Sophie Grigson's Sunshine Food - Hardcover

Grigson, Sophie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789471620 ISBN 13: 9780789471628

Publisher: Dk Pub, 2001

Synopsis

A companion book to the PBS Television series GREAT FOOD. In Sunshine Food, the acclaimed food writer Sophie Grigson captures the essence of vacations in the sun by bringing the very best flavors and ingredients of the Mediterranean into our own kitchens. Emphasizing fresh vegetables and fruit, olive oil and garlic, seafood and grains, Mediterranean food is delicious, fresh, simple to prepare, and healthy. Here Sophie Grigson gathers together over 100 of her favorite recipes in a book infused with the richness and the sunshine of the region. Included are: Greek Stuffed Vegetables; Roasted Pork, Florentine Style; Grilled Tuna with Chermoula; Honey-Glazed Almond Pastrirs; and Spanish Cinnamon Ice Cream. All these authentic Mediterranean dishes are adapted to suit ingredients you can find in your own shopping area. Sumptuously illustrated and written with passion, Sophie Grigson's Sunshine Food is a grand celebration of Mediterranean food, replete with memories of sunshine and relaxation that can be enjoyed the whole year round.

About this title

About the Author:

Sophie Grigson may have had the perfect upbringing for a future cook -- her mother is renowned food writer Jane Grigson, and she spent much of her childhood in France and traveling throughout the Mediterranean with her family. While working in production management, Sophie began writing cooking pieces part-time. By the mid-1980's Sophie became a full-time cookery scribe, and she wrote the daily cooking column for the Evening Standard and weekly for the Sunday Times. Now she regularly writes for The Independent. Sophie Grigson has written a number of bestselling cookbooks including Eat Your Greens, Meat Courses, and Feasts For a Fiver, written to accompany the TV cooking series, Taste of the Times, and is preparing for two BBC food series: Sophie Grigson's Herbs and Feasting For a Fiver. She is considered one of Britain's leading food and cookery writers. Sophie currently lives in Northamptonshire, England, with her husband and two children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Chapter One AÏGO BOULIDO GARLIC BROTH In Provence they say "aïgo boulido sauvo la vido," which translates literally as "garlic broth saves your life." In other words, this is a soup for the day after the night before. Both garlic and sage are considered cures for overindulgence and, combined in this soothing but invigorating soup, they are meant to do wonders for a hangover or indigestion. It is also an excellent, light way to launch a supper party with a hearty main course and a rich dessert. Though a full ten garlic cloves are simmered in the pan, the broth itself is not overly garlicky. If you are particularly partial to the taste of raw garlic, rub the bread with a cut clove to jump start the cure. I love the austerity of the soup when it is made with plain tap water but, for dinner parties and the like, use good quality, homemade stock to give it a more complex flavor (but not store-bought bouillon cubes which would ruin it). SERVES 4 10 garlic cloves 6 fresh sage leaves 1 bay leaf 1 generous fresh thyme sprig 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving 4 cups (1 liter) water or light chicken stock 3 egg yolks, beaten salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE: 8 slices baguette, toasted 1 halved garlic clove (optional) grated Gruyère cheese Crush each whole garlic clove roughly with the flat of a knife, leaving it more or less in one piece but squashed flat, then peel (you'll find the skin comes off incredibly easily). Put the peeled, squashed garlic cloves into a saucepan with the sage, bay, thyme, olive oil, water or stock, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. While it cooks, rub one side of each piece of toast with the cut garlic clove, if using, and place two pieces in each bowl. Drizzle a little of the extra olive oil over each one. After the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, pick out and discard the bay leaf and thyme (but not the sage) and turn off the heat. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the hot soup into the eggs, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the soup in a hot tureen. At the table, ladle the aïgo boulido into the bowls, set before the diners, and pass the Gruyère separately. GAZPACHO After paella, gazpacho must be the best known of all Spanish recipes, and when it is made with good tomatoes, it is the perfect cold soup for a hot summer's day. And there's the rub. Though you can fiddle and play around adding this and that, there really is no substitute for ripe, fragrant, sweet yet slightly sharp, sun-ripened tomatoes. Gazpacho is only worth making if you can pluck the tomatoes fully ripe straight from the vine, or if you are lucky enough to have access to a farmers' market. Serve gazpacho for those special occasions, and it will remain the triumph that it should be. SERVES 6 4 medium-size (750 g) tomatoes (ripe and richly flavored} peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped 3/4 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped 1 large green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (optional) 1/2 red onion, chopped 2 to 21/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar 1/2 cup (100 g} fresh white breadcrumbs 2/3 cup (150 ml) tomato juice 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE - CHOOSE ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber, diced red onion, diced green pepper, seeded and diced jamón serrano, diced hard-boiled egg, shelled and chopped Mix all the vegetables, the vinegar and the breadcrumbs. Place a quarter of the mixture in a blender with the tomato juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, a pinch or two of sugar and a slurp of iced water if necessary. Purée until smooth, then repeat with the remaining ingredients, each time adding about 2/3 cup (150 ml) of ice cold water instead of the tomato juice. Mix the whole thing together, then taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a little more salt, vinegar, or sugar as necessary to highlight the flavors. Chill, and adjust the seasoning again just before serving. Place all the garnishes in small bowls and pass around for people to help themselves. SALMOREJO TOMATO AND GARLIC CREAM Salmorejo and gazpacho are kissing cousins, born out of frugality and an abundance of scarlet tomatoes, fruity olive oil, and yesterday's bread. Salmorejo, however, is not a soup. It should be thick enough to eat with a fork (though with our rather insipid tomatoes I found I had to use more, which made my salmorejo sloppier), or at least to spoon onto a plate without courting disaster. A drizzle of olive oil and slices of cool vegetables and salty ham transform the salmon pink purée into a filling first course or even a main course of beautiful simplicity. Adding egg yolks makes it a more luxurious dish, but they are by no means necessary if you are concerned about eating raw egg. Piquillo peppers are small, red peppers that are broiled and peeled by hand, then preserved in jars or cans. Some supermarkets and small grocers sell them over here, but you could substitute strips of home broiled and peeled red peppers. SERVES 4 TO 6 20 slices (500 g) firm bread, crusts removed 3 small (500 g) well flavored, deep red, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 2 egg yolks (optional) 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato purée 1/2 to 2/3 cup (125 to 150 ml) extra virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE: 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 slices jamón serrano, cut into strips 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick 1 hard-boiled egg, shelled and chopped 1 piquillo pepper, cut into strips 6 radishes, sliced 1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced picos (short Spanish breadsticks) or long breadsticks Tear the bread up into small pieces and place in a bowl. Cover with cold water and leave for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, then squeeze out the water firmly with your hands. Put the bread in the processor with the tomatoes, garlic, egg yolks if using, vinegar, tomato purée, salt, and pepper. Process to a smooth paste, gradually trickling in the oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chill the purée, covered, until almost ready to eat. Bring back to room temperature (unless it's summer and you want to serve it cold). Divide the mixture among four to six shallow soup bowls or plates. Spoon 1 tablespoon of olive oil around each, then scatter with a mixture of some or all of the garnishes. Serve with picos or breadsticks. ZUPPA DI VERDURA BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP This big, warming vegetable soup comes from Tuscany, where soups, rather than pasta, are the preferred first course. They have a tendency to be very substantial, leaving room for just a small main course to follow. For a light lunch or supper, I'd be quite happy with a bowl of zuppa di verdura followed by fruit and cheese. If you are short of time, you can substitute 14 oz (400 g) drained, canned cannellini beans for the dried ones, but you lose a little of the flavor given by the beans' cooking water. SERVES 6 1 fresh rosemary sprig 1 generous fresh thyme sprig 2 bay leaves 1 cup (200 g) dried cannellini or haricot beans, soaked overnight 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3 carrots, diced 2 celery sticks, diced 2 leeks, very thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 dried red chili 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped 2 tablespoons tomato purée 4 leaves cavolo nero or outer leaves of savoy cabbage, tough stalks removed, leaves shredded salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE: 6 slices stale bread 1 garlic clove, halved best extra virgin olive oil Make a bouquet garni by tying the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves together with a piece of string. Drain the beans, then place them in a large saucepan with about twice their volume of water and the bouquet garni. Don't add any salt or they will remain as tough as old boots. Bring to a boil, boiling hard for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until very tender - 11/2 to 2 hours depending on their age - adding more water if needed. When they are tender, take off the heat and let them cool in their cooking water. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot and add the onion, carrots, celery, leeks, chopped garlic, and chili. Cover and sweat over a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Now uncover, add the tomatoes and tomato purée, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes over a moderate heat. Then add the beans, their cooking water, and enough water to cover all the vegetables. Season generously. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for half an hour, until the vegetables are all tender. Purée about half the contents of the pan, then return the purée to the soup. Add the shredded cabbage and simmer for another 10 minutes, until tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Meanwhile, rub the stale bread with the cut side of the halved garlic, and arrange in a warm, shallow dish or a wide tureen. When the soup is ready and really thick, spoon over the bread and serve immediately, putting a bottle of extra virgin olive oil on the table for people to drizzle into their soup. From Sophie Grigson's Sunshine Foods, by Sophie Grigson. (c) 2000 Sophie Grigson used by permission.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dk Pub
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0789471620
• ISBN 13: 9780789471628
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 203