Low Iodine - Potato and Green Chile Stew

Cool weather will be upon us soon here in the mid-Atlantic, and vegetable soups of all kinds are perfect for a low-iodine diet. Try this tasty stew from noted author and vegetarian Deborah Madison if you want a little something different - use homemade chicken stock or water and leave out the sour cream. Go ahead and double this recipe, as it reheats very well.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 long green chiles or poblano chiles, roasted and peeled

1 tablespoon sunflower seed oil or other vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks

Salt and pepper

1 cup chicken stock (homemade with uniodized salt) or water

Sour cream to finish (leave out for low-iodine)

Chopped cilantro to finish

 

Directions:

1. Chop the chiles coarsely. Heat the oil in a wide pot; add the onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, garlic, and potatoes, followed by the chile along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and give a stir. Cook together of a few minutes, then add the water or stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.

2. Cook and cover until the potatoes are completely softened, about 25 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. At this point you can mash the potatoes, or at least a few of them to give the dish a creamy sort of background, if desired.

3. Pour into a bowl, and add the cilantro. (I also add a squeeze of lime)

Grilled Chicken With Herbs - from the 60 Minute Gourmet

Pierre Franey's long-running New York Times column, The 60-Minute Gourmet, was a treasure. This simple grilled chicken, from a column published in August of 1981, has been one of my mainstays since cutting it from the newspaper. All these years later I have made only two changes. In the original recipe, the chicken is brushed with butter just before serving. I omit the butter in favor of a drizzle of good olive oil, and add a sprinkle of minced flat-leaf parsley for a little herbal brightness. This combination of flavors really works.

Chicken breasts grilled with herbs

4 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds or slightly more
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
Kosher salt to taste, if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons olive oil (originally 1/4 cup hot melted butter) for serving
Minced parsley for serving      

                   

1. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to a desired degree of heat for grilling.

 

 2. Cut each chicken breast down the middle in half. Cut away and discard any extraneous membranes or cartilage.

 

 3. Put the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a flat dish and stir to blend. Add the garlic, coriander, pepper flakes and oregano. Stir to blend.

       

4. Add the chicken pieces and turn them in the marinade. Cover with foil and set aside until ready to cook. (I marinate for about an hour, while making the rest of dinner.)

 

 5. Add the chicken pieces to the grill and cook three or four minutes on one side. Turn and cook two or three minutes on the other side. Continue cooking, turning often, for a total of about 10 minutes.

 

Transfer the chicken to a warm serving dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice and a quickly cooked vegetable such as asparagus or corn on the cob.

Cool Summer Soups

A friend asked me to do a cooking demonstration at the Bloomingdale Farmer's Market this morning. What fun! I decided to do two cool summer soups: Cucumber with yogurt and herbs, and Peach Buttermilk. Both are easy-peasy, and take advantage of what is fresh and delicious at the market right now.


Buttermilk Peach Soup

2 ½ lb ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
1 cup buttermilk (whole or low-fat, not fat-free)
2 T. lemon juice, fresh
1 T. Honey (or brown sugar)
⅛ t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. salt
Fresh mint, or basil


Peel the peaches with a sharp vegetable peeler over a large bowl, then chop coarsely. Save all the peach juice.

Add the peaches to a blender jar. Add buttermilk, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Put the top tightly on the blender jar, and set the blender to its highest setting. Process for about 3-4 minutes, or until it looks smooth. Taste and add more honey or salt if necessary. Add up to 1 cup water if the soup seems too thick. Pour into a clean pitcher with a lid, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Chill six soup bowls. To serve, stack mint or basil leaves, roll into a cigar shape, then cut into thin ribbons with a sharp knife. Pour the cold soup into the chilled bowls, and garnish with the mint.


Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt and Herbs

4 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ - ½ cup good quality olive oil
⅓ cup loosely packed dill, plus 1 T. for garnishing
¼ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 Tablespoons loosely packed tarragon leaves
2 T. sherry vinegar
1 t. salt
¼ t. white pepper


Add half of the cucumbers to a blender jar with half of the yogurt, half of the olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 1 shallot, and half of the herbs. Blend at high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until very smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Add the remainder of the cucumbers, yogurt, olive oil, shallot, garlic, and herbs to the blender jar, and process at high speed until smooth. Pour into bowl. Whisk in the sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste and correct the seasonings. Pour into a clean pitcher and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Chill six soup bowls. To serve, mince once tablespoon of fresh dill. Pour the cold soup into the chilled bowls, and garnish with the dill.

Low Iodine: Pasta!

One of the few bright spots of the low iodine diet is that it permits pasta within certain parameters. Fresh pasta with abundant egg yolks is, of course, off limits. Dried pasta containing nothing but semolina & durum flour is just fine, and makes a perfect backdrop for all sorts of fantastic flavors.

If you have the good fortune to be on the low-iodine diet during the summer, then get yourself to the local farmer's market for some field-grown tomatoes and fresh basil. A mix of tomato varieties like Purple Cherokee, Lemon Boy, Green Zebra and cherry tomatoes like Sungold make a vibrant-looking and -tasting dish. Cook up some orrichiette and toss it with this easy no-cook tomato sauce:

Italian Salsa Cruda

2 lb. ripe field grown tomatoes, cored and diced (about 4 cups) - do not seed the tomatoes!
1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. Red wine vinegar
1/3 cup roughly chopped basil
1 T. coarsely chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; more to taste
1 lb. dried orrichiette, rigatoni, or other short ridged pasta that will hold the sauce.

Kosher salt for the finished dish. Adding salt to the sauce early will draw the moisture from the tomatoes and adversely affect the texture.

Combine all ingredients except salt in a large bowl and let stand for up to three hours to let the flavors combine. Taste and add more pepper if desired. Toss with cooked pasta. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.

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Another summer favorite pasta is this herbed, lemony, garlicky pasta salad recipe by Joanne Weir, originally published in Fine Cooking magazine years ago. Perfectly low-iodine friendly and flavorful, this salad needs nothing more than a chilled glass of white wine to accompany it.

Herbed Farfalle with Grilled Chicken

Kosher salt
12 oz. dried farfalle pasta
10 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb. total)
Freshly ground black pepper
7 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup packed fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, torn
1 cup packed fresh arugula (tough stems removed)
6 lemon wedges


In a large pot, bring 6 qt. water and 2 Tbs. salt to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 min. Drain the pasta and toss it immediately with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Let the pasta cool completely in the refrigerator.

Heat a cast-iron ridged grill pan or an outdoor grill. Brush the chicken breasts with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Grill the chicken breasts until golden on one side, 4 to 5 min. Turn the breasts, season with salt and pepper, and continue to grill until golden and cooked through, another 6 to 8 min. Let the chicken cool and then cut it on the diagonal into thin strips. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 8 Tbs. olive oil with the lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the farfalle, sliced chicken, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, and arugula and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put the salad into a serving bowl and serve immediately, garnished with the lemon wedges.

Low Iodine: "Enchilada" casserole

One of my most irresistible cravings during the low-iodine diet is for enchiladas and tacos. Dairy-loaded and therefore forbidden on the diet. In an effort to combat those cravings, I came up with this improvised, veggie-loaded, non-dairy casserole.

Quick, homemade enchilada sauce: 

1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3 tomatillos, husked and washed
2 large poblano chiles
splash of cider vinegar
1-2 T cilantro leaves, washed and dried
2 C water or unsalted chicken stock
kosher salt to tast
freshly ground pepper, to taste
pinch of sugar

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Roast the onion, garlic, tomatillos and green chiles on a baking sheet until softened and slightly blackened. Put the chiles in a paper bag to soften the skins. Once they are cool enough to handle, scrape off the skins. 

 Stem and seed the chiles, then put all of the vegetables in the blender with the vinegar, cilantro, water or unsalted chicken stock, kosher salt, pepper, and sugar. Blend until it becomes a smooth, thin sauce, adding more water or stock if necessary. It can be used immediately, or simmered briefly on the stove top to further blend the flavors. Taste and correct the seasoning.

To make the casserole:

Preheat the oven to 350, brush a 9x13 pyrex dish with olive oil, then layer:

1/3 enchilada sauce
corn tortillas* torn to fit the dish, about 4-5
1/2 the "filling" (mix any shredded leftover meat, a can of unsalted black beans, 1-2 cups of veggies like corn, and diced zucchini, cumin, kosher salt, pepper, & a hit of cinnamon)
another layer of tortillas
1/3 sauce
the rest of the chicken mixture
another layer of tortillas
the rest of the sauce
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, and served it topped with chopped cilantro, minced onion, and a squeeze of lime. My doctor allows me a small amount of dairy every day, so I add a teaspoon of sour cream.

*Be sure to check the ingredients in the corn tortillas. Whole Foods brand tortillas include only corn and lime.

Low Iodine: Indian flavors

The cookbooks I turn to again and again on the low-iodine diet are almost all Indian. Many, many Indian recipes can be adapted for the low-iodine diet. Up until 2 years ago, when I really began researching gourmet recipes for the low-iodine regime, I had a picture in my mind of Indian food being full of dairy. Then a cursory page-through of one of my favorite books turned up a dozen recipes that could be made without substitutions. The complex spicing and fresh herbs wake up everything.

"Indian cuisine" is a pretty generic phrase. "Cuisines" is more accurate, as modern India encompasses a huge area and over a billion people.

This recipe is truly satisfying, especially with a small portion of Basmati rice.

Masoor Dal

Ingredients:

1 cup whole red lentils
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kosher salt
2 - 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup light olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger root, grated
2 green chilies (I use serrano) seeded and minced
1 bunch coriander, washed, spun dry, and roughly chopped
Water

Preparation:

• Rinse the lentil thoroughly in several changes of water
• Put the washed lentils into a large saucepan with 3-3.5 cups of water with the turmeric, garam masala, and kosher salt
• Bring to a simmer, then turn down the flame and cook on low for 30 minutes, stirring often, adding more water as necessary to keep the texture creamy.
• Heat oil in wok. When oil is hot, add onions and cook until tender and translucent but not browned.
• Add garlic, ginger and chillies. Continue to saute until garlic is fully cooked. Add garam masala and chili powder.
• Do not allow spices to burn. Keep stirring until mixture starts to stick. And immediately pour this over the cooked dal.
• Stir and let simmer to blend in the flavors. Taste and add more salt if needed.
• Garnish with chopped coriander.

Moussaka

From the Time-Life Foods of the World, Middle Eastern Cooking. Somewhat time-consuming but totally worth it.

3 medium-sized eggplants, about 1 pound each, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
salt
1 cup flour
1 to 2 cups olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 pounds lean ground lamb
3 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup canned tomato puree
1 teaspoon finely finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons freshly grated kefalotiri (or parmesan)

Sprinkle the eggplant slices lightly with salt, lay them side-by-side on paper towels, and weight them down with a large, heavy platter or casserole. Let them rest 20-30 minutes, then dry them thoroughly with fresh paper towels. Dip the slices in the cup of flourand shake them vigorously to remove the excess.

In a heavy 12-inch skillet, bring 1/2 cup of the olive oil almost to the smoking point over high heat. Add the eggplant a few slices at a time, and cook them, a minute or two on each side, regulating the heat so that they color quickly without burning. transfer to paper towels to drain and brown the remaining, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.

Pour 1/2 more of the olive oil into the skillet, and heat it until a light haze forms above it. Add the onions and, stirring frequently, cook over moderate heat for 8-10 minutes , or until they are soft and lightly colored. Stir in the ground lamb and, mashing it with the back of a spoon to break up any lumps, cook until no traces of pink show. Add the fresh tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, oregano, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepperand bring to a boil over high heat. Stirring frequently, cook briskly until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates and the mixture is thinck wnough to to hold its shape almost solidly in the spoon. Taste for seasoning, and turn off the heat.

Saltsa Besamel
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat 1 1/2 cups of the milk and the butter in a small pan until bubbles begin to appear around the rim. Remove from the heat. In a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan, beat the eggs, the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, the flour, and salt together until smooth. Place this saucepan over moderate heat and, stirring constantly with a whisk or large spoon, slowly add the milk and melted butter mixture in a thin stream. Still stirring, cook until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens heavily. Set aside off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 325. To assemble the moussaka, spread half of the eggplant slices in overlapping rows in the bottom of a 14-by-9-by-3-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the slices evenly with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese and pour in the lamb and tomato mixture, spreading it into the corners of the dish with a rubber spatula. Arrange the rest of the eggplant on top and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Pour the saltsa besamel evenly over the eggplant and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, then increase the heat to 400 and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until the top is golden brown. Remove the dish from the oven and let the moussaka rest at room temperature for 5 or 10 minutes before serving it.

Low Iodine: Tomatoes

The low-iodine diet allows fresh fruit & vegetables in unlimited quantities. My prior scans have all been in March or April, not terrible for produce, but not the cornucopia of deliciousness that is late summer. Corn, peaches, peppers, cucumbers, and beautiful, ripe tomatoes all make sticking to this diet much easier. Here are two recipes for summer produce that punch up the flavor. The first is from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. Get the best quality tomatoes you can afford from the farmer's market. I like sun gold cherry tomatoes paired with green and yellow zucchini.

Broiled Tomatoes

2 servings

2 very large, ripe tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (I use Penzey's)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Olive oil

Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and set on a baking sheet. Mix the salt, pepper, and spices together, then sprinkle over the cut sides of the tomatoes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the tomato halves, and rub the spices in. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and place the baking sheet under the broiler. Broil for 3-4 minutes, watching carefully, until the tops of the tomatoes are browned. Delicious served hot or at room temperature.

Zucchini with Cherry Tomatoes

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of mixed zucchini, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
1/2 lemon
Small bunch fresh basil, chiffonade
2 tablespoons olive oil

Set a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and cook until slightly softened. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and lower the heat to medium. Cook the vegetables until brown in places, stirring frequently. Taste and add salt and fresh pepper. Turn out into a serving dish, squeeze the lemon over it and sprinkle with basil. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Low Iodine: Ac-cen-tu-ate the Positive...Swiss Steak

On a very restrictive diet, it's easy to fixate on what you can't have, on all the verboten treats and favorites you've given up. Right now, I'm turning my frown upside-down, finding the silver lining in the cloud, making a silk purse out of the sow's ear, ac-cent-tu-ate-ing the positive...OK, I'm out of cliches. Sometimes, it's good to get jolted out of your cooking rut, is all. I'm pulling cookbooks out that have languished for a couple of years, learning to bake decent bread, and refocusing on canning and preserving.  I'm cooking again and feeling more confident, after giving up on it and myself for a couple of years.

All the cookbook searching is paying off, yielding recipes that I will continue making post-scan. Last night's dinner was a riff on Swiss Steak, that old cafeteria favorite, using Moroccan/Middle Eastern spicing from the cuisines I've been researching. I had made it before, using a recipe from my trusty Fannie Farmer cookbook (12th edition, 1979). Onions, garlic, stewed tomatoes...it was OK.  This time, inspired by a box of couscous, I thought of adding warm spices like coriander & cinnamon, and a splash of honey to round the flavors. It was delicious, and the kids scarfed it up and asked for seconds. It's earned a spot in the dinner rotation.

Heather's low-iodine Swiss Steak

1 1/2 lb. cubed steak
1 medium onion, cut in half then sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground coriander
2 t honey
2 15-oz cans whole tomatoes, no salt added, crushed & juice reserved
1/4 c. red wine
flour & kosher salt for dredging meat
1 T Olive oil or canola oil
Chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a large skillet or electric frying pan over medium heat. Lightly salt the cubed steak, let stand for a minute, then dredge in flour. Add steaks to the pan, and let sit undisturbed for at least 4 minutes. Turn and brown on the other side.

Remove meat from the pan to a large plate. Lower heat to medium-low, and add onions. Cook until softened slightly, then add garlic and stir until it becomes fragrant. Sprinkle in cinnamon, coriander, and ginger, stir to coat the onions in the spices. Pour in red wine and honey and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes and their juice, and mix everything together. Add the steaks back into the pan, nestling them in the sauce and scooping some of the tomato mixture on each. Turn heat to low, cover the pan, and let everything simmer gently until the meat is fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes. Stir the sauce, turn meat over once, and watch it carefully to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning, and add more kosher salt and pepper if needed.

Serve over plain couscous prepared with kosher salt & olive oil, and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro

Low Iodine: Bread, no circus

My thyroid doctor always sends a helpful list of forbidden foods with my appointment list and instructions for the radioactive iodine scan, and it very confusingly says that fresh bread from the bakery is OK, despite the fact that fresh bread from the bakery often contains salt of unknown provenance, and/or dairy of some kind. In the past I've made my own pita & foccacia, and purchased salt- and dairy-free bread from Trader Joe's. This time, I've opted to bake my own loaves using the no knead bread popularized by Mark Bittman in the New York Times. Friends had been raving about how easy this bread is to make, and how good the results are, for years but I dismissed even this simple recipe as too complicated for my already maximally complicated life.

Well, it really is that easy. The instructions: Flour, instant yeast, kosher salt, and water get dumped in a bowl, mixed together, covered and left to sit on the counter for 12-18 hours. After that time, the results are dumped on a floured board, folded over a couple of times, rested for 15 minutes, then shaped into a ball and left to sit for another two. Preheat a dutch oven at 450 for 30 minutes, throw the bread in, and bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 30 more.

That's it. The result isn't the best bread you've ever tasted, but it's a reasonable facsimile. I mix the dough before I go to bed, knock it down when I get home from work the next day, then bake it after dinner. It's great toasted and brushed with good olive oil, kosher salt & garlic powder, or straight up with some homemade jam and unsalted peanut butter. I'll probably continue baking it even after the low-iodine diet is done.

Low Iodine: Hooray for Hummus!

I went low-iodine shopping at Whole Foods today, mostly for the usual salt-free chips, lots of vegetables, decent olive oil & balsamic vinegar, tahine, salt-free garbanzo beans...blah. Just for kicks I cruised down the prepared food aisle where the dips & spreads are, looking at forbidden goodies - or so I thought. I picked up a container of Cava Mezze hummus & read the ingredients: pureed chickpeas with tahine, lemon juice, fresh garlic, and kosher salt...wait, what? Kosher salt? That means I can eat it! How amazing to find something quick and flavorful that I don't have to make myself.

All of their products specify kosher salt, which I can trust to have no added iodine. Hummus, tabbouli, and a tub of fiery harrissa came home with me. Thank you, Cava Mezze Foods. You made my day, week, and month while I'm on this crazy diet.

Low Iodine: The Night Before

Low-iodine diets starts tomorrow, in preparation for the radioactive iodine whole-body scan on September 14th. I've been cleaning out the fridge/cabinets of stuff I can't eat, and will be shopping for lots of good tomatoes, peaches, corn, and other summer delights. To review, here's a list of what I can't eat for a month:

iodized salt or sea salt
Dairy products (milk, butter, yogurt, ice cream, cheese)
Vitamins (most multis add iodine)
Food and meds that contain Red dye FD&C #3
Egg yolks, whole eggs, or food containing them
Seafood (fish, shellfish, molluscs, seaweed, kelp)
Foods that contain the additives: carragen, agar-agar, algin, alginates
Cured and corned meats
Breads with iodate dough conditioners
Chocolate (milk added)
Soy and soy products (soy sauce, tofu, soy milk)
Potato skins
Some beans (pinto, navy beans, lima beans, red kidney beans,)
Restaurant food, since I can't be certain what's in any of it
Processed foods, since there is no reliable way of knowing what kind of salt is used

One of the first things I will be making this week is a batch of Taratoor Sauce, the sesame/garlic condiment I first encountered at local chain Lebanese Taverna.

Taratoor

1 C. tahine sauce (stir before measuring)
3/4 C. lemon juice
2 T. water, plus more for thinning the sauce
2-3 cloves crushed fresh garlic
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/8 t. ground cumin
1 t. minced parsley

Put all ingredients except parsley in a food processor, and pulse a few times until combined. Scrape it out into a bowl and stir in the parsley. Adjust the thickness with cold water until it reaches the desired consistency.

Will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Stir before using.

Low Iodine: Tarator Sauce

During my last go-round with low-iodine cooking, I happened to recall a tahine-based sauce served with kefte at our favorite Lebanese cafe, and wondered whether it was suitable for the diet. Googling "Lebanese sesame sauce" got me numerous recipes for Tarator or Taratoor Sauce, a heady mix of tahine, lemon juice, and plenty of garlic - sort of like hummous before the chick peas are added. It's fast, easy, and delicious on grilled lamb, beef or chicken. I make lamb patties and stuff them into homemade pita with a generous spoonful, or pour it over roasted chicken.

Taratoor 

1 C. tahine sauce (stir before measuring)
3/4 C. lemon juice
2 T. water, plus more for thinning the sauce
2-3 cloves crushed fresh garlic
1/2 t. kosher salt
 1/8 t. ground cumin
1 t. minced parsley

Put all ingredients except parsley in a food processor, and pulse a few times until combined. Scrape it out into a bowl and stir in the parsley. Adjust the thickness with cold water until it reaches the desired consistency.

Will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Stir before using.

Forbidden foods

This is a list of foods not allowed on the low-iodine diet:

iodized salt or sea salt
Dairy products (milk, butter, yogurt, ice cream, cheese)
Vitamins (most multis add iodine)
Food and meds that contain Red dye FD&C #3
Egg yolks, whole eggs, or food containing them
Seafood (fish, shellfish, seaweed, kelp)
Foods that contain the additives: carragen, agar-agar, algin, algin= ates
Cured and corned meats
Breads with iodate dough conditioners
Chocolate (milk added)
Soy and soy products (soy sauce, tofu, soy milk)
Potato skins
Some beans (pinto, navy beans, lima beans, red kidney beans,)
Restaurant food
Processed foods, since there is no reliable way of knowing what kind of salt is used

I am going to spend the time before my doctor calls with a scan date compiling recipes, and posting them here. Suggestions always welcome!

Low Iodine, Redux

It's that time again! Docs let me take a year off after a few negative scans, but new irregular lymph nodes in my neck mean back to stricter monitoring and regular scans. A Thyrogen shortage means that I'm waitlisted for the next available not earmarked for someone with active cancer. I could get the call from my radiation doc at any time, and will have to start the low-iodine diet immediately. Job one is cleaning out my fridge/freezer, and looking up all my recipes.

You can read my previous low iodine posts at my old Posterous site.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille Niçoise is the dish that helped me get over my fear of eggplant. It's good hot, cold, or at room temperature and shows up year-round as a side dish or filling for omelets and crepes, but is at its best in the summer, when eggplant and zucchini are not yet overgrown and bitter, and fresh ripe tomatoes are available. The first recipe is what is found in many cookbooks, and what most people think of when ratatouille is mentioned: tomatoes, eggplant, onion, zucchini, garlic, olive oil, and some kind of herbs. ( I won't call you out for using best-quality canned tomatoes, but know that if you do, you're cheating yourself out of the full experience.) The recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking has been my standard for 25 years, and produces a garlicky version that is familiar to most Americans who have tried the dish. My current favorite recipe is from Patricia Wells' delightful book Bistro Cooking, and better shows off the bright flavors of summer produce. Many recipes on the web dismiss as "too fussy" the instructions to cook the vegetables seperately and then combine, but it's worth it to do it that way at least once as it really does lead to a better result.

Wikipedia recipe.

Ratatouille from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

RATATOUILLE FRANCOISE RIGORD

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 5 medium onions (about 1 pound), coarsely minced

Bouquet garni: A handful of fresh thyme and 4 bay leaves, tied with a string

3 large red peppers (about 1 pound), cubed

2 to 3 small eggplants (about 1 pound), cubed

2 to 3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), cubed

5 medium tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and cut into eighths

Kosher salt to taste

1 lemon, quartered

A handful of fresh parsley, finely minced.


1. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-low heat. Add the onions and bouquet garni, stir to coat with oil and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should be tender and light golden. Do not allow them to burn.

2. Add the peppers, stirring gently to mix, and continue cooking until the mixture is very soft, about 30 more minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat another two tablespoons of the oil in a second heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-low heat. Add the eggplant, stir to coat with oil and cook, covered, until soft, about 20 minutes. Stir from time to time to keep the eggplant from sticking to the pan.

4. At the same time, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a third heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-low heat. Add the zucchini, stir to coat with oil and cook, covered, until soft, about 20 minutes. Stir from time to time to keep the zucchini from sticking to the pan.

5. While the eggplant and zucchini cook, add the tomatoes to the onion and pepper mixture. Cook, covered, over low heat, for another 15 minutes.

6. Gently spoon all the vegetables into a colander set over a bowl to collect the liquid. Reduce the collected liquid over high heat until thick and syrupy. Add to the vegetables, stir and season to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

7. Remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving. Adjust seasoning, sprinkle with lemon juice and freshly minced parsley and serve.

Baked Beans

Recipe of the week.

Dark, porky, and rich, with a slight bitterness from the molasses, this is as Boston as it gets, and the taste of these beans resonates in my umpteenth-generation native New England soul. Seven ingredients and deliberate inattention give fabulous results.

Boston Baked Beans (Adapted from the Fannie Farmer cookbook)

2 cups navy beans
about 1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/3 lb. salt pork
2 tsp. dry mustard
5 Tbs. dark brown sugar
5 Tbs. molasses (not blackstrap)
1 small onion, sliced

Wash beans, and soak overnight in enough water to come up one inch over the beans.

Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Preheat oven to 225F. Distribute sliced onion and 1/2 of the salt pork over the bottom of an ovenproof, lidded pot. Add the beans to the pot. Blend the mustard, sugar, salt, and molasses with the reserved bean liquid, and pour over the beans. Slice the remaining salt pork and distribute over the top of the beans. Set the pot on the stove over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover tightly with foil and the lid. Set in the middle of the preheated oven and cook for at least 8 hours. Mine went in the oven at about 10pm, and stayed in all night. If you happen to get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water, or to let the cat out, go ahead and give the pot a stir or add a little water, but honestly, it can go until morning without being fussed over.

In the morning, take off the foil and lid and put the pot back in the oven for a couple of hours. Stir it from time to time, and add a little water if it looks too dry, but the goal here is to reduce the sauce so don’t go all crazy with the liquid. Take the pot out once they have reached the desired consistency, fish out what’s left of the salt pork. Taste and correct the seasoning, then add a tablespoon or so of cider vinegar to wake up the flavors.

The beans can be served right away and be delicious, but letting them sit for a couple of hours won’t do them any harm.

If you want to really provide an authentic experience, consider making a batch of brown bread.

Boston Brown Bread (adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
The traditional accompaniment to baked beans. It’s worth seeking out a real metal coffee can in order to make this from scratch, but it’s possible to find a passable version made by B&M at some grocery stores. This bread is related to a loaf called “Rye & Injun” made by early New England settlers.

1/2 c. rye flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. molasses (not blackstrap)
1 c. sour milk (I have used buttermilk with good results)

Mix the flours, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the molasses and sour milk and blend well. Butter a 1-pound coffee can (or a 1-quart pudding mold, if you have one)and fill no more than 2/3 full. Cover tightly with foil, tie a string around the foil, and put the can in a deep kettle. Cover, add boiling water halfway up the mold, and steam over medium heat for about 2 hours. Add boiling water as necessary to keep the water level consistent. Remove from the mold.

The original recipe says to cut slices with a string while the bread is hot, but I prefer to let it cool and spread it thickly with butter.