Tartlets With Lemon Cream and Does Grilling Kill E. Coli

Chicken liver in spicy tomato sauce with smashed potatoes

Food Diary (June 29, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with honey melon, sunflower seeds and flax seeds

Lunch: Chicken liver in spicy tomato sauce with smashed potatoes

Dinner: Polenta and bean sprouts

Baking/sweets:

My mum cooked liver every now and then but she never cooked it in spicy tomato sauce. I find that spicy tomato sauce goes quite well with liver, both strong flavours keep good company of each other without any conflicts. If you are not a liver fan, which includes most of you, but you want to try eating it, increase the amount and spiciness of the tomato sauce. It will help to mute the strong liver taste and help you to transition towards becoming a liver fan!

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Cioccolato Gatto

Tartlets with lemon cream and fruit (Tartaletki na lato. Z kremem cytrynowym i owocami)

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Science daily

With summer well and truly here in the Northern Hemisphere, grills are firing up while E. Coli concerns linger in the back of our heads. Science Daily has an article titled “Does Grilling Kill E. Coli O157:H7?”

Tests were done using E. Coli and steak. The article explains in detail how the test was done but I won't bore you with the details. The conclusion is summarized in the following paragraph “Research findings confirmed that if a relatively low level of E. coli O157:H7 is distributed throughout a blade-tenderized top sirloin steak, proper cooking on a commercial gas grill is effective for eliminating the microbe”.

The above conclusion is not mine, I copied word by word. If you cook steak properly and some E. Coli survives, I accept no responsibility!

Gong Gong and 5 Best Snacks to Boost Your Mood

Pasta with zucchini sauce

Food Diary (June 28, 2011)

Breakfast: Oat sourdough toast

Lunch: Pasta with zucchini sauce

Dinner: Oat sourdough with lentils

Baking/sweets:

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Camemberu

Gong gong (snail-like shellfish)

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Care2

Todays favourite blog has an interesting list of “5 Best Snacks to Boost Your Mood”. Yesterday I wrote about the “Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk”. That may have been a little depressing and probably affected your mood after reading it. Eat either of the following 5 snacks to boost your mood!

1. Bananas: Bananas offer serious mood-lifting power, with their combination of vitamins B6, A, and C; fiber; tryptophan; potassium; phosphorous; iron; protein; and healthy carbohydrates. When you eat a banana, you’ll get a quick boost from the fructose as well as sustaining energy from the fiber, which helps prevent a blood sugar spike and ensuing drop in energy and mood.

2. Walnuts: Walnuts contain a handful of components that contribute to a good mood, including omega-3s, vitamin B6, tryptophan, protein, and folate. Higher blood levels of omega-3s have been linked with better mood and lower rates of depression.

3. Sunflower Seeds:  Sunflower seeds are a great source of folate and magnesium, two substances that play a significant role in regulating and boosting mood. Just a handful of sunflower seeds delivers half the daily recommended amount for magnesium. Magnesium deficiency is often responsible for feelings of fatigue, nervousness, and anxiety (since it triggers an increase in adrenaline), and it’s been linked to various mood disorders. Folate deficiency may result in feelings of irritability, depression, and brain fog, as well as insomnia. 

4. Dark Chocolate: Chocolate contains a number of substances that elevate mood, including fat, sugar, caffeine, phenylethylamine, flavonols, theobromine, and tryptophan. In addition to these natural pick-me-ups, when you eat chocolate, a number of reactions occur, including the release of serotonin in the brain and mood-elevating endorphins in the body. This heady combination can result in a temporarily lifted mood and even a fleeting feeling of euphoria, which may explain why some people turn to chocolate when they’re feeling blue. Finally, cocoa is a natural source of antioxidant flavonoids, which increase blood flow (and thus oxygenation) in the brain, and which may contribute to better brain function.

5. Eggs: Full of high-quality protein and omega-3s (from hens eating a diet rich in omega-3s), eggs are also an excellent source of vitamin B12 (riboflavin) and a good source of vitamins B2, B5, and D. And one boiled egg contains more than 20 percent of the daily recommended amount of tryptophan. A balanced diet that includes high-quality lean protein, like you find in eggs, and healthy carbs also helps stabilize blood sugar and prevent emotional highs and lows. And the Vitamin B12 in eggs plays a significant role in the production of energy and helps alleviate memory problems and symptoms of depression.

Oat Sourdough and Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk

Mexican style potatoes, bacon and beans

Food Diary (June 27, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with strawberries, coconut and sunflower seeds

Lunch: Mexican style potatoes, bacon and beans

Dinner: Oat sourdough with pickled herring and onions

Baking/sweets:

The Mexican style potatoes, bacon and beans was prepared simply with spicy tomato sauce. Simple and delicious.

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Sparklette

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Care2

Todays favourite blog has an enlightening article titled “Top 10 Foods That Increase Cancer Risk”. There are so many foods which are considered bad and if we had to follow all the recommendations on what to eat and what to avoid our life would be pretty dull. Anyway it is good to keep such information at the back of our head and where practical to try to follow it. The 10 foods are:

1. All charred food, which create heterocyclic aromatic amines, known carcinogens. Even dark toast is suspect.

2. Well-done red meat. Medium or rare is better, little or no red meat is best.

3. Sugar, both white and brown–which is simply white sugar with molasses added.

4. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, which lead to higher rates of stomach cancer.

5. Sodas/soft drinks, which pose health risks, both for what they contain–sugar and various additives–and for what they replace in the diet–beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

6. French fries, chips and snack foods that contain trans fats.

7. Food and drink additives such as aspartame.

8. Excess alcohol.

9. Baked goods, for the acrylamide.

10. Farmed fish, which contains higher levels of toxins such as PCBs.

I was surprised to see dark toast sneaking in. 

Baked goods seem a bit broad and unfortunately there is no explanation given. I wonder if baked fish would be considered acceptable, it should be in my opinion but we never know what the scientists are thinking.

Lemon Granita and 15 Things Your Walk Reveals About Your Health

Egg fried rice

Food Diary (June 26, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with honey melon

Lunch: Egg fried rice

Dinner: Oat sourdough with sautéed bean sprouts, pickled herring

Baking/sweets: Lemon polenta cookies, lemon granita

The lemon polenta cookies were lemony and crunchy. Polenta adds nice flavor and texture. Unfortunately I don’t have a recipe since I did not measure anything. You can find polenta cookie recipes on my recipe site and simply add lemon juice and rind. 

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: masak-masak

Chocolate bar

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Care2

Todays favourite blog is not food related but very interesting. The article is titled “15 Things Your Walk Reveals About Your Health”.

Walking clue #1: A snail’s pace

May reveal: Shorter life expectancy

Walking clue #2: Not too much arm swing

May reveal: Lower back trouble

Walking clue #3: One foot slaps the ground

May reveal: Ruptured disk in back, possible stroke

Walking clue #4: A confident stride (in a woman)

May reveal: Sexual satisfaction

Walking clue #5: A short stride

May reveal: Knee or hip degeneration

Walking clue #6: Dropping the pelvis or shoulder to one side

May reveal: A back problem

Walking clue #7: Bowlegged stride

May reveal: Osteoarthritis

Walking clue #8: Knock-kneed appearance

May reveal: Rheumatoid arthritis

Walking clue #9: A shortened stride on turns and when maneuvering around things

May reveal: Poor physical condition

Walking clue #10: A flat step without much lift

May reveal: Flat feet, bunions, neuromas

Walking clue #11: Shuffling

May reveal: Parkinson’s disease

Walking clue #12: Walking on tiptoes, both feet

May reveal: Cerebral palsy or spinal cord trauma

Walking clue #13: Walking on tiptoes, one foot

May reveal: Stroke

Walking clue #14: A bouncing gait

May reveal: Unusually tight calf muscles

Walking clue #15: One higher arch and/or a pelvis that dips slightly

May reveal: One leg is shorter than the other

Lemon Polenta Cookies, Crabmeat Summer Rolls and Bottled water

Gnocchi with creamed spinach

Food Diary (June 25, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with strawberries and flax seeds

Lunch: Gnocchi with creamed spinach

Dinner: Oat sourdough with lentil tomato spread, peas and potatoes

Baking/sweets: Lemon polenta cookies, lemon coconut cookies

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Camemberu

Lump Crabmeat Summer Rolls

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Huffington Post

Huffington Post has an interesting article discussing the very sensitive issue of bottled water. The article discusses whether bottled water from municipal sources is the same as tap water, as well as the recycling issue.

I want to share a perspective that is not mentioned in the article, and which I rarely see mentioned anywhere. What would happen if bottled water was banned completely? I personally don’t buy bottled water when I am in my home country because the tap is usually nearby. When I am travelling I buy bottled water either if the water quality is questionable or where a tap is not easily accessible, especially if you are out on the streets. If bottled water was not available, the alternatives would be soft drinks, fruit drinks, milk or alcohol! Some alternatives are better than others but bottled water is probably one of the best. All the alternatives have a carbon footprint but bottled water is more environmentally friendly than some of the alternatives. 

There are people who buy bottled water to drink at home. If the supermarkets stopped selling water, some of these consumers would drink tap water which is good while others will buy soft drinks and other alternatives, which is probably not good. 

Good quality bottled water cannot be replaced when it accompanies fine food or drinks. The quality of the water affects our taste buds, and this affects the taste of the food we eat and the wine we drink. This is obviously less relevant if you are having hot dogs and the cheapest wine.

For a brief period I was involved in a business that imported and distributed a premium water brand. We didn’t sell water, we sold a brand, an experience! My opinion is obviously slightly biased, even though I no longer have any involvement with bottled water.

Surströmming, Nagomi Lunch Bento and Diabetes Reversed

Pickled herring and pasta salad

Food Diary (June 24, 2011)

Breakfast: Boiled egg with oat sourdough toast

Lunch: Pickled herring and pasta salad

Dinner: Curried peas and potatoes with oat sourdough toast

Baking/sweets: Vanilla custard gelato

I love the taste and texture of pickled herring. And as an added bonus it is nutritious. Pickled herrings are sold in cans or jars and it is perfect as an addition to salads, sandwiches or even on its own with potatoes.  No cooking is required.

Before moving to Scandinavia I don’t think I ever heard of nor tried pickled herring. And maybe it would not have sounded particularly appealing. But after you try it once, or perhaps a few times, you start to appreciate it. Pickled herring has a rotten cousin called surströmming, rotten literally. Herring is fermented in barrels for months, then canned. The cans bulge from pressure and when you open a can, the ‘aroma’ is pretty special to put it politely. According to Wikipedia, a Japanese study has shown that the smell of a newly opened can of surströmming is the most putrid smell of food in the world. I bet you are curious now and perhaps starting to salivate!

If you ever see a can of surströmming, give it a try and have a video camera handy to capture the moment. The experience will be remembered forever. And don’t forget to open the can outdoors, preferably far away from inhabitants!

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Everyday Food I Love

Nagomi Lunch Bento

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: BBC

The majority of the items on Foodbuzz’s daily top 9 are sweet dishes. Most of the recipes on my recipe site are sweet dishes. Sweet dishes are great but I suppose in the back of our head we occasionally think about the downsides – calories, diabetes and so on. The good news, according to a recent study, is that type 2 diabetes in people newly diagnosed 'can be reversed'.

Newcastle University researchers found an extreme low-calorie diet of 600 calories a day diet reduced fat levels in the pancreas and liver, which helped insulin production return to normal. Eleven participants who were all diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the previous four years cut their food intake drastically for two months, consuming only liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables. Seven out of 11 people studied were free of diabetes three months later. More research is needed to see whether the reversal is permanent, say experts.

Food blogger fined and jailed for bad review

Food Diary (June 23, 2011)

Breakfast: Yogurt oat bread toast

Lunch: Potato and bean soup

Dinner: Ramen noodles, rolled oats with strawberries, custard and sunflower seeds

Baking/sweets:

I had boring sounding meals today. Personally I liked it but I am guessing it looks dull and boring to most people. Lots of oats, fibre it good!

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: Citrus and Candy

Chocolate Cake

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Taipei Times

A Taiwanese food blogger has been jailed for 30 days, given 2 years probation and fined about US$6,900 for writing a critical restaurant review. 

Liu, the blogger, found the dried noodles and side dishes at Taichung beef noodle restaurant to be too salty, the restaurant unsanitary because of cockroaches and the owner to be a “bully”. Little did she know that the meal could be one of her most expensive and memorable meals. And the meals she would be having for 30 days would be the cheapest but most memorable.

The unhappy restaurant owner successfully sued her for defamation. The District Court ruled that “Liu’s criticism of the restaurant exceeded reasonable bounds and sentenced her to 30 days in detention”. Liu appealed. The High Court ruled that “Liu should not have criticized all the restaurant’s food as too salty because she only had one dish on her single visit.” With respect to unsanitary conditions, the health officials did not find conditions to be as unsanitary as Liu had described. As a result the High Court ruled that Liu must pay about US$6,900 as compensation to the owner for lost revenues.

The courts did raise an interesting issue that the blogger only had one dish. Maybe dishes served to other customers were fine. Or perhaps the blogger had a sweet drink just before the meal which may have affected her taste buds. It is common sense that when bloggers express opinions it is their own opinion based on dishes they tried. However I have never seen bloggers write a disclaimer, stating the obvious that their opinion is based on the meal they had and may not be representative of meals generally served at the restaurant. I wonder whether the courts would accept such a disclaimer. 

I also wonder whether courts in other countries will take a view similar to the Taiwanese courts. I am not aware of bloggers in other countries being sued. Lots of unanswered questions. I have a legal background but unfortunately not in this area so I cannot say anything particularly useful! And fortunately I don't do restaurant reviews, and fortunately I only leave positive comments on other bloggers sites!

Thai char siew, amaretti cookies and do we need cookbooks?

Thai char siew with rice

Food Diary (June 22, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with strawberries

Lunch: Thai char siew with rice

Dinner: Leftover sautéed thai char siew with rice and potatoes, rolled oats

Baking/sweets:

The thai char siew was born out of necessity, namely lack of ingredients. Without intending to cause any offence to die hard char siew fans or Chinese food patriots, the thai char siew was great, it had the usual char siewy goodness but with a kick.

I used red curry paste, hoisin sauce and oyster sauce to make the marinate. The oyster sauce had 46% soy sauce so soy sauce joined the party as an uninvited but welcome guest. Chinese 5-spice was omitted from the party since I felt that together with red curry it could have been a bit too much.

Given a choice I would prefer a regular char siew. Thai  char siew was delicious but its not the original stuff. For char siew with a kick I would add chilli powder since red curry reminds me of red curry. Maybe if I have this a few more times my brains will get used to an inter-Asian fusion.

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: La Mia Vita Dolce

Amaretti Cookies

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: BBC

BBC food blog raises the very interesting issue of “What do we want from our cookbooks?” Personally I don’t own any cook books simply because recipes are available for free on the internet. Cook books continue to sell well, but why? The blog states “But there’s a distinct pressure to write those sorts of books, simply because they sell so well. One agent told me, “forget recipes…no-one’s interested. They can Google for that. What readers want from a cookbook is lifestyle, an enviable homely lifestyle that they might in their dreams aspire to one day”.

I am guessing another reason is convenience. Some people prefer to read on paper rather than on the screen, to give their eyes a rest. Valid reason. I know lot of people print emails and articles even though they own laptops.

Recipes are available for free on the internet, however the internet seems to be driving demand for cookbooks instead of reducing it. Lot of food bloggers are writing cookbooks and food bloggers exist because of the internet.

Cheesecake and Densuke watermelon

Mexican style rice and lentils with tomato salad

Food Diary (June 21, 2011)

Breakfast: Rolled oats with raisins, coconut, sunflower seeds and flax seeds

Lunch: Mexican style rice and lentils with tomato salad

Dinner: Oat sourdough toast with cheese

Baking/sweets:

  

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: In Good Taste

Glenn’s Cheesecake

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: Wall Street Journal

On my way to a business meeting today I walked past a supermarket that had watermelons on special – US$0.90/€0.65 for a kilogram. I didn’t buy it as I thought it may look a bit unusual if I walked into the meeting with a big watermelon, especially since it was my first meeting with the person/organization, and the meeting was totally unrelated to fruits or food or anything edible.

Anyway, afterwards I read this post on Wall Street Journal about recession affecting the price of watermelons in Japan. The price of the Densuke variety fell sharply and sold for only 300,000 yen, about $3,740 on wholesale this year. Bargain hunters dream come true. In 2007 the price was $8,100. This year Isetan purchased the lot and they will retail at a nominal 5% markup.

Densuke is no ordinary watermelon. It is grown exclusively in Hokkaido, there are only about 100 of the stripeless watermelons available on the first day it goes on sale each year. The watermelon is crispy and extra sweet. I would imagine they are crispier and sweeter than the US$0.90/€0.65 watermelon I saw today.