Healthy January 0.3

Sourdough wholemeal focaccia with onions and radicchio

Like many, I have been playing with sourdough since the beginning of the first lockdown in England. It kept me busy as it is like a pet to care for. Anthony Bourdain in his book Kitchen Confidential mentioned several chefs giving names to their starter. One of his colleagues used to call it the B****

Have you given a name to yours yet?  

This recipe is sort of an adaptation of a regional recipe from my area in Sardinia, Pratzira with onions (Onions focaccia). Pratzira comes in different flavours and shapes, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms and so on. 

I absolutely love the onions version with its sweet taste and slippery texture. Add some tasty radicchio leaves and you are in for a treat!  

If you do not know how to make natural yeast, there are many resources online bit I will share the recipe with you in the near future.  Check this space.

A bit about nutrition…

When I consulted my blog partner Giulia about this recipe for our healthy January. She said “Ok, we are halfway through our detox month and, therefore, we can allow ourselves to cook something scrumptious and slightly higher in carbs than our previous recipes. “

The star of these focaccine, though, are the veggies — radicchio and onions. The purple-and-white type of leaf vegetable can be eaten raw, mixed in into salads and contorno, but it is AMAZING also if cooked. Radicchio, also known as Italian Chicory is packed with plant compounds —especially in its red part— which act as antioxidants on free-radicals and can improve circulation.
Onions have been seen in research to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, to act as a prebiotic on our gut flora, and to be able to balance the immune system and improve heart health.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224407002282
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2011.646364

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Prep Time: 45 minutes + 

leavening time about 14 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 15 hours 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH

210g strong wholemeal flour 

150ml water

10ml olive oil

5g salt

70g sourdough starter 

360g white onion

170g radicchio

60ml olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

First thing you will need to activate your sourdough starter by feeding it on the night before using it. 

The second step is often called by the experts as “autolyse”. 

In a small bowl, mix the water, wholemeal flour, and oil. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set aside for 1 hour. This is to allow the enzymes in the flour to activate.

Then add in the natural yeast and knead for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough. Now add in the salt and knead for another 2 minutes. 

Let it rest for 8-12 hours or until it is doubled in size. This time can vary significantly depending on the temperature in your kitchen and of your ingredients, and how active is your starter. 

A generall tip is to check the consistency of the dough, it should be bouncy and light.

Slice your onions into thin rings. Then cook them in a pan with 30ml of olive oil for about 10 minutes or until translucent. 

Stir constantly to avoid burning them. 

Let the onions cool down. Keep some aside, you will need these to decorate your focaccine. Then gently incorporate the rest into your dough, folding the edges of the dough on top of it a couple of times.

Put the dough onto a floured surface and portion it into 8. Then shape each one into a small ball, tucking the sides in with your hands. Dust some flour all around and on the top of each ball rubbing it genlty with your hands. Cover them with a cloth and let them raise again for about one and a half hours.

Preheat the oven to 220 ºC

Now place each ball into a greased baking tray and flatten each one using your finger tips. Pressing genlty and avoiding knocking out all the air. 

Cut the radicchio into small wedges to fit into your focaccine. Place some of the radicchio leaves on the top of each focaccina. 

Bake for 10 minutes. Then drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top and cook for further 10 minutes or until is gold. 



Healthy January 0.2

Artichokes in olive oil and parsley dressing

My obsession with artichokes goes as far as trying to smuggle two small plants with pot and soil in my suitcase from Sardinia to grow them in London. They arrived safely but suffered a few injuries on the way. 

Sadly I also failed in my attempt to grow them in London, all of them died after one month of incessant rain.

The Sardinian variety is with spikes, which I found difficult to find in the UK. I have just recently seen that the brand Natoora sells them online. (This post is not sponsorised)

Some time ago I visited the Blue zone of Sardinia, an area with a high longevity rate among the inhabitants, and speaking with some of the oldest inhabitants it seems that many like to eat artichokes. So I consulted my blog partner Giulia, to know more about these delicious vegetables from the nutritional point of view. 

“Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus is without any doubt one of our favourite flowers from the Mediterranean region, the area where Italy is located and where Jennifer and I come from.
Artichoke is an edible thistle (a flowering plant) and it is absolutely delicious —you can’t blame us for loving it so much!

When cooked artichoke has a succulent meaty pulp and a sweet and nutty taste. You can also eat it raw —mainly the inner part known as the heart— but the consistency is definitely more fibrous and the taste is bitter.
This chubby green thistle is also packed with nutrients and health-promoting benefits. Artichokes are low in fat and rich in fibre which make them a great food for our digestive system and our heart health. They also contain a good amount of antioxidants, vitamin C, K and folate, and important minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

Medical research has found that this plant, which has been used for centuries for its benefits, may help balance cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Another great reason to consume artichoke as both a vegetable or an extract is the protective and stimulating effects it may have on our liver and gut health. The fact that this plant is also so high in fibre —especially a soluble fibre called inulin— makes it a prebiotic food, which can help improving the intestinal flora.

As we don’t waste anything in Jenny’s kitchen while we prepare our recipes, we used those inedible leaves we removed from the artichokes before cooking to make a tea. This tea has a bittersweet taste and it is a great drink to stimulate digestion and liver health. “

This recipe is great served as a starter to complement a cheese or cured meats board or even as a side dish.

This is the best season for Artichokes so make sure you don’t miss them!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30308247/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22435514/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26310198/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29520889/

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Recipe

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Cooking time: 35 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

8 artichokes

1 lemon

1 tsp salt 

50ml white wine vinegar

1l water

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

a handful of fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Artichokes oxidise when cut, therefore rub some lemon juice into your hands before touching them. 

To prepare the artichokes remove about some of the harder outer leaves until you are left with the softer ones. Cut most of the stalk, leaving about 1 cm. Trim the stalk into a point and chop about 2-3 cm off the tips of the leaves.

Slice them in a half and then cut the so called “beard“ just below the leaves. 

Place the artichokes in a large bowl with water and the juice of two lemons (this will prevent them from turning black).

In a large pan bring the vinegar and water and 1 tsp of salt to the boil. Add the artichokes and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Leave to cool down into their own liquid.

Now we will prepare our dressing. Finely chop the parsley. In a small bowl pour in the olive oil and spoon in your parsley.

Pat-dry your artichokes with a table cloth and pour some of the parsley oil previously made on the top. 

You can add a squeeze of lemon juice for extra sharpness if you prefer.