Why the bunny is perfect for your tummy
A minimalistic cooking style coupled with the copious use of fresh fish, lean meat, herbs, vegetables and olive oil has given Mediterranean cuisines a healthy tag, even as a profusion of regional variations gives them wide appeal,
You're going to eat a rabbit? But they're bunnies," exclaimed a colleague when she heard about my assignment.
But rabbit meat is one of the characteristics of traditional Mediterranean cuisine and I soon discovered how tasty it can be. Besides, I learned they're more economical to breed than chicken, they take up less space than poultry and their food is cheaper and more easily available than chickenfeed.
Like chicken, rabbit meat is mild and can be flavoured easily. It is also a lean meat, making it healthier than most poultry and livestock.
At the JW Marriott Hotel's Lotus Cafe, executive sous chef Himanshu Taneja presented three classic French preparations of rabbit which brought out all that is good about Mediterranean fare— cassoulet of rabbit, seared rabbit loin, and spiced rabbit liver. The famous refinement of French cuisine was apparent especially in the delicacy of the rabbit loin cooked lightly in wine and served with saffron potatoes and a dash of rosemary sauce. "This cuisine came about as a result of the creative impulse of the Renaissance," points out chef Taneja.
Health quotient
The liberal use of fresh herbs and vegetables, along with fish and lean meat, is what is making the so-called 'Mediterranean diet' popular the world over today among the health-conscious. The cuisine actually spans all the way from France and Italy to Lebanon and Morocco, but what they have in common across these regions are their cooking medium — mostly olive oil — and protein sources. "Fish is the most commonly used protein source because the Mediterranean Sea provides easy access to fresh seafood," says Marco Priolo, Italian chef at Stella, The Leela. "The region's rocky terrain can't support larger herding animals like cows, limiting meat options to livestock, poultry and game."
Adding to the health quotient is the minimalistic cooking, which retains natural flavours and nutrients. "In India, we tend to over-cook everything, even the most basic vegetables, and in the process, kill the nutrients," says Joy Bhattacharya, executive chef at the Trident Hotel.
The cuisines of Spain, Italy, Morocco and Greece in fact earned their Unesco status as 'intangible cultural heritages' last November to prevent their 'healthy food culture' from getting eroded by fast foods.
Regional variations
The term 'Mediterranean' applies to all the cuisines of the region, but each region also has a distinct variation. Even the olives grown and pressed in Spain are different from the olives that make Italian and Greek olive oils. Wine, used liberally in cooking Italian, French and Spanish food, is hardly ever used in the North African regions of Morocco and Lebanon. "Because of the complexity of the region's history, cultures, religions, and geography, Mediterranean food has developed in a variety of regional cuisines based on a divergent geography that ranges from the Alpine to coastal climes," says Taneja.
Take, for instance, rice dishes: The Italian risotto, Spanish paella, and Egyptian biryanis are worlds apart. This is because the rice grown in each region is different and it is also cooked differently. While the Spaniards cook it with meat, vegetables and paprika, the Italians prefer cream or cheese in it, and the Egyptians use spices, tomatoes and peppers.
Sometimes there is a variation of essentially the same dish from region to region. Caponata, for example, is a classic Sicilian dish made with capers, tomato sauce, celery, onions, fresh tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, basil, pine nuts, olive oil and salt. "The main ingredients are cut into small cubes and sauteed, then dried on paper towels and mixed with all the other ingredients," says chef Priolo. The French version of caponata is the ratatouille; in Spain, a similar preparation is called 'pisto manchego'; in Greece, it's called 'lemon-marinated vegetable'; and in Lebanon, this will be a vegetable salad with tabbouleh.
Similarly, in Greece, a charcoal-grilled sirloin steak is topped with spinach, olives and Feta cheese. In Spain, the sirloin steak is marinated in paprika and cooked with a tomato olive salsa. In Italy, a gorgonzola-topped steak is cooked in creamy polenta. And in France, the steak is marinated in thyme, grilled and served au jus with roast potatoes.
There is something essentially Mediterranean about these cuisines and yet they offer so much variety that it can also blend in with other cuisines. Chef Bhattacharya points out that most Indian foods go well with south Mediterranean cuisines such as Lebanese, Moroccan and Egyptian, and he likes to serve tandoori chicken with hummus. Strange combination? You'll be surprised.
A minimalistic cooking style coupled with the copious use of fresh fish, lean meat, herbs, vegetables and olive oil has given Mediterranean cuisines a healthy tag, even as a profusion of regional variations gives them wide appeal,
You're going to eat a rabbit? But they're bunnies," exclaimed a colleague when she heard about my assignment.
 | |
But rabbit meat is one of the characteristics of traditional Mediterranean cuisine and I soon discovered how tasty it can be. Besides, I learned they're more economical to breed than chicken, they take up less space than poultry and their food is cheaper and more easily available than chickenfeed.
Like chicken, rabbit meat is mild and can be flavoured easily. It is also a lean meat, making it healthier than most poultry and livestock.
At the JW Marriott Hotel's Lotus Cafe, executive sous chef Himanshu Taneja presented three classic French preparations of rabbit which brought out all that is good about Mediterranean fare— cassoulet of rabbit, seared rabbit loin, and spiced rabbit liver. The famous refinement of French cuisine was apparent especially in the delicacy of the rabbit loin cooked lightly in wine and served with saffron potatoes and a dash of rosemary sauce. "This cuisine came about as a result of the creative impulse of the Renaissance," points out chef Taneja.
Health quotient
The liberal use of fresh herbs and vegetables, along with fish and lean meat, is what is making the so-called 'Mediterranean diet' popular the world over today among the health-conscious. The cuisine actually spans all the way from France and Italy to Lebanon and Morocco, but what they have in common across these regions are their cooking medium — mostly olive oil — and protein sources. "Fish is the most commonly used protein source because the Mediterranean Sea provides easy access to fresh seafood," says Marco Priolo, Italian chef at Stella, The Leela. "The region's rocky terrain can't support larger herding animals like cows, limiting meat options to livestock, poultry and game."
Adding to the health quotient is the minimalistic cooking, which retains natural flavours and nutrients. "In India, we tend to over-cook everything, even the most basic vegetables, and in the process, kill the nutrients," says Joy Bhattacharya, executive chef at the Trident Hotel.
The cuisines of Spain, Italy, Morocco and Greece in fact earned their Unesco status as 'intangible cultural heritages' last November to prevent their 'healthy food culture' from getting eroded by fast foods.
Regional variations
The term 'Mediterranean' applies to all the cuisines of the region, but each region also has a distinct variation. Even the olives grown and pressed in Spain are different from the olives that make Italian and Greek olive oils. Wine, used liberally in cooking Italian, French and Spanish food, is hardly ever used in the North African regions of Morocco and Lebanon. "Because of the complexity of the region's history, cultures, religions, and geography, Mediterranean food has developed in a variety of regional cuisines based on a divergent geography that ranges from the Alpine to coastal climes," says Taneja.
Take, for instance, rice dishes: The Italian risotto, Spanish paella, and Egyptian biryanis are worlds apart. This is because the rice grown in each region is different and it is also cooked differently. While the Spaniards cook it with meat, vegetables and paprika, the Italians prefer cream or cheese in it, and the Egyptians use spices, tomatoes and peppers.
Sometimes there is a variation of essentially the same dish from region to region. Caponata, for example, is a classic Sicilian dish made with capers, tomato sauce, celery, onions, fresh tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, basil, pine nuts, olive oil and salt. "The main ingredients are cut into small cubes and sauteed, then dried on paper towels and mixed with all the other ingredients," says chef Priolo. The French version of caponata is the ratatouille; in Spain, a similar preparation is called 'pisto manchego'; in Greece, it's called 'lemon-marinated vegetable'; and in Lebanon, this will be a vegetable salad with tabbouleh.
Similarly, in Greece, a charcoal-grilled sirloin steak is topped with spinach, olives and Feta cheese. In Spain, the sirloin steak is marinated in paprika and cooked with a tomato olive salsa. In Italy, a gorgonzola-topped steak is cooked in creamy polenta. And in France, the steak is marinated in thyme, grilled and served au jus with roast potatoes.
There is something essentially Mediterranean about these cuisines and yet they offer so much variety that it can also blend in with other cuisines. Chef Bhattacharya points out that most Indian foods go well with south Mediterranean cuisines such as Lebanese, Moroccan and Egyptian, and he likes to serve tandoori chicken with hummus. Strange combination? You'll be surprised.
No comments:
Post a Comment