NAIRN'S new recipes came as a survey revealed many Scots are ignorant of the harm foods high in fat, sugar and salt can do your health.
CELEBRITY chef Nick Nairn has warned that it’s time for Scots to turn their backs on food high in fat, sugar and salt before it’s too late.
The 53-year-old has come up with a series of recipes offering healthy alternatives to some of the nation’s staple foods, including burgers – particularly apt given the horsemeat scandal currently gripping the food industry.
Nick’s recipe suggestions came as a survey revealed many people are still ignorant of the harm being caused by their bad diets.
And so he is pleading with everyone to learn more about cooking so that we can turn the tide on a range of health problems.
He said: “Scotland’s relationship with food is not as healthy as it should be. That’s the basic problem.
“We like eating greasy pies and we like to add a lot of salt before we taste anything.
“A recent report found that we’re a bit more aware of the problem but that we haven’t moved things along nearly as much as we think we have done.
“So how do we change the Scots’ relationship with food for the better? There are lot of things we have to tackle, and education is at the heart of it.
“We want to eat better food, we want to live longer and we want to be fitter, healthier and more active.
“Schools do pretty well in terms of activity, and the Active Scotland campaign has been a big success, so why can’t we do the same thing for food and drink?
“It’s not an easy thing to tackle, so we have to look at creative ways to replace salt, sugar and fats with herbs, garlic and other flavours.”
A survey commissioned by the Change4Life healthy living campaign, as they launched their latest TV adverts, found that half of those questioned didn’t know that there are 11 lumps of sugar in a can of cola.
Almost the same number didn’t know that a large takeaway pepperoni pizza has twice the recommended maximum daily intake of saturated fat.
The Record visited the Nick Nairn Cook School at Port of Menteith in Stirlingshire to see the chef create some healthy versions of our favourite dishes.
He said: “We’re looking at some of the traditional bad boys of the food world that can have a lot of fat, salt and, in some cases, sugar. So burgers, pizzas and curries.
“One of the reasons curries taste so good is that they’re full of oil, but the calorie content is huge, the saturated fat content is often quite high and the salt content is often very high.
“What we’re going to do is reduce a lot of that stuff and in some cases replace it with other things. In the burger we’re going to use lean beef, which has less than 10 per cent fat.
“And in the pizza we’re going to make the base from 50 per cent white flour and 50 per cent wholemeal flour. We’ll also make the tomato sauce with a little less olive oil and no salt.”
HEALTHIER BURGER – SERVES 4
NICK said: “Veg, veg, veg. It’s my answer to healthier eating – pack in the veg. So, using lean beef, I’ve bulked up the burger with grated carrot, pepper and more.”
500g lean shoulder
40g spring onions,
60g finely chopped
80g grated carrot
For the salsa:
2 chopped tomatoes
Juice half a lime
2 tbsp fresh,
2 tbsp olive oil
Place the vegetables in a large bowl and mix together.
Add in the raw meat and mix together with your hands until it’s well combined. Add in a grind or two of black pepper and mix again.
Very gently shape the mixture into balls, then lightly pat down into burger shapes.
The trick here is not to overwork the mixture or it will make tough burgers.
Place on a baking tray ready to cook.
Either grill or cook gently in a frying pan with just a dash of olive oil. Be careful not to cook too hot or the vegetables may burn.
If you like a bun, spread a teaspoon of ketchup on each burger and use wholemeal buns.
Malay Chicken Curry – SERVES 6
NICK said: “Don’t use too much oil, use low-fat coconut milk. Pack it full of healthy veg and a bit of leftover chicken and serve with boiled rice.”
For the spices:
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
6 black peppercorns
5cm piece cinnamon stick
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp turmeric
For the paste:
3 medium onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
6 fresh red chillies
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp chopped or ground almonds
3 sticks lemongrass, outer section removed, middle chopped finely
For the veg and meat:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
(use leftovers and any fresh veg to make up the amounts here – the following are suggestions)
400g butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cubed
300g new potatoes, halved
1 medium aubergine, cubed
1 pinch Maldon salt
400g can reduced fat
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
300g cooked chicken, chopped into bits
1 large bunch chopped fresh coriander
Put the coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg into a heavy frying pan and dry roast over a medium heat until you can smell the aroma.
Don’t let them change colour or the flavour will become bitter.
Tip into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind down to powder. Stir in the turmeric and set aside.
Put the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, paprika, almonds and lemongrass into a food processor. Add a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of water and blend to a paste. You may need to add more water.
Heat the other tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onion paste and fry for about five minutes.
Stir in the spice mix then veg, coating with the onions and spices.
Fry until the onion begins to turn brown, add the salt and 500ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and veg is tender.
With five minutes to go, add the chicken and mix to ensure it heats through. Garnish with coriander.
Flatbread Roasted Veg Pizza – SERVES 4
NICK said: “Veggies again – this pizza is more sustaining than a skinny shop-bought one that’s smothered in cheese. I’ve cut back on the cheese, used no salt, and very little sugar. It’s much healthier than a supermarket pizza and way healthier than an oily takeaway.”
For the quick tomato sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g tin chopped tomatoes
½ a small fresh red chilli (optional), seeded and finely chopped
A pinch of sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the flatbread base:
100g wholemeal flour
2 tsp sunflower oil
150ml warm water
Assorted veg for roasting:
250g mix of peppers/aubergine/courgette/tomatoes/mushrooms
150-200g mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil to serve
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Chop the veg for roasting into bite-size pieces and spread out on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil and a few grinds of pepper. Place in the hot oven for 30 minutes until softened and slightly charred. Leave the oven on.
Now make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the garlic. Cook until soft but not brown (or it will taste bitter). Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Stir to stop it sticking. When nice and thick, taste and season and set aside.
Next make the flatbread bases. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until just combined. Turn out and knead the dough until smooth.
Shape into four smooth balls and roll each one out on a floured surface as thinly as you can into a circle. Stack them up between baking paper while you heat up a large heavy frying pan. Cook each flatbread for about half a minute on each side – small bubbles appear on the surface when it is ready to turn.
Alternatively, the fun way is to flip into a hot frying pan and blast the surface with a blowtorch until it puffs up and browns. Stack them up in a clean tea towel to keep warm.
Place the flatbreads on two heated baking sheets and spread with a layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the roasted veg and some (not too much) mozzarella and bung in the hot oven for seven to eight minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling and the bases crisp.
Sprinkle with the torn basil leaves and serve immediately.