FEBRUARY: EATING THE “WHOLE 28”

 Did you have a vegan January or no-alcohol  month? Maybe you dieted and lost 10 pounds. For me, January zoomed by with dinner guests and plenty imbibing. Here it is February, a slow month, so I’ve signed on for the Whole 30 diet. It’s a 30-day elimination diet but, as February is the shortest month, I’m doing 28 days! 

Elimination means not eating/drinking any of these categories of foods: No sugar (that’s easy—I don’t use sugar or honey anyway) and no sugar substitutes; no dairy; no grains or grain look-alikes (the list includes wheat, oats, quinoa, rice, corn); no legumes—beans, lentils, chickpeas, soy products, peanuts—(green beans and peas are exceptions); no baked goods, pasta, pancakes (not even if made with alternative flour or vegetables), chips nor fries (unless you make them at home); no alcohol, not even in cooking. And no weighing-in until 30 days are up. 

The “whole” signifies a whole month but it also means wholesome foods. No processed stuff, no labels with dozens of ingredients. 

Why? Eliminating foods can help you figure out what ails you by identifying food sensitivities. At the end of the 30-day elimination period, you reintroduce one type of food at a time and pay attention to whether any symptoms return. 

Is it easy? The regimen requires attention. Meal planning is rigorous with so many foods eliminated. But, I love a challenge when it comes to food. Divising ways to use the acceptable foods—fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, and olive oil—has been engrossing. I’ll share with you some of the dishes I’ve enjoyed.

These recipes are perfectly suitable for family members who are not on the diet. I tell them to cook their own rice or pasta to accompany my main dish.

Breakfast timbale with zucchini, spinach, eggs.

Breakfast, my biggest stumbling block. Without my usual non-fat yogurt with fruit, I don’t know what to eat in the morning. Eggs are allowed on the diet, but I sure don’t want to eat eggs before heading out for aerobics. Besides, if you eat eggs for breakfast, you can’t really eat them for lunch or snack as well. 

I made a pan of my favorite zucchini-spinach timbale. A slice of timbale is perfect for breakfast or segundo desayuno—a mid-morning snack. I make the timbale with almond milk instead of dairy milk and omit the cheese. 

Sauté a chopped zucchini, scallions, and spinach in olive oil. Beat 6 eggs with 1 cup almond milk. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs. Bake in an oiled baking dish until eggs are set.

 

Chicken-zoodle soup for lunch.

Lunch. February is soup month, so lunch is easy: chicken-zoodle soup (pictured above), curried squash soup with coconut milk, fish and vegetable chowder, minestrone with green beans instead of cannellini, alioli instead of cheese. Zoodles are zucchini ribbons microwaved until crisp tender then added to any favorite chicken soup. For the zoodles, use a vegetable peeler to cut thin slices, then a knife to cut them into noodles of any width.  By the way, the technique works with potatoes and squash too. Pick the longest potato you can find.

Cauliflower fritters with mayo.

Snacks. I miss cheese so much! And I crave crispy crackers to put the cheese on. Nuts of all kinds somewhat satisfy the craving. I make guacamole to dip with endive leaves; black olive spread (recipe below) to scoop with red pepper strips, and homemade olive oil mayonnaise to go with cauliflower fritters.

Black olive spread.

I looked at the label on my preferred mayonnaise: soy oil, vinegar, egg plus sugar, starch, coloring agent, and antioxidant. That's why I made it homemade--egg, extra virgin olive oil, Sherry vinegar. 

To make 20 cauliflower fritters, combine 1/2 cup mashed potato and 1 cup cauliflower "rice" (see below for how to make the rice) with 2 tablespoons chopped scallions, 1/4 teaspoon each of cumin and hot pimentón, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 tablespoons almond flour. Chill the mixture. Scoop up by teaspoons and drop in hot oil. Fry until browned.

Happy hour. Much of eating is habit: at 7:45, while dinner is cooking, I pour a glass of wine and sit down to watch a cooking show on TV. No wine this month! Instead I enjoy grapefruit juice spritzer (with agua con gas (seltzer), hibiscus punch or a virgin Mary, half and half seasoned tomato juice and bubbly water. A handful of pistachios and I have a happy hour.

Málaga-style seafood stew.

Dinner. Mostly I've been adjusting favorite dishes to comply with the diet rules. For my Málaga fish stew (above) I needed only to eliminate the bread and use almonds to thicken the sauce (recipe follows). Potatoes are allowed! They are my main carbohydrate this month. 

Chicken curry with mango served with cauliflower "rice."

I get a lot of mileage from a roast chicken, using leftovers for curry or stir-fry. To accompany chicken curry with mangos, I prepared cauliflower “rice” (shown above). 

To make cauliflower rice, cut out and discard the center stalk of the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place them and small stems in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped to about the size of grains of rice. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 1 or 2 minutes more until cauliflower is crisp tender. Add salt. The "rice" can be prepared in advance and reheated in the microwave or in a steamer.

Meatballs with zoodles.

These chicken meatballs in a Southeast Asian curry sauce (shown at right) are served with zoodles, those aforementioned zucchini noodles, instead of rice noodles. In place of bread, the meatballs are mixed with chopped onions and mushrooms.  

Stir-fry with cauliflower "rice."

More leftover chicken in this stir-fry served with cauliflower "rice." Luckily snow peas are exceptions to the no legume rule, as I have lots of snow peas in the garden this month.  Instead of soy sauce (not allowed on the diet), I smash some anchovies into the stir-fried veggies and chicken. 

Sweet potato mousse with walnuts.

Dessert. A piece of fresh fruit is always good. Or sliced mango embellished with grated ginger and a spoonful of thick coconut milk. I got fancy with this sweet potato mousse.

Soak 2 pitted and chopped dates in ¼ cup almond milk, then blend until smooth. Mash 1 medium cooked sweet potato with the date milk. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and cardamom, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon grated orange peel, and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Separate 1 large egg. Mix the yolk with the sweet potato. Beat the white until it holds stiff peaks. Fold it into the sweet potatoes.  Spoon the mixture into 4 oiled oven-safe cups. Place them in a pan with boiling water and bake in preheated 375ºF oven until set, about 20 minutes. Serve with chopped walnuts.

Seafood Stew

Cazuela de Pescado

I used fillets of gallineta, rockfish, for this stew. Monkfish or grouper, both firm-fleshed, would be good also. Add squid, clams or mussels if you like.

Serves 2 to 4

Firm-fleshed fish fillets for the stew.

1 pound fish fillets

Salt 

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ cup almonds

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup peeled and chopped tomato

½ teaspoon pimentón (paprika)

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces

1 cup + fish stock or water

Shelled peas or blanched snow peas

12 peeled shrimp

Parsley to garnish

Cut the fillets into 2-inch pieces, salt them lightly and allow to come to room temperature.

Heat the oil on medium-high in a cazuela or deep skillet. Fry the garlic and almonds until they are golden. Skim them out and reserve.

Add the onions and green pepper to the pan. Sauté, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry a few minutes.

Place the fried garlic and almonds in a blender with the pimenton, ¼ cup of water, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Stir this mixture into the pan. Add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes. Lower heat and cover the pan. Cook until potatoes are tender, 20 minutes. Add the fish and shelled peas to the pan. Cook until fish flakes easily, 10 minutes. Add the snow peas, if using, and the shrimp. Cover and remove the pan from the heat. Allow to set 5 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

Black Olive Spread

Olivada Negra

Make this umami-rich spread with the wrinkly kind of salt-cured black olives. (Mine are home-cured Manzanillas.) If Spanish ones are not readily available, substitute Kalamata olives. You will need to pit the olives. Serve the spread with crudités for dipping—I like endive leaves and red pepper. It also goes well with hard-boiled eggs. Or, obviously, toasts or breadsticks if you are not avoiding bread.

Umami-rich ingredients for the olive spread.

1 cup pitted black olives

2 pitted prunes, dates or figs

1 clove garlic

3 sun-dried tomatoes

3 anchovy fillets (from a can)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons walnuts

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of dried thyme 

Endive leaves to serve

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until nearly smooth. Store refrigerated but bring to room temperature to serve. Serve with endive leaves.

Endive leaves with black olive spread.

Fish and vegetable chowder, no flour, almond milk instead of milk or cream.

 

Pan-fried fillets of sea bass, dipped in beaten egg and dredged in almond flour.

Curried squash soup with apple and coconut milk.

Beef stew with artichokes, carrots, and potatoes. A touch of Sherry vinegar replaces the wine. (Original recipe is here. )

LIGHT-UP THE DAY WITH A GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

 

On an overcast winter day, citrus fruits are like rays of sunshine. Winter and citrus season are nearly finished. In another month the orange trees on Andalusian streets will bloom. Meanwhile I’ve got a cache of tangy-sweet pink grapefruits to light up the day. 

This grapefruit salad is all about contrasts, in texture, color, and flavors. Juicy grapefruit segments meet crunchy red cabbage and buttery avocados. Adding shrimp makes a salad substantial enough for a main dish. 

Grapefruit Salad with Avocado and Cabbage

Ensalada de Pomelo, Aguacate y Col Lombarda

A bright salad with grapefruit segments, red cabbage, avocado, spinach leaves, and shrimp.

Serve the salad on individual plates or

Two ways to serve the salad: 

Either combine the grapefruit, cabbage, avocado, and shrimp in a bowl, dress with extra virgin olive oil, and serve atop salad greens on individual salad plates 

scoop from a serving platter.

or arrange greens on a platter, top with layers of cabbage, grapefruit, avocado, and shrimp, and drizzle oil over all. 

Serves 4.

1 ½ cups finely shredded red cabbage

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

3 pink grapefruits (approx. 10 ounces each)

2 medium firm-ripe avocados

1 cup small shelled and cooked shrimp

Extra virgin olive oil

Spinach leaves or other salad greens

Flaky salt

Garnish, as desired (pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, black olives, hazelnuts, thinly sliced red onions)

Place the shredded cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and vinegar.

Use your hands to mix and massage the cabbage. Let it stand 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour) before combining with other ingredients.

Cut off peel and pith.

Use a thin knife to peel the grapefruits. Following the curve of the fruit, cut off skin and white pith. Working over a small bowl to collect the juice, cut segments free from membranes and place them in a bowl. Peel and remove pits from avocados. Slice the avocados crosswise. Place the slices in a bowl and spoon 1 tablespoon of grapefruit juice over them. (Save remaining grapefruit juice for another use.)

Serve the salad, dressed generously with olive oil, either mixed in a bowl or layered on a platter. Sprinkle flaky salt over all and garnish the salad as desired.

More citrus salads:

Winter Salad with Oranges and Squash.

Salad of Sweet Potatoes, Clementines and Fennel

Málaga Salad with Oranges, Potatoes and Cod.

Potato-Orange Dunking Salad.

Moroccan Orange and Date Salad.

Orange and Artichoke Salad.

Orange, Avocado and Fennel Salad.

Coleslaw with Sour Orange Vinaigrette.

Chopped Salad with Peppers and Tangerine (Pipirrana).

Lemon Salad with Mint.

COCIDO: A ROBUST MEAL FOR WINTER

 

The cocido Maragato is served in reverse order--a platter with all the boiled meats and chicken first, then the chickpeas and vegetables, and the noodle soup last. 

Contundente is a word that means “blunt,” or, when applied to dinner, “robust,” stick-to-the-ribs food. The cocido, a one-pot meal made in every region of Spain, a calorific power-house, fits the bill perfectly. 

Cocido reaches its apex in winter months. Supermarkets feature a special section with all the necessary ingredients to make this warming meal. Stewing beef and bones, salt-cured pork fat, chicken, sausages, chickpeas. 

Cocido is a meal cooked in an olla, a pot-bellied vessel made to sit in the embers of the hearth. Nowadays, many cooks use an olla expres—a pressure cooker. From the big cooking pot are served a soup course and a main course consisting of platters of meats, sausages, dumplings, chickpeas, and vegetables. 

The cocido Maragato is, arguably, the most contundente of them all! The Maragato cocido comes from the Maragatería in the province of León (northwest interior Spain), a region historically famous for its arrieros, muleteers. They were the truckers of yore, transporting bacalao (salt cod), barrels of pickled oysters, bolts of linen cloth, skeins of wool, wine, grains, chickpeas, and even gold and silver between the Atlantic coasts and Madrid in the center.

While the Maragato cocido shares many similarities with the famous Madrid cocido, it has one important distinction—it is served in reverse! A platter of boiled meats, sausages, and chicken precedes the vegetables and chickpeas and the meal finishes with noodle soup. Perhaps this was because famished muledrivers couldn’t wait through a soup course before attacking the meat. Or maybe it was for the convenience of the kitchen. Since the meat has to be strained out of the broth anyway in order to prepare the soup, why not just serve the meat and get it out of the way?

Ingredients for cocido Maragato.

Taking the cocido in parts, you will need two or three days to prep and cook. Day 1 to soak the chickpeas and any salted meats and to marinate the ribs. Day 2 to cook the meats and chickpeas. Day 3 to cook the vegetables, finish the soup, and serve the cocido. 

Shown in the picture are ingredients for a cocido Maragato, clockwise from bottom left, morcilla (blood sausage), stewing beef, beef bone, marinated ribs, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, chickpeas, pig's ear, pig's foot, chorizo sausage, panceta (bacon), and chicken.

Cooking the meat, chicken, and chickpeas a day before serving allows you to strain the broth and refrigerate it until the following day. Then it’s easy to lift off the congealed fat from the surface, leaving the broth ready for making the soup.  If cooking and serving on the same day, allow the strained broth to stand 1 hour and skim off the fat that rises to the top.

The chickpeas (garbanzos) need to be soaked 8 to 12 hours, so start them a day before you intend to cook them. If possible use a variety such as Pico Pardal, Pedrosillana or Fuentesaúco. Be sure to read the cooking directions on the label. Some of these chickpeas need 3 hours cooking time! Put chickpeas to soak in hot (not boiling) water. Drain them and add them to the cook pot after the water has begun to heat. If your tap water is hard, use a pinch of baking soda in the soaking water. You will need about 8 ounces dried chickpeas for 6 to 8 servings. However, I always cook twice that amount and freeze the extra for another meal. Same three hours cooking time, after all.

Codillo, substitute for lacón.

The meats. Lacón is pork shoulder that has been salt-cured and smoked. It has to be soaked to de-salt it then cooked slowly. If sold pre-cooked, it can be added to the cocido pot with the chicken at the end of the cooking time. If not available, use smoked ham, gammon or pork hock. (I didn't find lacón in my grocery store, so I substituted pre-cooked smoked codillo, or pork hock.)

Fatty pork spare ribs (costillas) that have been hacked into pieces and marinated go into the cook-pot along with fresh or salt-cured pig’s ear and foot. Whether or not you intend to actually eat the pig’s foot, you should try to include it. The skin and cartilage are rich in collagen that makes a rich, full-bodied soup. 

Gallina, boiling fowl or stewing hen, gives the broth a lot of flavor. Cook it for the full 2 hours. If substituting regular chicken, add it during the last 30 minutes of cooking. 

In bygone times, salt-beef (cecina), somewhat like beef jerky, was used in cocido. Nowadays, cocido usually contains a piece of stewing beef such as shin, brisket or chuck. Cecina de León IGP has become a very pricey gourmet product. Not for boiling, rather it is served, like ibérico ham, raw and thinly sliced. Add beef marrow bones to the pot too.

Chorizo and morcilla sausages are not always included in the Maragato cocido. If used, they are cooked in a separate pot so as not to color the soup with the red pimentón spices of the sausages. If possible, use smoked chorizo and morcilla. This is easily sourced in Spanish supermarkets as Asturian compango, the smoked sausages and panceta (pork belly) that go into fabada in nearby Asturias. 

The Maragato cocido, like the madrileño version, includes relleno, a kind of dumpling. The relleno can contain chopped meat or be made with only breadcrumbs. Unlike most dumplings, they are first fried then simmered in the broth. Serve the relleno with the meats.

Vegetables. Cabbage is essential for this cocido. Potatoes are fairly usual. Carrots are permitted, if not traditional. That’s it. Cook the vegetables in a separate pot from the meats. If you don’t have enough broth in the main pot for making 6 servings of soup, add some of the cabbage cooking water to the broth. After removing the vegetables, use the cooking water to cook the sausages, reheat the chickpeas, and poach the relleno (dumplings). Serve the vegetables with ajoarriero, mule driver’s garlic sauce.  

For the soup, it’s only necessary to cook fideo noodles in the strained and de-fatted cooking broth.

3-Course Meal-in-a-Pot, Maragato Style

Cocido Maragato

Day before cooking:

8 ounces (or up to 1 pound) dried chickpeas

Hot water

1 pound pork spare ribs or pork shoulder

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

½ teaspoon oregano

2 cloves crushed garlic

¼ cup wine vinegar

Pig foot and ear add body to soup.

To cook the cocido:

1 pound boneless beef chuck or shin

Beef marrow bones

1 pig’s ear, blanched in boiling water

1 pig’s trotter, split in half and blanched in boiling water

2-inch piece of fat-back pork (tocino), fresh or salt-cured

8 ounces cured panceta (pork belly) or smoked bacon

12 cups water

¼ of a large, bone-in chicken (about 1 ½ pounds)

12 ounces pre-cooked lacón, gammon, smoked ham or pork hock

1 tablespoon salt + more to taste

Cook vegetables in another pot.

For the vegetables:

1 ½ pounds cabbage (½ medium cabbage) 

6 medium potatoes, peeled

3 carrots, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

Ajoarriero sauce (recipe follows)

Chorizo and morcilla sausages

For the relleno (dumplings):

½ cup fine dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for frying

Salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup finely-chopped cooked beef, ham, chicken or chorizo (optional)

For the soup:

8 cups strained cocido broth

3 ounces thin fideo noodles (¾ cup) 

Chopped parsley to serve

A day before cooking the cocido, place the chickpeas in a bowl and add hot water to completely cover the chickpeas. Let them soak until ready to cook the following day. If you are using salt-cured meats such as uncooked lacón put them in a separate container with water to cover. 

Make an adobo marinade for the ribs or pork shoulder. Separate the ribs. Use a cleaver to cut them crosswise into 2-inch pieces. If using shoulder meat, divide it into 6 pieces. Combine 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon pimentón, oregano and vinegar. Mix the marinade with the ribs. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. 

Skim the froth that rises.

Day 2, one day before serving the cocido. Place the piece of beef, bones, ear, trotter, pork fat, panceta and water in a large (6-quart or larger) soup pot. Place the pot on high heat. Keep skimming off the foam that rises to the top as the water heats. Drain the soaked chickpeas. If desired, place them in a net bag. Add the chickpeas to the pot. Continue skimming. Lower heat so the water bubbles gently. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Cover the pot and cook 1 hour. 

Taste the broth and add salt if necessary. Add the marinated ribs to the pot. Cook 30 minutes. Add the chicken and lacón or ham to the pot. Cook 30 minutes or until all the meats are fork tender (2 hours total). Use a large slotted spoon to remove all the meats, pieces of fat, and chicken. Test the chickpeas for doneness. If they are not completely tender, continue to cook the chickpeas 45 to 60 minutes longer. 

Pour the broth through a strainer into a clean pan or container. Once cool, refrigerate until the following day. Refrigerate the meats and chicken in a separate container. Cover and reserve the chickpeas.

Day 3, cooking the vegetables, preparing the relleno, and serving the cocido.

Remove the broth from the refrigerator. Lift the congealed fat off of the top of the broth. (Discard the fat or save for another use.) The broth will have jelled. Place it in a pan for making the soup and let it come to room temperature. There should be 8 cups of broth. 

Remove the container of meat from the refrigerator. Place all the meat in a pan with ¼ cup of the broth. Allow to come to room temperature. If you wish to add some of the meat, ham or chicken to the mixture for the relleno (dumplings), cut off a slice of the cooked meat, chop it finely (¼ cup) and reserve.

Mixture for dumplings.

For the relleno (dumplings):

Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic in a bowl. Beat the eggs in a small bowl with the oil. Stir into the crumbs. Add the chopped meat or chicken, if using. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix thoroughly and shape into a ball. If preparing in advance, cover with plastic wrap and chill. 

Fry then poach dumplings.

Shape the crumb mixture into 8 (2-inch) lozenges. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the dumplings until they are golden-brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. (They will cook further in the vegetable water.)

1 hour before serving. 

Place about 8 cups of water in a pot with 1 tablespoon of salt. Coarsely shred the cabbage. When the water boils, add the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Cook until they are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon. 

Add enough of the vegetable cooking water to the pan with the broth to make 8 cups. 

Reheat cooked chickpeas.

Add the chorizo and morcilla sausages and the relleno (dumplings) to the remaining vegetable water and cook 10 minutes. Reheat the reserved cooked chickpeas in the vegetable water and put them in a serving bowl.

Sauté cabbage.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet and sauté the cooked cabbage until it begins to brown slightly, 5 minutes. Place the cabbage in a serving bowl with the potatoes and carrots and spoon some of the ajoarriero sauce over them.  

Heat the meats and chicken. Place them on a platter. Remove bones from the chicken and separate it into large pieces. Use scissors to cut the ear and pancetta into pieces. Slice the beef and lacón or ham. Remove bones from the pig's foot and cut into pieces. Skim the chorizo, morcilla and dumplings out of the vegetable cooking water and place them on the platter with the meats. Cut the sausages into pieces. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

Bring the pot of broth to a boil and add the fideo noodles. Cook according to package directions, 2 to 3 minutes for thin noodles. Remove the pan from the heat.

Serve the platter of meats, chicken, sausages, panceta and dumplings. 

Serve the bowls of chickpeas, cabbage, potato, and carrots accompanied by the ajoarriero sauce. 

Serve the broth with fideo noodles sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Ajoarriero Garlic Sauce

This simple sauce from Castilla-León is similar to Galician ajada. Make double the quantity if you wish and serve it with simple grilled foods and with vegetables.

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

½ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera picante (spicy-hot smoked paprika), optional

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

2 tablespoons cocido broth

Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and fry until the pieces of garlic just begin to turn golden. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in one or both types of pimentón. Add the vinegar and broth from the cocido. Serve room temperature to accompany the cocido.

Regional cocidos:

Madrid-Style Boiled Dinner.

Sephardic Meal-in-a-Pot, Toledo Style.

Andalusian Meal-in-a-Pot (puchero).

Catalan Soup with Meats and Vegetables (escudella).

Canary Islands Vegetable Pot

Leftover cocido? Go ahead and put the leftovers all together with the broth. Sensational soup.