
2. Thinly slice the tomatoes then overlapthe slices alongthe length of the dough to make 3 rows (look at the picture). Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the tomatoes follwedby a little drizzle of olive oil.
3. Scatter on the olives which you cn either leave whole or roughtly chopped (as you prefer), and finally the capers.  Season to taste.
4. Bake for around 20-30 mintues or until the pastry edges are nicely browned, forming crisp handles.

5. Hold back from eating it straight away and leave to cool for a few minutes - the tomatoes will be blisteringly hot.. then garnish with torn fresh herbs before cutting in to slices.

I could probably have left the tart in for a little longer, but we were hungry!  It was really simple to make and tasted delicious.  There was enough left to take to work for lunch, so I can also recommend eating it cold as it was lovely and moist and tasty.  

Labels: capers, Greek, Kitchen Nomad, olives, tomatoes, Tonia Buxton

posted by Janice @ 18:53 4 Comments

Chicken, olives and lemon - Dish of the Month for April 2013

It would be a bad job if I couldn't come up with a dish for my own blog challenge!  However, it's not too much of a hardship to make one of Nigel Slater's recipes for Dish of the Month.  The April chapter of the Kitchen Diaries II is full of lovely recipes including quite a lot of prose from Nigel too.
He waxes lyrical about olives and states that it is rare to find an olive he does not like, only those tossed in garlic, stuffed with anchovy or red pepper or marinated with chilli get spat out!  Well, I have to say, my favourite olives are the ones stuffed with anchovies but I wouldn't put them in this dish.

This is a very simple dish to make, starting by making a paste of spices, salt, oil and garlic.  I realised as I started that I still didn't have any turmeric, so that got left out.

Nigel uses chicken thighs for this recipe (are you listening Dom?) but I find it more economical to buy a whole free range chicken and joint it myself, then cover it with the paste and leave to marinade.

After a couple of hours, or overnight if you are well organised, fry off the chicken in olive oil and add to the casserole with lemons and onions and water.

The dish is finished with a handful of olives and a bunch of torn coriander.  I served it with couscous to soak up the delicious juices.

If you would like to join us for Dish of the Month, here is what you need to do:

• Make a Dish of the Month from ANY recipe by Nigel Slater
• Link to Farmersgirl Kitchen or A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate
•  Use the Dish of the Month logo in your post
• If you use twitter, tweet your post with @serialcrafter or @Heavenona_plate and #DishoftheMonth and we will re-tweet it to our followers. 

Rules:

• If you own The kitchen diaries II please do not publish the recipes on your blog without permission, they are copyright.
• If you are using recipes from the BBC Food website, please link to the recipe on BBC Food rather than publishing the recipe.  Likewise recipes on the Guardian Lifestyle website.
• One entry per blog.
• Recipes must be added to the linky by the 28th of each month.

Labels: Chicken, Dish of the Month, lemons, Nigel Slater, olives

posted by Janice @ 21:45 5 Comments

St Clements Marinade for Olives from Spain

The world is divided into those who love olives and those who don't.  When I was a child, I couldn't understand why my Mum loved these strange green or black fruits, to me they didn't taste good at all.  However, as I reached my twenties somehow I too found a taste for olives.  I was totally converted by olives stuffed with anchovies which I first tasted in Spain.

Olive expert and chef, Omar Allibhoy has created some fantastic marinade recipes for 'Olives from Spain' just in time for the party season.  I've also been included in a group of bloggers who have been challenged to come up with our own festive marinade for Spanish Olives.  Last week, I received a bumper hamper full of lovely Spanish ingredients, olives, olive oil, Manchego cheese, chorizo and a selection of fruits and herbs.


I wanted to create a marinade full of festive colours and flavours so chose to use oranges and lemons, reminding me of the rhyme 'Oranges and Lemons say the bells of St Clements' hence the title for my marinade.

St Clements Marinade for Olives

 150g black olives in brine (drained and rinsed)
1 clementine
1/2 lemon
1 tsp pink peppercorns
10 cloves
1 tbsp honey
6 tbsp Spanish Olive Oil
3 tbsp dry white wine
1 sprig rosemary

1. Cut the clementine and the half lemon into small pieces.
2. Put Spanish Olive Oil, dry white wine and honey into a bowl and mix well.
3. Add the pink peppercorns, cloves, clementine, lemon pieces and rosemary.

 4. Add the Spanish olives.
 5. Leave to stand for at least an hour, but the flavour will be even better if you put them into a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
 I was delighted with the light fresh flavour of the olives and marinade.  I deliberately didn't use vinegar or lemon juice in the marinade because of the citrus fruit that was already included and this meant that he olives have a fresh but mild flavour.  The fruit pieces are also edible and have absorbed some of the oil and wine so are also delicious.  I loved the pretty colours, the contrasts of  the reddish pink peppercorns, green rosemary and orange and yellow fruits against the shiny black olives.

We enjoyed the olives with some Manchego cheese and Medjool dates with a glass of wine before dinner.

Why not visit the Olives from Spain website, the Facebook page 'Taste of Spain' for more information and recipes and follow Taste of Spain on Twitter for all the updates.

I received a hamper from Olives from Spain and have created a marinade recipe using some of the ingredients from the hamper and some ingredients from my own kitchen.

Labels: honey, lemons, olives, olives from Spain, oranges, pink peppercorns, Rosemary, Spain

posted by Janice @ 21:19 2 Comments

Sangria at La Tasca, Glasgow

I was so excited to receive an invitation from Becca to join a group of Scottish Food Bloggers to taste the new menu at La Tasca in Renfield Street in the centre of Glasgow, close to both Central and Queen Street Stations.  Special thanks to Jac of Tinned Tomatoes who passed my name on to Becca. 

We were greeted by Becca and Suzanne, the General Manager at La Tasca with the offer of drinks and nibbles.  I loved the Mixed Olives with red pepper, garlic, chilli and herbs, and the lightly salted Marcona almonds were a great contrast.  I had a delicious glass of Rioja and there were also a variety of Sangrias on offer, more of this later.



Once everyone had arrived we were treated to a demonstration of Jamon Serrano carving by Carlos, we then had a chance to try this out ourselves. Jamon is a 10-12 month-month matured serrano ham and should be cut very finely  which is not as easy as it looks! 

Labels: almonds, Cava, Glasgow, Jamon de Serrano, La Tasca, olives, restaurant review, Sangria, Tapas, Tinned Tomatoes

posted by Janice @ 22:17 6 Comments