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Northern Comfort
These hearty concoctions are ideal for late-winter suppers and just made to be served with crusty bread and your favourite green salad
Recipes created for canadian health by Steve Pitt
Nutritional analysis by Susie Langley, RD
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1. Heat a large saucepan on medium heat and coat with oil. Add fennel, onion, leek and salt and pepper, cooking 5 minutes. Add stock and wine. (If not using wine, add 1 extra cup stock or water.) Add tomatoes, saffron, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne. Bring heat to just below boiling, then reduce to medium-low and simmer broth 30 minutes.
2. Bring heat to just below boiling. Add clams and mussels. Cook 3 minutes.
3. Add lobster tail and shrimp. Cook 2 minutes more or until shells turn bright pink.
4. Add fish cubes; cook 2 minutes.
5. Stir in milk and cook 2 more minutes.
6. Ladle into large soup bowls and serve garnished with chives.
Makes 8 servings
[Per serving 400 calories, 8 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 165 mg cholesterol, 5 g fibre, 43 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 930 mg sodium; good source of vitamin A; excellent source of vitamin C and iron; good ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids]
Fragrant fennel
A cousin to parsley and carrots, fennel (including the bulb, leaves and seeds) is a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. Fennel’s licorice flavour comes from anethole, an aromatic antioxidant also found in anise. The white or pale green fennel bulb is slightly sweet with a celery-like texture. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of fibre, folate and potassium. Its strong antioxidant activity (anti-oxidants protect cells from damage by rogue oxygen molecules) also comes from the flavonoids rutin and hesperidin. Fennel has traditionally been used as a diuretic, a carminative to reduce flatulence and a stimulant to increase milk in nursing mothers. —Susie Langley, RD
Clamming up If a clam or mussel does not close its shell when disturbed before cooking, discard it immediately, and discard any clam or mussel that does not open its shell after it is cooked. Make sure you follow this order when adding seafood to broth: clams, mussels, lobster or prawns, shrimp, fish fillet. Devein shrimp or prawns but leave shells on for flavour and panache. Nice touches: a big central collection plate for shells and individual finger bowls with warm water and a lemon slice. —Steve Pitt |
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Swingin’ Shepherd’s Pie with Lamb
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1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, slowly dry-fry minced lamb in its own fat over medium heat until meat is light brown. Drain fat from lamb in a sieve over a bowl, returning 1 tbsp (15 mL) lamb fat to pan.
2. Turn heat to medium high and add onion, carrot and celery.
3. When onion is translucent, return lamb to pan and thoroughly mix with carrot, celery and onion. Turn heat down to medium.
4. Add pinch salt and pepper. Add flour and stir until vegetables and meat are evenly coated.
5. Add stout and stock. (If not using stout, use 2 cups stock.) Add allspice, thyme, sage and bay leaves and slowly bring mix to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, whip salt, pepper, margarine and hot milk into mashed potatoes to make a fluffy mixture.
7. Remove bay leaves and pour lamb mixture into large ovenproof dish or individual ramekins. Top with an even layer of mashed potatoes and score surface with tines of a fork. Sprinkle cheese evenly over potatoes.
TIP: To save about 50 calories per serving, omit cheese topping.
8. With broiler set at high, broil on middle rack of oven 5 minutes or until surface turns light brown. With broiler off, leave in oven 10 minutes to warm through, then serve with a green salad and dressing.
Makes 6 servings
[Per serving 330 calories, 10 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 4 g fibre, 23 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 590 mg sodium; good source of vitamin A and potassium]
Be Authentic
In Canada, people make shepherd’s pie with ground beef. This should really be called rustler’s pie, for how would a shepherd get beef except by raiding a neighbour’s cattle herd? The authentic Irish version—great for a St. Patrick’s Day supper—is made with flavourful minced lamb. Since this can sometimes be hard to find, buy a lean lamb leg and ask your butcher to cut off the meat and grind it. Save the bone to make a good lamb stock. —S.P.
Good val per cal
Embraced as comfort food but maligned for being fattening, the nutrient-dense potato gets an unfair rap. Australian researchers report that potatoes rank highest on the Satiety Index, suggesting they may actually keep our appetites satisfied longer and so be good for weight control! A small potato in its skin is fat-free and low in sodium and delivers good value for its 100 calories: 3 g each of protein and fibre, nearly half the RDA for vitamin C and 750 mg of potassium. These tubers also contain antioxidant nutrients—especially those from a protein called patatin—as well as blood pressure–lowering compounds called kukoamines. —S.L.
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1. Brown sausages in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. Return to pan and brown open ends.
2. In a large bowl, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and coat lightly in dried thyme, sage and rosemary. Add chicken and sausages and cook on medium heat until all sides are golden brown.
3. Remove meat, pat with paper towels and refrigerate.
4. Add carrot, onion and celery to pan and sprinkle with pinch of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes on medium-low heat until onion turns translucent.
5. Add broth and gently scrape up browned residue from bottom of pan. Add beans and bouquet garni to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally to keep beans from sticking.
Time Saver: Use two 19-oz (540 mL) cans white beans, well rinsed and drained, and reduce broth by 1 cup. Simmer 15 minutes.
6. When beans are tender, add chicken and sausages and simmer 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove bouquet garni or loose bay leaves and stir in tomato and garlic.
Makes 8 servings
[Per serving 350 calories, 5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 15 g fibre, 31 g protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 810 mg sodium; good source of vitamin A and iron; excellent source of soluble fibre]
Benign beans
White navy beans got their name from their role as a staple in the U.S. navy diet of the early 20th century. Virtually fat-free and a good source of inexpensive protein when eaten with whole-grain foods, they are also a rich source of folate and iron. These legumes are high in soluble fibre, which helps lower blood cholesterol. And since these starchy foods rank low on the Glycemic Index—a scale that rates carbohydrates by how fast they break down to glucose—they help stabilize blood sugar by providing a slow-releasing source of energy. This can be beneficial for those at risk for insulin resistance, diabetes and heart disease. —S.L.
Corner-cutting casserole
Traditional French cassoulet is one of the world’s great dishes but it uses high-calorie duck confit and takes two days to prepare. This version uses lower-calorie chicken and is ready in just a few hours. Because the major ingredient in the casserole is beans, for meat you could get by in a pinch with leftovers from your fridge—a few cooked sausages and some cold roast chicken or turkey will do it. —S.P.
