Artichokes how I love thy thistle

We are enjoying our Alkaline broth and as promised artichokes are next on the menu.

Now that the Butcher is on board with taking care of his liver, I am enthusiastically getting ready to have liver loving foods in the house.

So as I list recipes  keep in mind that they are not going to be an all out cold turkey cleanse complete with potions and pills. I will be putting together a good herbal blend for tea as well as including many culinary herbs. We are striving for delicious, delicious,delicious foods in season that bring all the right nutrients and foods into our diet.

And this is the point, isn't it? How many times I have commented and thought that we are a matched set, the planet and us? Many more than I can remember. But we eat for comfort, we eat because chocolate milk and cookies  make us feel loved, as we probably were when we were kids and mom was making the sugo.

And that's great, but it's just not good all the time.


I am in the Mediterannean now, so that which supports us will come from food that is available here. I know, I know it is amazing how easy it can be when we are close to the farms as we are here. But even if you can't find a farm or a farmer's market nearby, these items can be found.  Write to me if you want me to brainstorm how to use what I mention here in your climate.

So in season in Sicily will be different from in season in NYC or Texas. But let's start a dialogue. It will get interesting and of course delicious.

Our livers thank us for the effort, with all that the liver is responsible for it is only loving in response to give it what it needs. Kind of like Jerry McGuire, "help me to help you" help your liver so it can help you.

 Tomorrow I am going to make a risotto. Here is the tentative recipe. I will post photos and modifications tomorrow.

• 4 or 5 artichokes (cleaned and cut in 6 pieces each)
• 2 cups of Arborio rice
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• half onion (chopped)
• 1 small spoon of chopped garlic
• about 4 cups of alkaline broth
• salt
• 1/2 cup of white wine I would like to use kombucha as a  subtitute, but don't have any yet, so I will play with just adding some more brodo (broth)- perhaps adding a tbs of local artisanally produced vinegar, to give it a bite.
• 3 tablespoons of good quality butter- need a substitution for this.- might consider yogurt which will add a bit of a bite, so maybe I won't need the vinegar.
• 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese this I might add, since it is aged and will bring less of a lactose burden to the meal than non aged cheese would. Since I have some Nutritional yeast, I am considering substituting that for the Parmesan cheese.

How to prepare: These are the instructions as written, I will be modifying and rewriting after preparation tomorrow. But if you want to go ahead and give it a whirl, here they are.

1. Put the oil into the pan, turn on the gas and add the chopped onion. Let it fry a while and add the chopped garlic and the artichokes.
2. Let it fry for a while, and then add the rice. Keep mixing it all until il melts well and then add the wine. Let the alcohol evaporate and add some broth.
3. Put a tap on the pan and lower the gas. Once in a while open it and mix, adding broth when necessary.
4. After about 12 minutes, taste a grain to check its cooking. When it's quite done, turn off the gas, add the butter, the grated parmesan cheese, mix it all energetically and close the pan again.
5. Let it rest for 5 minutes and serve.

All contents copyright 2004-2011. All rights reserved.

2011 already here.

Wishing all a year of Dreams and Intentions Fulfilled. The fireworks have stopped and the spumante has run dry.

Already feeling the effects of so much Sicilian food, and ready for the New Year feeling cleaner and lighter.

Today I made my Alkaline Broth-- no excuses.

It is good for all that ails you.

Recipe:
I took my pasta pot and added:
cleaned, but not peeled

1 whole bunch of celery with lots of leaves, chopped into 3 inch pieces
1 pound of carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 medium bulbs of fennel  cut into quarters- no greens this time, but if i had them, i would have added them about one hour into the process.
2 onions, not sliced, with the skins on, and cut with an "X" at the top.
2 heads of garlic, cut through the middle, from side to side.
5 potatoes, sliced in half. I used new potatoes, with thin skins.

Cover with spring water and fill so the water is over the vegetables by about 2 inches.

Simmer for about 1.5hours till veg are soft and almost flavorless. or flavorless. This gets all the minerals out and into the broth.

The point of the Broth is to make digestible the alkalizing minerals:

The following gives a brief overview of how important the three main organic minerals are,  from http://cleanse.net/mineralrichvegetablebroth.aspx

Organic Sodium - is needed for utilization of oxygen. Lack of organic sodium can cause the following problems: indigestion, weak muscles and tissues, cracking joints, arthritis, osteoporosis, difficult breathing, catarrh or mucous, lack of saliva, lack of hydrochloric acid, sleepy during the day and awake at night, patient feels good one day and bad the next, slow digestion, constipation, gas in stomach and bowels, palpitation, liver trouble, weak eyesight, nerves on fire, judgment unreliable, stiff joints, bloating, gas, dry skin, confusion, frontal headache, offensive breath, poor concentration, weak heart, emotional ups and downs, poor complexion. Lack of sodium is the forerunner of most chronic and degenerative diseases, such as AIDS, cancer blood diseases and many other diseases, because it is one of the most important, if not the most important buffer of acids for the body. 99 people out of 100 are lacking organic sodium. Sodium chloride or table salt has the opposite effect of organic sodium. Table salt actually takes organic sodium out of the body, and causes more damage to normal intestinal mucosa than any other substance! Stay away from sodium chloride as if your life depended on it. Good sources of organic sodium are celery, okra, black mission figs, carrot juice, beets, whey (goat milk whey is far superior to cow's milk whey and is less mucous-forming). A doctor-prescribed low-sodium diet will cause more harm than good, unless it only restricts intake of table salt.


Organic Potassium - is needed to convert food, especially sugars and fat, into the proper compounds. Excess gas is an indication of low potassium level. Potassium is also needed for the generative functions, for the nerves, brain, joints and spinal cord. Like sodium, it is needed for utilization of oxygen. We hear about the importance of iron for the blood and oxygen, but potassium is even more important for the blood. Potassium and sodium are needed for energy transference and the electrical conductivity in our bodies. Lack of potassium means lack of coordination, poor sleep, possible enlargement of the liver, kidney problems, itchy skin, constipation, nerve trouble, muscle weakness and poor memory, a feeling of sand in the eyelids, pains in left ear but not the right, pus and mucous in the mouth, throat and stomach, pain in the lower back of the head, sore tender skin, annoyance at wearing shoes, a desire for cold water or drinks, displacement of the uterus, nausea from excitement, a tendency toward violence, loss of ambition, acidity, restlessness, nervousness, mental illness, a desire to be alone, negativity. Some of the highest sources of potassium are: skins(only the skins) of potatoes, parsley, cayenne pepper, yams, carrot juice, kelp, dulse, irish moss, raisins, dried peaches and pears, papaya, avocado, dried figs, and all herbs, especially the bitter herbs. Almost all fruits and vegetables have potassium, but cooking them can remove much of it.
Organic Calcium - is another mineral needed for the utilization of oxygen. We think that calcium is needed for the bones and teeth, but it is needed for much more than that. Injuries of any kind need calcium, for that is what knits people back together again. Calcium gives strength and power to the body. If we lack calcium, we would lack strength and will power. There would be a tendency toward fear, indecision, aches, pain, fatigue, profuse perspiration, catarrh, hemorrhaging, cramps in the calves, boredom, brain fatigue, digestive problems, bone softening, lung problems, abscesses, etc. Highest calcium foods are: dulse, kelp, irish moss, seeds, all greens, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, and lemons. Never eat dairy products for calcium! You will lose more calcium from your body than you will gain from taking cow liquids. There are two reasons for this: more sodium, potassium and calcium are used up buffering the acids from dairy products than we can get from drinking or eating them, and dairy products are excessively high in phosphorus. In order to assimilate anything with phosphorus, we need twice the amount of calcium; eating dairy forces the body to find calcium wherever it can - bones, teeth, etc. There is one exception to this: whey. Whey is the by-product of making cheese. The phosphorus and acids remain in the cheese, making whey a valuable food that is especially high in organic sodium.



Importance of Enzymes - every metabolic function in our body is the result of enzymes. Nothing can happen without them. You cannot walk, talk, breathe or think without them! You get sick and will die to the degree of loss of enzyme function. If you are sick, then something happened to your enzymes. Either you ran short, or they could not function well. There are three exceptionally important factors that affect enzymes: 1) they are rapidly used up by eating cooked foods and by emotional stress, 2) enzymes need minerals to function, and 3) enzymes lose their ability to function in an overly acid environment. You may want to boost your enzymes when stressed or eating cooked foods by taking Rich Anderson's enzyme supplements. Organic sodium, potassium and calcium are vital to your well being. Proper minerals can restore health in many, many cases. Instructions for the test are in the book, Cleanse and Purify Thyself, Book One (pg. 142), by Richard Anderson, N.D., N.M.D.

I toyed around with the idea of putting in Artichoke leaves, but they are so intense in flavor, that I decided to wait and use them in another recipe. They are amazing for your liver, but decidedly overwhelming in flavor. I want this broth to be a happy experience for both me and my meat eating Butcher, so I did not put them in. I will post my recipes using the artichoke leaves in a few days.

What I do is make as much as I can possibly fit into my largest pasta pot, drain off the broth from the veg, freeze the broth in small containers and ice cube trays , and for a few days eat the veg with or as my meals, a tsp or so of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt while I am here in Sicily, or some himalayan salt when I am not.



The carrots and the potatoes together just feels so good. And of course, I chew.

Hope yours is yummy and healing to you too!


All contents copyright 2004-2011. All rights reserved.

wisdom of the seasons

Christmas in Sicily is like a parade of sweets. Sicilians LOVE THEIR TREATS. We ate Cassata, cannoli, 7 veils chocolate mousse/cake, panettone, pistachio nutella, regular nutella, and so much of everything else.

Then January comes and Mother Nature's merciful wisdom, springs forth the remedy. Wild Greens. All sorts of chicoria, chards, bitter greens. This is the way to love your liver.

I think back to Whole Foods and how thrilled I was to pay 2.99 a pound for cultivated dandelion, if and when I could get it.

Just the other day I purchased off the back of a one of those aluminum foil putt putt truckettes, 5 euro worth of greens. It weighed 5 kilos. 11 pounds of greens!!! So I have blanched and shocked some, juiced some and had some in salads and sauteed the rest for pasta (gluten free, really this O blood type girl needs a break from the wheat!)

And this week Carnevale has started. It can be a roller coaster here participating in all the food rituals. But if you look really closely and pay attention to the land, you find what you want.

I am determined to make my own olive leaf tincture one day soon. There is a fornaio just down the block from us that burns huge branches of olive trees and all their leaves for the daily bake. It bugs me every time. Gotta get the leaves.


I am though, happily brewing my latest batch of kombucha and this is definitely adding to my quality of life. Thank you fermentation and culinary wisdom from around the world.

So amongst the temptations of Bar Ester (making amazing gelato and other too beautiful to resist pastries) and all kinds of seasonal desserts, I am perservering in eating in sync with the real seasons, not just the festivals.






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All rights reserved.