Fermented Foods for Everyday Eating E-Book

Ryland Peters & Small

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 133

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Explore this tantalizing collection of recipes using fermented foods to boost your health. Increasing the amount of fermented foods in your diet is now widely considered to be the key to a healthier and happier gut and immune system. The link between our mental health and mood and what we put in our bodies has never been stronger and there is a firm belief now that basing your daily nutrition around gut-friendly foods will boost your overall health and leave you energized and alert. It couldn't be easier to include fermented foods in your diet and this collection of recipes will give you a fail-safe plan to boost your nutrition and create a happy gut. Add some kimchi to your avocado on toast to start your day off the best way, include feta and halloumi in your lunchtime salad and enjoy an afternoon probiotic smoothie to optimize your digestive system. Using fermented foods in recipes is simpler than you think using these tantalizing suggestions, such as Banana and Blueberry Kefir, Probiotic Gazpacho, and Spring Rolls with Fermented Onion.

Leseprobe

FERMENTED

FOODS for

everyday eating

FERMENTED

FOODS for

everyday eating

DELICIOUSLY EASY RECIPES TO BOOST BODY & MIND

Senior Designer Toni Kay

Senior Editor Abi Waters

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Head of Production Patricia Harrington

Creative Director Leslie Harrington

Indexer Hilary Bird

First published in 2024 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text copyright © Val Aikman-Smith, Louise Avery, Chloe Coker, Megan Davies, Amy Ruth Finegold, Tonia George, Dunja Gulin, Jenny Linford, Theo A. Michaels, Jane Montgomery, James Porter, Shelagh Ryan 2024 (see also page 160 for full credits) Design and photography copyright © Ryland Peters & Small 2024

ISBN: 978-1-78879-580-7

E-ISBN: 978-1-78879-621-7

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for.

Printed and bound in China

NOTES

• Both American (Imperial plus US cups) and British (Metric) measurements and ingredients are included in these recipes for your convenience; however, it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between the two within a recipe.

• All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

• When a recipe calls for the zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before using.

• Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. We recommend using an oven thermometer.

• Sterilize preserving jars before use. Wash them in hot, soapy water and rinse in boiling water. Place in a large saucepan and then cover with hot water. With the lid on, bring the water to the boil and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave the jars in the hot water until just before they are to be filled. Invert the jars onto clean paper towels to dry. Sterilize the lids for 5 minutes, by boiling, or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Jars should be filled and sealed while they are still hot.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE FERMENTED KITCHEN

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

SOUPS, SALADS & LIGHT LUNCHES

MAIN DISHES

DESSERTS & BAKES

DRINKS

INDEX

CREDITS

INTRODUCTION

It’s thought that gut health can affect lots of different aspects of your health. Your gut is where your body digests food, absorbs energy and nutrients, and gets rid of waste products. It contains trillions of tiny bacteria and other microorganisms, but unlike harmful bacteria that can cause illness, the natural bacteria found in your gut are actually good for you. One of the best things you can do to look after your gut health is to eat a balanced and varied diet which includes plenty of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. It can also be helpful to introduce the ‘live’ bacteria found in fermented foods. Fermented foods are highly nutritious and easier to digest than the same foods eaten in their raw or cooked state. They are so nutritious because beneficial microorganisms that are involved in the fermentation process add live enzymes, B vitamins and protein to the food. Fermentation also increases the bioavailability of minerals present in food, helping the body to assimilate more nutrition. The microorganisms break down complex proteins, carbohydrates and fats into more easily assimilated molecules. Therefore, since healthy gut flora plays a key role in absorption, our body is able to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients, preventing nutrient deficiencies that are so common today.

Fermented foods are highly digestible because good bacteria pre-digest the food, and also because beneficial cultures supply additional enzymes to assist with the digestive process so that our digestive system doesn’t have as much work to do. So, we could say that helping digestion, absorption and adding nutrition are the most well-known health promoting properties of fermented foods. Apart from aiding digestion, the lactic-acid bacteria present in fermented foods also alter the pH in the intestines, and a balanced pH in the intestines has been associated with long life and good health. Also, the same lactic-acid bacteria create omega-3 fatty acids, essential for immune system function, which brings us to another very important health benefit of fermented foods – they strengthen our immune system! So, while enjoying a home-made kombucha or home-fermented kefir cream cheese spread over a slice of sourdough bread, you are actually building a resistant immune system that will help you fight disease. In the era when antibiotics are so frequently prescribed and gut flora is so frequently damaged, fermented foods replenish the microflora of the gut.

Improved digestion brings many other benefits, such as digestive comfort, regular bowel movement, better sleep, healthy and radiant skin, increased energy levels, loss of excess weight, possible decrease of sugar cravings, normalization of blood pressure levels, acid reflux and heartburn control, decrease of inflammation in the bloodstream, and candida-overgrowth control, among other things. While all this might sound amazing and the answer to many of our health problems, remember that we are all different, and while a glass of kefir a day might help in controlling the acid reflux for one person, it might not be so effective for someone else. That is why it is important to include different types of fermented foods and drinks into our diets and see which of them agree with us and which do not.

Recent research suggests there is also a link between your gut and your brain. This is sometimes known as the mind-gut connection, the brain-gut connection, or the gut-brain axis. Some digestive conditions, such as IBS, are now thought to be linked with both anxiety and depression and studies suggest that changing your gut bacteria could influence your mood.

The aim of this book is to help you understand and appreciate the benefits of consuming fermented foods and to demonstrate how easy it is to introduce more of them into your daily diet to enjoy better gut health. You can do this by either making simple fermented foods at home and/or buying them ready-made and using them in delicious recipes. If you want to make your own fermented dairy products, the recipes on pages 12–23 will show you how, with foolproof techniques on a range of buttermilk to a feta-style cheese. A sourdough starter and loaf recipe has been included, or simply get into the habit of buying good-quality sourdough bread on a weekly basis. Fermented probiotic drinks such as kefir and kombucha are available to buy these days but can be expensive so if you do develop a liking for them, learning how to make your own can be a great idea (see pages 26–29). Fermented vegetables have become popular, most notably the Korean pickle kimchi (see pages 30–41) for an achievable kimchi recipe, as well as other simple and versatile pickles to make. Japanese miso is produced by the fermentation of soybeans/soya beans and takes months or even years to mature, and the lengthy aging acts as an external digestive system, making it much easier for us to digest. It is not practical to make it at home but introducing it to simple recipes and dressings is a great way to enjoy the benefits it has to offer (see page 40–41).

Use the information and recipes in this book to embark on your own gut health journey today, at your own pace, and the benefits of improved physical and mental well-being will follow.

THE FERMENTED KITCHEN

BUTTERMILK

This useful dairy ingredient, with its delicately thick texture and faint sour tang, can be made very simply at home by triggering a ‘ripening’ process in milk, which causes the milk to thicken and take on a subtle sharpness. All that’s needed in order to start this process is either lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Please note that in the US, buttermilk is only so-called if a culture has been added to it; otherwise, it is known as ‘sour milk’.

500 ml/2 cups whole/full-fat milk, at room temperature

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

sterilized glass jar

muslin/cheesecloth

30-cm/12-in. length of string/twine

MAKES 500 ML/2 CUPS

Place the room-temperature milk in a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar or lemon juice and mix them well.

Set the mixture aside for 15 minutes, during which time the milk will thicken slightly and take on a faintly sour tang.

Store the buttermilk in a sterilized jar covered with muslin/cheesecloth tied up with string, in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 1 week.

SOUR CREAM

A versatile dairy ingredient, sour or soured cream is very simple indeed to make at home. Do take note, however, that several hours are required for the process of ‘souring’ to take place. Fortunately, however, the cream can simply be set aside during this time. Single/light cream rather than rich double/heavy cream is the starting point, giving sour cream its characteristic texture. Cultured buttermilk is added and mixed in, triggering a slow process whereby the single/light cream thickens and takes on the subtle sourness that the name ‘sour’ cream implies.

300 ml/1¼ cups single/light cream

3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

muslin/cheesecloth

30-cm/12-in. length of string/twine

MAKES ABOUT 350 ML/1½ CUPS

In a large bowl, mix together the single/light cream and buttermilk.

Cover the bowl with muslin/cheesecloth tied with string and set aside at room temperature for 7–10 hours until thickened. Chill until required.

CRÈME FRAÎCHE

With its subtle sour tang, crème fraîche is a sophisticated ingredient, used to add richness to dishes such as savoury flans, braised dishes and sauces. Despite its luxurious reputation, crème fraîche is very simple indeed to make at home – all it needs is time! The starting point for crème fraîche is smooth textured, butterfat-rich double/heavy cream. Then, cultured buttermilk is added, which triggers the process by which the cream thickens and takes on a slight sharpness.

300 ml/1½cups double/heavy cream

3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

MAKES ABOUT 350 ML/1½ CUPS

In a mixing bowl, mix together the double/heavy cream and buttermilk.

Cover and set aside at room temperature for 7–10 hours until the mixture has thickened. Chill until required.

YOGURT

This recipe uses cow’s milk, but you can use other milks such goat’s milk or sheep’s milk. In order to trigger the fermentation process, ‘live’ yogurt needs to be added, which will be labelled as such on the pot. The yogurt should be incubated in a warm place, such as an insulated cooler box, in which you can place sealed jars of boiled water in order to raise the temperature.

800 ml/3¾ cups whole/full-fat milk of your choice

3 tablespoons ‘live’ yogurt

kitchen thermometer

large sterilized jar or a couple of small sterilized jars

MAKES ABOUT 600 ML/2½ CUPS

Place the milk in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat the milk gently until it reaches 85°C (185°F), checking the temperature with the thermometer. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 10–15 minutes until the temperature lowers to 43°C (110°F). Now mix the ‘live’ yogurt into the warm milk.

Carefully pour the mixture into the sterilized jar or jars. Cover and set aside to incubate in a warm place for 7–8 hours until set to your taste.

The yogurt will keep in a refrigerator for up to 1 week.

LABNEH

Labneh is a Middle Eastern dairy creation. Sometimes called ‘yogurt cheese’ it is made very simply by straining yogurt through muslin/cheesecloth overnight. The result is a smooth-textured ‘cheese’ with a fresh, slightly tangy flavour. Using sheep’s or goat’s milk yogurt produces labneh that is bright white in colour, with a more pronounced sour tang than labneh made using cow’s milk yogurt.

500 g/2 cups Greek yogurt

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

muslin/cheesecloth

30-cm/12-in. length of string/twine long wooden spoon

MAKES ABOUT 350 G/1½ CUPS

Line a large bowl with a square of clean muslin/cheesecloth.

Mix the yogurt and salt (if using) together well. Place the yogurt in the centre of the muslin/cheesecloth square. Wrap the muslin/cheesecloth up around the yogurt and tie it firmly with a long piece of string/twine.

Suspend the muslin/cheesecloth parcel over a deep, large mixing bowl by tying it with the string to a wooden spoon laid across the top of the bowl.

Leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Then, unwrap and use as required.

RICOTTA

Ricotta is a soft cheese from Italy, used in both savoury and sweet dishes, from pastas to Sicilian cannoli. Traditionally, it was made using the left-over whey from cheese-making, hence its name which means ‘cooked again’. In the absence of whey, ricotta can be made very easily using whole/full-fat milk.

2.8 litres/3 quarts whole/full-fat milk (cow’s)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

½teaspoon salt

kitchen thermometer

colander

wet muslin/cheesecloth

MAKES APPROX 450–500 G/1¾–2 CUPS

Place the milk in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Heat it slowly and steadily over a medium heat until it reaches 82°C (180°F) on your thermometer.

Remove the milk from the heat and stir in the vinegar and salt at once, mixing thoroughly.

The milk should begin to curdle. Cover and set it aside for 3 hours. Be sure not to move the pan during this time so that the curds will form.

Place a large colander in the sink and line it with a double layer of wet muslin/cheesecloth. Pour the curds into the colander and leave to drain in the sink for 2 hours, so that the excess moisture runs off.

Transfer the ricotta cheese into a bowl and use as required.

CREAM CHEESE

This recipe involves enriching whole milk both with cream, which gives the cheese a gentle richness of flavour and texture, and ‘live’ yogurt. It is then heated and later curdled by adding rennet, before being set into curds, cut and drained. This transformation of simple ingredients into a soft cheese is enormously satisfying to make. The freshly made cream cheese will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

600 ml/2½cups whole/full-fat milk

400 ml/1⅔ cups double/heavy cream

100 ml/scant ½cup ‘live’ yogurt

5 drops of cheese-making rennet, dissolved in a little previously boiled and cooled water

salt

kitchen thermometer

shallow, slotted spoon

muslin/cheesecloth

colander

30-cm/12-in. length of string/twine

MAKES 200–300 G/1–1⅓ CUPS, DEPENDING ON DRAINING TIME

Mix together the milk, cream and yogurt in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Gently heat the mixture to 100°F (38°C), checking it with a thermometer. Then, remove from the heat and stir in the rennet mixture and the salt. Stir for 2–3 minutes during which time the milk will begin to curdle. Cover the saucepan with a lid and set aside for 1 hour until the curd has set.

Using a shallow, slotted spoon, cut through the mixture right down to the bottom of the pan. Make this first ‘cut’ in the centre of the pan, then perform the same movement at roughly 2.5 cm/1 in. intervals to the left and right of the centre until you reach both edges of the pan. This will allow the curds to separate from the whey. Using the same spoon, carefully remove the curds from the pan, draining off the whey as you do so.

Place the curds in a muslin-/cheesecloth-lined colander standing on a deep plate. Gather the muslin/cheesecloth together and squeeze the curds to drain off excess whey. Tie the muslin/cheesecloth with string/twine and suspend the parcel over the colander by attaching string to a long wooden spoon placed across the colander’s rim. Leave for at least 8 hours to drain. Remove the cheese from the muslin/cheesecloth, add a little salt and mix in well.

COTTAGE CHEESE

Cottage cheese retains some moisture after it’s been made, which accounts for its characteristic texture. When making it at home, you can experiment by using milks with different fat contents which will alter its flavour and richness.

2 litres/2 quarts semi-skimmed/low-fat milk

5 drops liquid cheese-making rennet

2 tablespoons previously boiled water, cooled

2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk