Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/2452/-1/126/
|
Eating My Words by Chef Daniel Orr
|
Daniel Orr is Executive Chef at Kitchen Stadium, Santorini Restaurant, Famiglia and the Tapas Lounge and Rum Bar at CuisinArt Resort & Spa and is working on “A Chef’s Diet” Cookbook and Cooking in Paradise.
WHY WE OVEREAT
|
|
Chef Daniel Orr
|
The multitude of reasons for overeating are completely baffling to some, and crippling to others. The popular image of the overweight mother taunting her children to make sure they finish what’s on their plates is one very good reason, as is the barrage of advertisements on television at all times of day. Larger portion sizes in the home and especially in fast food restaurants contribute to overeating. Depression, anxiety, and stress also play a role. For me it is a very personal battle that involves comfort, escape and fear.
In my life I’ve been both incredibly healthy and terribly out of shape, flip-flopping from one to the other and never understanding why. It took 9/11 to bring me down again, and for the year that followed I ate my way to an all-time scale-tilting level. It didn’t take I stopped exercising because I felt embarrassed by the way I looked. I used food as a Band-Aid to make it all feel better. All I wanted to do was not to feel.
As we overeat, we not only fill our stomachs and become accustomed to a certain amount of food, but also end up storing excess calories as fat. This can lead to obesity, which in turn can lead to serious health problems. Paleolithic man possibly spent many hours and perhaps days without large quantities of food. Hunger was probably an integral part of life, and when food was available it was cherished. As a chef and a New Yorker I too am constantly searching for food but I’m searching to bring happiness to others, to create dishes to excite and amaze.
In the United States and most developed countries, so much food is available at any time of day that most never go hungry. Eating snack food on top of three large meals a day can really pile on the calories. Just because food is available twenty-four hours a day doesn’t mean we have to eat all day long. This is a difficult concept for most to understand.
Eating should be pleasurable, nourishing, healthy and above all not in excess. My first book was filled with healthy, great-tasting recipes, yet I had lost the will to follow them. The past seemed so far gone and the future so unsure that I questioned if it was worth the energy and time to get myself back together. Well, we all know the answer - of course it is.
I’ve found that one of the hardest things to do is to put your arms around yourself and give yourself the hug you need - the kind of love we can only give ourselves. In times of trouble or insecurity we tend to worry about the ones around us. It is so much easier to take care of others because we know they need it. Our own needs are put aside until we find the desire and courage to look inward once again.
North African Stewed Vegetables with Raisins and Spices
Why we overeat varies from one person to the next, but what we want is to feel better. This dish will do that with its touch of sweetness from the raisins and the richness of the spices. You can eat this hot or cold, so make a nice big batch and keep it around for those times you feel a lack of control. Fill baked sweet potatoes or squash with it, put it in a wrap, make an omelette or eat it with whole-grain or rice pasta. You’ll feel full and happy that you made something good for yourself and your family.
Recipes are guidelines, so adapt them to your own taste. Have fun, and
remember - don’t be afraid of flavor!
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 pound roughly chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
3 fresh chiles, left whole
2-3 fresh bay leaves
3 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (or whole canned plum
tomatoes with their liquid)
6-8 cups assorted vegetables cut into large, like-sized pieces (such as whole
baby okra, butternut squash, green beans, assorted peppers, summer and
zucchini squashes)
1-1/2 cups black raisins or dried currants
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Kitchen D’Orr Mellow Yellow Spices (available at CuisinArt) or
curry powder
1 tablespoon Kitchen D’Orr Sweet Seasons Spices (available at CuisinArt) or
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon) salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: 1/2 cup each of chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves
In a large saucepot or soup pot heat the olive oil over high heat and toss in
the onions, garlic, chili peppers and bay leaves and allow them to sizzle in the
hot oil and release their flavors. Add remaining ingredients and bring everything
to a boil. Reduce heat to a heavy simmer and cook until everything is tender
and the flavors have melded. This should really be a cooked vegetable stew,
not a bunch of al dente vegetables. On the other hand, do not overcook them
to the point that they are mush.
If there is too much liquid in the mix, spoon out the vegetables to the serving
bowl and reduce the juices to a nice glaze. Pour it over the stew and toss lightly
with the mint and coriander. Serve at once.
Note: the chiles may be removed at any time during the cooking when you
feel the dish is spicy enough for your taste.
I’d love to hear from you. I am collecting recipes and stories for future articles
and books and would love to include your favorite family recipes and food
memories from the kitchen, the garden or the sea. You can reach me at
dorr@cuisinart.aior stop me on the road if you see the CuisinArt Chef Mobile.