The best baked pumpkin

Stuffed with nutty, fruity rice

“Oven-baked pumpkin is beautiful with spices, like in this really impressive veggie dish ”

Serves 4

Cooks In1H 30M

Difficulty Not too tricky

Vegetables, Halloween/Bonfire Night, Gluten-free, Vegetarian

Nutrition per serving

Calories 587 29%

Fat 48.3g 69%

Saturates 7.4g 37%

Protein 5.9g 13%

Carbs 32.3g 12%

Sugars 17.9g 20%

Salt 0.93g 16%

Fibre 4.9g

Of an adult's reference intake

Ingredients

1 pumpkin, about 1kg

2 cloves garlic, peeled

olive oil

1 red onion , peeled and finely chopped

1 small handful black olives, stoned and chopped

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped

1 dried chilli

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

50 g basmati rice , washed and drained

75 g dried cranberries

50 g shelled pistachio nuts

1 tangerine , zest of

200 ml organic vegetable stock

Method

Pumpkins are so versatile, the things you can do with them are endless! Their flavour goes well with chilli, nutmeg and sage. If you’ve never cooked one before, you’re in for a real treat.

Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/gas 8. Cut the lid off the pumpkin and reserve it. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and keep them to one side. Make the hollow where the seeds were a little bigger by scooping out some more pumpkin flesh. Finely chop this pumpkin flesh and one of the garlic cloves. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Pour in a splash of olive oil, then add the chopped pumpkin, chopped garlic, onion, olives, and half the rosemary. Cook gently for 10 minutes or so until the pumpkin has softened.

Meanwhile, place the whole garlic clove and the remaining rosemary in a pestle and mortar. Crumble in the dried chilli, add a good pinch of salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon and bash until you have a paste. Add a little olive oil to loosen up the mixture and then rub the inside of the pumpkin with it.

Season the cooked pumpkin mixture and stir in the rice, cranberries, pistachios and tangerine zest with a pinch each of nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly then add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes (no longer or the rice will end up overcooked later).

Tear off a sheet of tin foil that’s large enough to wrap the pumpkin in a double layer and lay on top of a baking tray. Place the pumpkin on top and spoon the rice mixture into it, then place its lid back on. Rub the skin with a little olive oil, wrap it up in the foil and bake in the oven for about an hour. The pumpkin is ready when you can easily push a knife into it. Bring it to the table and open it up in front of everyone. Cut it into thick wedges and tuck in, leaving the skin. Serve with seasonal greens.

Fonte e imagem: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/the-best-baked-pumpkin/#1Reu495qWqfjEQjf.99

Lincolnshire Poacher pie

Filled with cheesy minted courgettes

“This amazing vegetarian pie with rich, crumbly pastry and served with sweet salt-baked shallots is on a whole other level. ”

Serves 12

Cooks In 2H 15M plus cooling time

Difficulty Super easy

Vegetables, Dinner Party, Easter treats, Mother's day

Nutrition per serving

Calories 462 23%

Fat 29.2g 42%

Saturates 16.8g 84%

Protein 13.6g 30%

Carbs 33.4g 13%

Sugars 4.5g 5%

Of an adult's reference intake

Ingredients

300 g Lincolnshire Poacher cheese

a small bunch of  fresh mint, leaves picked

250 g rock salt

24 shallots

a few sprigs of  fresh thyme

For the pastry:

500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

250 g cold unsalted butter, cubed

sea salt

white pepper

1 large free-range egg, beaten

For the filling:

olive oil

a bunch of fresh thyme

1 whole nutmeg , for grating

1 lemon

1.5 kg courgettes, a mixture of yellow and green if you can get them, finely sliced

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Method

You won’t believe how tasty the courgettes get with this method of cooking – it really does take them to another level. You’ve got to find some Lincolnshire Poacher, it’s an amazing cheese made by the very talented Jones brothers, Simon and Tim (see www.lincolnshirepoachercheese.com). The pastry is rich and amazing, so embrace the fact that it’s really crumbly and will definitely break as you’re making it. I’m serving this with a lemony salad and sweet salt-baked shallots, which will get caramelized and gorgeous and pick up the seasoning from the bed of salt. This method is also a great one for beetroots, so if you like this, try that.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Blitz the flour and butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt and a few good pinches of pepper until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Tip on to a work surface, make a well in the centre and add 100ml of cold water. Gently mix until it starts to come together, then – most importantly for a short, crumbly pastry – have the confidence to only just press, pat and almost hug it together to form a rough scruffy ball. Please don’t be tempted to knead the dough or it won’t be short and crumbly. Pop it into a floured bowl, cover with clingfilm and put into the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

Put a drizzle of olive oil into a large pan on a medium heat and pick in the leaves from half the bunch of thyme. Add a few gratings of nutmeg, the zest of half the lemon, the sliced courgettes and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently (the courgettes will cook down and become easier to handle), stirring occasionally, for around 25 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low and cook for another 20 minutes, so the courgette mixture becomes dense and the flavours really intensify and sweeten. Allow to cool a little, finely chop and crumble in the cheese, then chop and add the mint leaves. Set aside.

Halve the pastry and roll each half into a circle just under 1cm thick and slightly larger than the pie dish you’ve chosen (roughly 23cm diameter x 4cm deep). Don’t worry if the pastry breaks up – that’s normal. Just patch it. Roll one of the circles around the rolling pin and carefully unroll it over the pie dish. Gently press the pastry into the corners and sides of the dish, then spoon and spread all your courgette mixture into the dish. Carefully unroll the pastry lid over the top, then flour your thumb and forefinger and gently pinch and crimp the edges together. Trim off any excess pastry and brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg.

Now simply throw the rock salt into a roasting tray with the shallots, still with their skins on, and a few thyme tips. Put the pie right at the bottom of the oven, with the tray of shallots above. Cook for 1 hour, or until the pie is golden, then allow to cool and serve with those soft roasted shallots.

PS: All the leftover salt from baking the shallots can be bashed up and reused.

Fonte e imagem: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/lincolnshire-poacher-pie/#YWyu7fTmCDrAhVZJ.99

Old-fashioned sweet shortcrust pastry

Fotografia: David Loftus

"This pastry is perfect for making apple and other sweet pies. Even if you've never made pastry before, as long as you stick to the correct measurements for the ingredients and you follow the method exactly, you'll be laughing. The one place where you can experiment is with flavouring. If you don't fancy using lemon zest, try another dry ingredient like orange zest instead. Or a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cocoa powder. Vanilla seeds are great too. Just remember to be subtle and don't go overboard with any of these flavours! Try to be confident and bring the pastry together as quickly as you can – don't knead it too much or the heat from your hands will melt the butter. A good tip is to hold your hands under cold running water beforehand to make them as cold as possible. That way you'll end up with a delicate, flaky pastry every time.

Nutritional Information - Amount per serving:

• Calories 515kcal
• Carbs 56.9g
• Sugar 13.6g
• Fat 27.9g
• Saturates 16.8g
• Protein 8.3g

Ingredients

• 500 g organic plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100 g icing sugar, sifted
• 250 g good-quality butter, cut into small cubes
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 1 splash milk

Method

Sieve the flour from a height on to a clean work surface and sieve the icing sugar over the top. Using your hands, work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar by rubbing your thumbs against your fingers until you end up with a fine, crumbly mixture. This is the point where you can spike the mixture with interesting flavours, so mix in your lemon zest.

Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and gently work it together till you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly. Don't work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in clingfilm and put it into the fridge to rest for at least half an hour".

Fonte e imagem: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/eggs-recipes/old-fashioned-sweet-shortcrust-pastry?prev=1

Gratinado de Batatas e Queijo

Fonte e imagem: http://www.cienciahoje.pt/index.php?oid=54966&op=all

Surprising Healing Benefits of Spices

By Brynn Mannino, Woman’s Day
Tue, Jun 01, 2010

"Chances are you sprinkle cinnamon into your morning oatmeal or add a dash of oregano to pizza without giving the spices much thought. But did you know your favorite flavors can actually do your body good? According to Christina Suarez, master herbalist and owner of TheGoodHerbCo.com, while spices are only effective when eaten at least daily, each has its own specific health benefits. Read on to find out which additives can burn fat, ease a sore throat or help you get to sleep, and how you can incorporate them into your daily diet.

Cardamom
Fruit of the Elettaria cardamomum plant in the ginger family.
Health Powers: Eases belching, flatulence and indigestion; treats respiratory conditions like coughing, asthma and loss of voice; aids in the elimination of toxins through your skin.
Daily Dose: Stir a few freshly ground pinches of cardamom pods into a shot of OJ or your morning fruit salad, or mix it with white or brown rice before you boil it.
Photo by Shutterstock.



Cayenne
Fruit of the Capsicum annuum plant in the Solanaceae family, along with chile pepper.
Health Powers: Eliminates gas from the stomach and intestines; soothes sore throat, cold and flu symptoms; increases metabolism for weight control.
Daily Dose: Stir into a cup of hot chocolate or any sweet juice drink for a contrasting flavor kick.
Photo by Shutterstock.


Cinnamon
Bark of a small evergreen tree.
Health Powers: Tames nausea and stomach ulcers; functions as a mild anti-inflammatory; increases insulin sensitivity to help focus fat burn.
Daily Dose: Stir into coffee/tea, yogurt, oatmeal or any boxed cereal.
Photo by Shutterstock.

Cloves
Flower bud found at the base of an evergreen tree.
Health Powers: Soothes digestive tract muscles and is a potent antihistamine.
Daily Dose: Mix into your nightly ice cream treat or sneak into mustard spread.
Photo by Shutterstock.


Nutmeg
Fruit of Myristica fragrans,an evergreen tree.
Health Powers: Improves digestion; eases the symptoms of menstruation; induces calm and sleep.
Daily Dose: Grate a small amount into applesauce or plain yogurt. (Note: It’s safe to grate the entire nut, which you can usually buy whole at the supermarket, but you never want to consume more than one nutmeg per day because too much of this potent spice can cause stomach pain, double vision and other uncomfortable reactions.)
Photo by Shutterstock.

Celery Seed
Seed of the Apium graveolens plant in the parsley family.
Health Powers: Flushes the liver of toxins; lowers blood pressure; combats water retention.
Daily Dose: Think salads—tuna, potato and egg all work—which can be tossed onto a bed of lettuce, eaten alone or spread onto bread.
Photo by iStockphoto.

Coriander
Also known as cilantro; the leaves and seeds of the Coriandrum plant in the aromatic Apiaceae family.
Health Powers: Acts as a diuretic; eases seasonal allergies.
Daily Dose: Cook into couscous and quinoa, which you can store and eat with leftovers.
Photo by Shutterstock.




Fennel
Seed of the Foeniculum plant in the aromatic Apiaceae family.
Health Powers: Calms bowel distress; supports milk production in nursing mothers; combats water retention.
Daily Dose: Add to canned minestrones and vegetable soups.
Photo by iStockphoto
 

Oregano
Leaf of the Origanum plant in the mint family.
Health Powers: Loosens mucus; helps treat respiratory illnesses; and calms indigestion.
Daily Dose: Use in any tomato-based foods, like marinara sauces, pizza and soups.
Photo by Shutterstock.


Thyme
Leaf of the Thymus plant in the mint family.
Health Powers: Relaxes the muscle tissue of the gastrointestinal tract; stimulates immune system.
Daily Dose: Toss into any meat-based dishes.
Photo by Shutterstock.


Turmeric
Root of the Circuma plant in the ginger family.
Health Powers: Reduces inflammation (joints, airways); detoxifies the liver.
Daily Dose: Mix in with oil-and-vinegar-based salad dressings.
Photo by Shutterstock."





Fonte:
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/surprising-healing-benefits-spices