News that a diet rich in fruits, veggies and fish and drizzled in olive oil is good for your heart sent health-seekers storming grocery stores for the Mediterranean-style ingredients.
But what to make?
“Cook Yourself Sexy” author and chef Candice Kumai compiled recipes to showcase how delicious — and healthy — embracing the Mediterranean diet can be.
“It’s not just a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” Kumai told the Daily News.
“The olive oils and the fish and the nuts, they all run parallel to what Hippocrates said: ‘Let our food be our medicine, and our medicine be our food.'”
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Kumai stresses eating the Mediterranean way makes people live longer, noting that “blue zones” — demographic areas where people live longer — fall in parts of the world where Mediterranean-style eating is the norm, like Greece and Italy.
“These countries have high consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil and legumes,” she said. “And they have wine, but they moderate their wine consumption. They have meat, but they moderate their meat consumption.”
It’s the diet’s focus on “real foods” that’s so important, Kumai said. That, and not being scared to indulge in good fats, like avocados and oils.
“The fear of fat is so 1980s,” Kumai said. ” That’s not what’s making you fat. It’s the overconsumption of grains, heavy meats, the wrong type of fats, refined sugar and processed foods.”
Below, check out four of Kumai’s Mediterranean-style recipes from her latest book, “Cook Yourself Sexy.”
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Lox, Caper and Rocket salad
Makes 4 servings
Caper-lemon dressing:
1/4 cup caper brine (from the caper jar)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon honey or agave nectar (optional)
Salad:
4 cups wild arugula
1/3 cup capers
1 cup cannellini beans
1/4 cup chevre (goat cheese), crumbled
12 thin slices lox (wild smoked salmon)
To make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together the caper brine, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Add a touch of honey or agave, if desired.
To make the salad:
In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, capers, and cannellini beans. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Top the salad with the chevre and lox.
Roasted Tomatoes with Barley
Makes 4 servings
Roasted tomatoes:
2 cups cherry tomatoes on the vine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups barley
3 1/2–3 3/4 cups water
2 cups mizuna greens or arugula
1 cup thinly shaved fennel
2 tablespoons chevre (goat cheese)
Dijon vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
To make the roasted tomatoes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the tomatoes on the vine in a 13-inch x 9-inch roasting pan. Coat with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and roast for 45 minutes.
2. While the tomatoes are in the oven, begin to cook the barley. Put the water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook the barley until it is fully cooked and slightly firm to the tooth.
To make the dijon vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
To serve:
In a large salad bowl, combine the cooked barley, greens, and fennel. Toss gently with half of the vinaigrette. Place in a large serving bowl. Serve the salad topped with the roasted tomatoes on the vine and crumbled chevre. Serve with additional vinaigrette as needed.
Clams in White Wine sauce over Linguine
Makes 2 servings
2 dozen hard-shelled small clams or cockles
4 tablespoons butter
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 thyme sprigs
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley + additional to garnish (optional)
1 teaspoon julienned fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/2 pound linguine (substitute with a rice pasta as a gluten free option)
1/2 cup arugula
chili flakes (optional)
Tabasco sauce (optional)
1. Clean and scrub the clams, discarding any open ones. In a large stockpot, heat the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and thyme sprigs and sauté just until fragrant.
2. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the clams. Cover the pot and steam the clams until they open, about 5 to 8 minutes. Occasionally shake the pan to help them cook. Discard the stubborn (aka unopened) ones.
3. Turn down the heat to medium-low and remove the lid. Pour the wine over the clams and cook for 1 minute, until the flavors combine. Using a slotted spoon, remove the clams to a side dish and cover them to keep warm.
4. Cook the liquid until the wine reduces by one-third. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and basil. Add the sea salt.
5. Meanwhile, cook the linguine as directed on the box in a large stockpot or pasta pot of boiling salted water. When the pasta is al dente, strain it and rinse it with cold water. Toss the pasta gently in the sauce.
6. Using tongs, divide the pasta between 2 individual dinner plates. Arrange the clams around each plate. Top with arugula to finish. Serve with a little additional fresh parsley, chili flakes, or even Tabasco, if desired.
Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti
Makes 2 dozen
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
11/2 cups raw pistachios
2 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries, halved (if using frozen, do not thaw, discard liquid and toss in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs. Combine the flour, sea salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into the egg mixture. Using a spatula, gently mix in the pistachios and cherries.
3. Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Divide the dough in half and shape it into two 10-inch x 2-inch logs on a baking sheet lined with foil. If your dough is sticky, lightly flour your hands again.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or just until the logs are light brown and slightly firm on top. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F. Remove the logs from the baking sheet, and, using a serrated knife, cut the logs on a diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Lay them on their sides on the same baking sheet. Bake approximately 30 to 35 more minutes, or until dry and firm to the touch. Cool and serve with some hazelnut coffee or a spot of English Breakfast tea.
