As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm embarking on a trawl of recipes economical and gastronomical, submitting them to an extra test of whether they're actually decent for you.
Next up: Allegra and Paul's macaroni cheese with artichokes and bacon. Right away, I was suspicious - macaroni and cheese is widely known as being one of the most wonderfully comforting dishes in the world yet one that's remarkably bad for you. And to add bacon to it just seemed a little over the top. (But to be fair, they did say it was optional.)
Furthermore, adding artichokes - instead of say, broccoli - seemed to be an expensive and more calorific choice as well.
So I dutifully added up the calories: without bacon, you're looking at 800 calories per portion. Add bacon back in, and you're looking at closer to 875-900. And there's are nearly no vegetables to be found in that meal, which doesn't please me at all.
But I don't want to be one of those people who says what they don't like but won't say what they do.
Check out Mostly Eating's Heart Healthy Macaroni Cheese.What I liked about his recipe from the start was the way it set out to fuse a crowd favourite like macaroni cheese with some healthy ingredients just as half-fat creme fraiche and wholegrain bread. But she didn't strike off everything tasty from the list - the cheddar is still full-fat and lovely, just not overused.
Tot that one up, and it's just under 600 calories per serving... 300 less than Economy Gastronomy's. That leaves you loads of room to add some fantastic in-season veggies to the side, with room to spare.
Showing posts with label under 900 calories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label under 900 calories. Show all posts
Friday, 18 September 2009
Monday, 14 September 2009
Is Economy Gastronomy good for me?
We've been through a fair few TV chefs (and their shows) here - Nigella Express, Delia's How to Cheat and Jamie Oliver's various vehicles. I've been critical at times, I admit.
The latest TV show to have a go is Economy Gastronomy, which is based around a cookery book just produced by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merritt, both of whom I don't hold a grudge against, so that's a start. Allegra's the brain behind Leon's (one word: YES) and Paul, well, I don't know as much about him but he doesn't bug me, so there.
My brief with all these shows is to put them to the test on how realistically good for you the recipes are. Economy Gastronomy ticks two boxes I strive to tick myself - tasty and not too expensive. But if they blow it out of the water with lots of fatty or unhealthy foods, I'll call them out on it - and suggest a few tweaks of my own.
One of their latest recipes is for a slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with grilled vegetable and white bean salad and smoked aubergine. Those early autumn flavours spring into my mouth just thinking about it - especially the smoked aubergine (which I had recently at the Empress of India with seared scallops, but that's another story...).
By my calculations - and that's assuming you have all lean parts of the shoulder - the menu comes to just under 900 calories. If you're not doing that, it's at least 1200 calories per serving. Now, I've seen worse - getting a burger and chips at a Wetherspoons [pdf] is likely to set you back at least that - but 900 calories to my mind is really more of a special treat rather than an economic gastronomic meal.
It could have been much worse, though - they were sparing with the oil, didn't go crazy on the feta cheese, and incorporated lots of veggies. I think it's really just the lamb that's sending us over the top - so I'd recommend instead of reducing the other ingredients, to simply reduce the portion size of lamb. Go ahead and cook the whole thing, but reserve some of the lamb for later in the week (which surely, Allegra and Paul would approve of).
From what I've seen so far, I'm more positive than negative on the project. I'll keep sizing up the recipes. In the meantime, what do you think? Have you tried any of their recipes?
The latest TV show to have a go is Economy Gastronomy, which is based around a cookery book just produced by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merritt, both of whom I don't hold a grudge against, so that's a start. Allegra's the brain behind Leon's (one word: YES) and Paul, well, I don't know as much about him but he doesn't bug me, so there.
My brief with all these shows is to put them to the test on how realistically good for you the recipes are. Economy Gastronomy ticks two boxes I strive to tick myself - tasty and not too expensive. But if they blow it out of the water with lots of fatty or unhealthy foods, I'll call them out on it - and suggest a few tweaks of my own.
One of their latest recipes is for a slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with grilled vegetable and white bean salad and smoked aubergine. Those early autumn flavours spring into my mouth just thinking about it - especially the smoked aubergine (which I had recently at the Empress of India with seared scallops, but that's another story...).
By my calculations - and that's assuming you have all lean parts of the shoulder - the menu comes to just under 900 calories. If you're not doing that, it's at least 1200 calories per serving. Now, I've seen worse - getting a burger and chips at a Wetherspoons [pdf] is likely to set you back at least that - but 900 calories to my mind is really more of a special treat rather than an economic gastronomic meal.
It could have been much worse, though - they were sparing with the oil, didn't go crazy on the feta cheese, and incorporated lots of veggies. I think it's really just the lamb that's sending us over the top - so I'd recommend instead of reducing the other ingredients, to simply reduce the portion size of lamb. Go ahead and cook the whole thing, but reserve some of the lamb for later in the week (which surely, Allegra and Paul would approve of).
From what I've seen so far, I'm more positive than negative on the project. I'll keep sizing up the recipes. In the meantime, what do you think? Have you tried any of their recipes?
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
a glorious lamb shoulder (with a rather striking broad bean hummus, to boot)
Yet again I must bow down before Nigel Slater’s greatness. Though I may have one day stumbled upon his ideas myself, I’m grateful to him for ready-preparing them for me. So that one day, when I’m 83, I don’t all of the sudden think, “Oh, broad bean hummus! If only I’d thought of it before!”
Of course, even Nigel Slater’s recipes can take a bit of tweaking here and modifying there. In the June chapter of his Kitchen Diaries, he relays a wonderful-sounding broad bean and dill hummus, which he recommends serving as a dip. Next up, for the main course, a roast lamb shoulder with cumin and mint, which sits on a bed of rocket.
But I thought – why not combine these two into the same course? Roast the shoulder, make the broad bean hummus (with about half of the oil), and serve with a dollop of harissa, some warm pitta bread, and grilled spring onions. It’s like a deconstructed stop at the kebab shop. And it was marvellous.
For the lamb:
I used a half shoulder, and, following Nigel’s instructions, cut deep slices into it with a knife. A marinade of garlic, cumin seeds, fresh mint, a tbsp of olive oil (you don’t need as much as NS suggests) and lemon juice should sit on the shoulder for about an hour before roasting. To get it medium-rare, only about an hour at 190 C is needed. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then carve.
For the broad bean hummus:
Use fresh if you can, but frozen work too. If they’re fresh, shell and then boil. If they’re frozen, boil and then shell. It’s tedious at times, but worth it. Blend with olive oil, loads of fresh dill and lemon juice.
For the grilled spring onions:
Spray with a couple sprays of olive oil and put under a preheated grill for about 6-7 minutes, turning halfway through.
Serve all of these with warm pitta bread, a dollop of harissa and a glass of rose. You’ll love it, whether you eat with your hands (me) or with a fork and knife (him).
Calories: minus the wine, one serving is about 800 calories. So it don’t come cheap, necessarily. But it’s by no means over the top. And, as I said, it’s rather glorious, so it’s worth it.
Of course, even Nigel Slater’s recipes can take a bit of tweaking here and modifying there. In the June chapter of his Kitchen Diaries, he relays a wonderful-sounding broad bean and dill hummus, which he recommends serving as a dip. Next up, for the main course, a roast lamb shoulder with cumin and mint, which sits on a bed of rocket.
But I thought – why not combine these two into the same course? Roast the shoulder, make the broad bean hummus (with about half of the oil), and serve with a dollop of harissa, some warm pitta bread, and grilled spring onions. It’s like a deconstructed stop at the kebab shop. And it was marvellous.
For the lamb:
I used a half shoulder, and, following Nigel’s instructions, cut deep slices into it with a knife. A marinade of garlic, cumin seeds, fresh mint, a tbsp of olive oil (you don’t need as much as NS suggests) and lemon juice should sit on the shoulder for about an hour before roasting. To get it medium-rare, only about an hour at 190 C is needed. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then carve.
For the broad bean hummus:
Use fresh if you can, but frozen work too. If they’re fresh, shell and then boil. If they’re frozen, boil and then shell. It’s tedious at times, but worth it. Blend with olive oil, loads of fresh dill and lemon juice.
For the grilled spring onions:
Spray with a couple sprays of olive oil and put under a preheated grill for about 6-7 minutes, turning halfway through.
Serve all of these with warm pitta bread, a dollop of harissa and a glass of rose. You’ll love it, whether you eat with your hands (me) or with a fork and knife (him).
Calories: minus the wine, one serving is about 800 calories. So it don’t come cheap, necessarily. But it’s by no means over the top. And, as I said, it’s rather glorious, so it’s worth it.
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