In this Issue

About Sophia Lindop

Farm girl by birth, city girl by marriage… The only constant in my life has always been good, wholesome food, wine and company! Although I chose a variety of career paths in my life, I studied food and wine for six years before embarking on a detour that finally led me back to the kitchen, where I feel so at home! This newsletter is an invitation for you to come into my kitchen, with all its fragrances, warmth and laughter! Please come inside…

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www.sophialindop.com

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We are what we Eat!

OK, so this is not on the Top 10 List of favourite foodie subjects, but it’s real! And it’s something that more and more people are suffering from – high cholesterol! It hit home when I accompanied Paddy to the doctor yesterday to discuss the results of his annual check-up. His cholesterol is too high (fortunately he doesn’t smoke, he’s not overweight, he exercises regularly, and does not have a family history of heart disease – all of which work in his favour…)

Orson Welles, the US actor and director, is quoted to have uttered once, “My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four – unless there are three other people.” Isn’t this just such a common problem? Sometimes I gaze at the dinner table before we sit down to eat, and I wonder where the other six people are…? But it’s not only about how much we eat; it’s also about what we eat.

Here's the lowdown on Cholesterol...

Cholesterol is a sterol (i.e. a combination of a steroid and alcohol), a fat-soluble, naturally-occurring molecule that is found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is insoluble in blood, and minimally soluble in water – it can therefore not dissolve and travel in our water-based bloodstreams, and is transported by lipoproteins (like little protein molecular ‘suitcases’).

Cholesterol is found in animal fat. As a general rule, animal fat = cholesterol / no animal fat = no or negligible amounts of cholesterol. So things like eggs, red meat and poultry are a dietary source of cholesterol. Listen to this… To ingest the amount of cholesterol in one egg, you would have to drink (yuck!) about 9,6 litres of pure peanut oil!!!

“How can I reduce my cholesterol through what I eat?”

Well, here are a few tips…

1. Reduce your total fat intake, e.g. remove the skin of the chicken, cut the fat from your lamb chop,
2. have an egg or two only once a week,
3. eat more game meat (which has very little fat),
4. do not drown your steamed potato in butter,
5. cut back on your cheese and cream intake,
6. make your own salad dressing by using olive oil or grapeseed oil with a dash of balsamic vinegar (most commercially prepared dressings are high in fat),
7. eat fish rich in fish oil rather than shellfish (also high in cholesterol),
8. eat more fibre,
9. drop your weight (if you need to) by burning those calories,
10. and finally, choose your parents carefully!

Rocket Salad with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Anchovies and Parmesan

Because there is very little you can do about the latter, here is a recipe to include in your diet that contains more of what you need to consume.

It’s still cold, so I thought I’d share this warm salad with you. Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano – the real thing) is the best cheese to eat as it is low in cholesterol.

This makes a wonderful starter.

Serves 6
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 90 minutes
Difficulty - easy!
Suggested wine as accompaniment - a little Italian Frascati

Ingredients
9 Roma tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
200g rocket leaves
12 anchovy fillets (depends on your taste…)
200g Parmesan

For the dressing:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 spring onion, finely chopped

Method
1. Preheat oven to 150ºC.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half and place skin side down on an oven tray.
3. Sprinkle with the garlic.
4. Mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and spoon over the tomatoes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 1½ hours.
7. Remove and allow to cool.
8. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing.
9. Arrange the rocket on individual plates.
10. Place three tomato halves on top.
11. Cut each anchovy fillet into four pieces and scatter eight pieces of anchovy over the top of each serving.
12. Slice the Parmesan into thin strips with a cheese slicer and arrange on top.
13. Finally pour over the dressing.

Apparently a glass of red wine a day keeps the cholesterol at bay! Yay! What a good idea! Pop a cork, eat wiser, be healthy, and let’s not aim to meet in the hospital corridor, but rather around a table laden with wholesome cuisine!

By the way, bookings for my September cookery course, on Saturdays 15th, 22nd and 29th, are now open – I hope to welcome you into my kitchen in Cape Town!

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The year is slowly drawing to a close, and every business is starting to plan  how to thank their clients and employees for their loyalty, so if you need me to design an unforgettable menu for your next function, click here now!

Until next time…think before you eat!

www.sophialindop.com