Christina Cooks: Back to the Cutting Board

We are stressed!

From politics to disease, the economy to world affairs, family obligations to our work.

We race around from dawn to dusk, never stopping to breathe.

Total “Type-A” people all the time.

Even on vacation.

in Italy, I always say that there are more “type meh.” What they don't get done today, they do the next.

and the world doesn█t end.

Their attitude creates a culture of less stress and anxiety.

Let's cook food to bust stress and become more “type meh.” today on Christina Cooks: The Macroterranean Way.

Underwriting for Christina Cooks is provided by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties.

Sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

and by Jonathan█s Spoons.

Individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by: Hi, I'm Christina Pirello and this is Christina Cooks, where each week we take fresh seasonal ingredients and whip them into amazing dishes.

Will they all be plant-based?

Yep.

Will they all be delicious?

Absolutely.

You know, stress is one of those things that we all have.

Unless you're meditating on top of a mountain somewhere, you have some level of stress.

How you manage it is the key to your wellness.

And you cannot manage stress if you're not eating in a way that's appropriate for the body's energy to move smoothly through it.

Feel free to roll your eyes.

But it's true.

If you're energy is stuck, you manage stress with less grace, shall we say.

And it's all about your middle organs: spleen, pancreas, stomach.

This is the center, your core, where you stay grounded, calm and centered.

If they're out of balance, so are you.

You lack compassion.

You're not so nice.

You're more impatient.

If those organs are balanced, you're kind of a pretty cool customer.

So let's cook to manage all of that so that you can manage the stress that life throws at us every single day.

We're going to make a soup and the soup is layered, which is kind of an interesting way to start a soup.

So on the bottom of your soup pan goes onions and you kind of, you know, make a layer of your onions.

Okay.

The next thing to go is cauliflower.

And cauliflower is a cruciferous veggie that grows close to the ground and stays close and helps your middle organs.

The next vegetable to go in is green cabbage.

Green cabbage is without question, without question, the greatest anti-inflammatory of all time.

You have any kind of stress, bruises, inflammation.

This guy, simple, humble, green cabbage is the thing that's going to go on top.

What you want to do is try to have equal amounts of the veggies.

Eyeball it.

Don't don't start measuring.

That'll stress you out.

So just, you know, try to get equal amounts of the veggies in.

The next thing that goes in is frozen corn or fresh.

If it's summer, use fresh, organic, please.

Compost your corncobs.

And then the last thing to go on top is millet.

Millet comes to us from Africa.

It's a bright yellow grain.

It's the main ingredient in birdseed.

Birds have so much energy because this is the highest of all whole grains in protein.

It also doesn't produce any stomach acids, making it perfect for helping you to manage stress.

That goes on top.

So we have a half cup of millet, so we're going to use about five times the amount of water and we're going to... That's about right.

You can measure it if you like.

I've been cooking for so long, I rarely measure.

Cover the soup so that you don't lose anything to steam.

And we're going to start to bring this to a boil and then we'll lower it and reduce it, and it'll cook for about 35 minutes until the millet is creamy like polenta.

You want to cook your soups covered always.

You want to keep all the nutrients in the pot and you don't want to lose anything to steam.

The job of soup is to relax the middle organs and the digestive tract.

If those are all stressed out, you're all curled over on yourself like this, right?

This is a balancing soup.

You feel your shoulders go down and you're relaxed.

In the meantime, while the soup comes to the boil, we're going to saute some broccoli and it's going to be a little bit spicy to spike up circulation and help us to feel more energized.

So we have olive oil, a little bit of hot spice and tiny, tiny florets.

So we're going to take those florets and just cut them into little pieces like this and they go right into the oil.

Now, this is just the garnish to the soup.

So I'm not going to worry about peeling the stem and doing all of that.

I'll use that in a later dish that I make.

For now, I'm just sorting little tiny pieces of broccoli to go on top, add some green energy to my soup and help to lighten things up.

So a pinch of salt.

The broccoli will stay until it's bright green and then we'll come back season the soup and put it all together.

[Gentle music plays] Okay.

So after about 35 minutes, what you'll notice is the soup is really creamy-ish, but it's also thick.

This is not a soup that's thin and brothy.

You want this soup to be thick.

We're going to take a little bit of the hot broth and we're going to dissolve some white miso.

And the reason I'm using white miso is not because I want the flavor of cheese, but because I want the live enzymes and friendly bacteria that are going to nourish the intestinal tract and contribute to the way I manage stress.

So miso is one of those foods that should be on your anti-stress list.

It's the original probiotic.

It's said that the gods gave us miso through the Japanese as a way to take man to enlightenment.

And if good digestion means you're at enlightenment, then miso is exactly that gift from the gods.

So just stir the miso in trying not to boil it right.

Miso.

The enzymes will die if you boil it, which is why I always add it at the end.

So now we can plate this up.

In goes... some soup, a nice hearty serving.

And then some of our spicy broccoli right on top for some color.

And to lift up the soup and to give your body some energy, some scallions for freshness.

And there you go.

Now, if you'd like to be patient and be a happier camper, one of the things you have to take care of is your liver.

And we're going to go all the way to Italy to do that.

I'll see you there.

[Italian music plays] You know, when we talk about being “Type Meh” or managing your stress, it's not that you don't care.

It's not that you shirk your responsibilities.

It's that you have things in perspective.

And one of the ways you can do that physically is by taking care of your liver.

Your liver is your largest gland.

It helps them metabolize your macronutrients.

It helps the body detox.

It has more jobs than the law should allow it to have.

But if you take care of it, you'll be patient and kind and happy.

If you don't, you're impatient, impatient, impatient and impatient and angry all the time.

And then everybody around you is angry and there's no merit in that and no relaxation in that.

So we're going to make a dish that's so quick and easy and wonderful that you'll be happy the minute you taste it.

So we take some olive oil.

We have a generous amount on the bottom of the pan because this is going to become your sort of gravy.

Turn on the heat and into it goes some thinly sliced garlic.

Now, you don't want to start this process until your pasta is just about done.

I'm using spaghetti from Gragnano, which is kind of the only spaghetti that I use because it's really the most authentic pasta.

And while I know many, many, many, many chefs, especially on TV, love to slam their spaghetti and open it...

I like to use a scissor because it's a little more gentle.

So either way, just get your pasta open.

Then once your garlic is in, what you don't want to do is have the garlic turn brown or color.

So almost immediately we're going to add some breadcrumbs and this is going to give us texture.

If for some reason you don't eat breadcrumbs, you can either use gluten free ones or you can use almond meal in place, and then into it goes some grated lemon zest and lemon juice.

And of course, I'm using a frozen lemon, so I'm getting all of that witho So you just grate straight through, right through the skin, the pith, everything.

And this goes in and this is going to create a simple dish called lemon spaghetti.

Now, in some cities, you can also find spaghetti that's been produced with lemon.

And that just adds a level of flavor, or you can use lemon infused oils, whatever.

But as soon as you have this lovely sizzle and you almost dissolve your breadcrumbs, right, to make them borderline creamy, then you're going to take tongs and you're going to take your spaghetti, which I advise you cook your pasta slightly less time than the package calls for so that your pasta is al dente.

When you're pasta al dente, it's easier to digest, nicer on the system, a better mouth feel, and not so much of an insulin trigger as when you don't when you eat soft pasta or when you don't eat al dente pasta.

Goes right in... and at this point your spaghetti is about 95% cooked and you're going to finish it in the pan.

It's going to sit on top of your lemon juice.

And on top of your bread crumbs and your oil.

I love that sizzle.

Okay.

Now you're going to just sort of stir this around and get the spaghetti coated with the breadcrumbs, the garlic, the lemon.

And right now you're thinking, wow, this looks a little boring, brown and tan.

And I don't know, food should be really pretty to make me happy.

So we take some parsley, some fresh parsley, just a tiny bit.

Chop off the stem, give it a quick coarse chop.

And now we take our spaghetti, get our tongs back into action.

(speaking Italian) This smells so delicious.

You're just going to pile this on the plate right onto the plate.

Make sure you get the breadcrumbs and the garlic and that lovely smell.

Garnish it with fresh parsley.

[Gentle music plays] Being in Italy always fulfills me.

I love cooking there... Making that lemon spaghetti was amazing.

The only thing that happens when I come home is I miss it.

But what I do is hang out with my Italian friends.

Carolina!

Hi, ciao!

Ciao, bella!

Come stai?

How are you?

Very good, I█m fine!

Thank you for coming to my kitchen.

Thank you!

Have a seat.

So, everybody, this is Carolina Castagna, MD I know she looks like she's eleven, but you're actually a medical doctor.

So, Carolina, tell me what your expertize is and why you are here studying medicine.

Sure.

So I am a medical doctor, as you just said, and I graduated in Italy.

I'm from Rome.

And after I started my residency in public health in Italy, I got the chance to go to Philadelphia for a project, a research project, because mostly what I do is research and public health.

And I decided to apply.

I decided that I like to be here and hanging out with you guys.

So I applied for a master program in public health.

And what I do now is I'm fully working for my residency remotely and I am.

Yeah.

And I'm also being a full time student here, as you know.

And so so I want to talk to you a little bit about stress, but un caffè?

Yeah.

Why not?

Where█s the coffee?

Yeah.

What's a girl got to do to get a coffee around this place?

ROBERT: Not much.

Not much, just ask.

May we have a coffee?

Just ask.

Grazie!

Prego, prego.

Step aside.

Carmine.

Wow, thank you.

Service with a smile from two cute men.

So what's a guy got to do to get some food around here?

Aspetta ██we'll cook and bring food in a moment.

You just have to be patient.

Thank you.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Prego, prego!

Thank you.

Ciao!

(laughing) Cheers.

So one thing I want to have you talk about being from Rome is how do you manage?

I mean, you're speaking a language that isn't your first language, even though you're very good at it.

How do you manage the stress of because this whole show is about stress and managing stress, how do you manage it as a full time student trying to cook to maintain your wellness shopping here for food that may not be the same as you're used to.

So I would say that I am pretty stressed at the moment, but I as a medical doctor and as a person who loves to cook and who loves like doing physical activities and being outside and cook healthy, you know, I think I'm doing pretty well.

Yeah, I would say so, yeah.

Sometimes it's a little bit challenging.

So I think that the most important thing to deal with stress is taking time for yourself actually to take care of yourself.

Do you mind if I drop pasta while we talk?

Please do it.

I'm going to salt the water first.

I'm not shy with salting water.

Yeah, okay.

Show me that rigatoni.

Sure.

Here are the rigatoni.

Now, as we're cooking rigatoni and pasta.

Please don't overcook the rigatoni!

(laughter) I usually don't.

I usually advise people to cook the pasta two minutes less than the package requires so that you get a nice al dente pasta because al dente pasta helps you to digest it more easily because it challenges your intestines in a different way.

And so it's not an insulin trigger.

So you can enjoy pasta.

It's why Italians enjoy pasta with no health ramifications.

So back to how you manage.

I know you, you climb?

Yeah, I do.

Which is amazing!

I love climbing...

I love rock climbing.

I would say that I'm a very active person, so I do a lot of outdoor activities and mainly climbing here.

So Carolina, Finish your coffee, let█s cook.

Yeah, let█s start working!

Yeah, let's get to work.

I'm going to take some extra virgin olive oil.

Yes...

Since this dish is quite simple, right?

There's not a lot of anything.

The best dishes are.

The best dishes.

I'm going to just have you take and thinly slice those cloves of garlic.

Sure.

While I put the pine nuts in the pan.

We're just going to toss some pine nuts and cook them with slices of garlic.

Now, you guys know, because you've heard me say it a million times, if you cut the garlic really small, the flavor is strong.

If you slice it, it's more mild.

And this is sort of a sweet, peppery dish because of the fennel.

So we are actually going to just slice the garlic and you can throw it right in here when you're done.

Sure.

And then if you don't mind, take the fennel.

Mm.

Which I love.

I love.

Fennel.

You know, fennel tastes like licorice.

Some people don't like it.

But the truth is, it is one of the most delicious vegetables.

And as you cook it, it becomes sweeter.

So it doesn't always taste so much like licorice.

So.

Julienne, take the fronds off, but save a couple.

Carolina, so that we can garnish the dish and then just long ways.

Okay.

Across the whole thing, including the stem.

And then we'll just thinly slice that and throw that right in.

Okay.

I'm kind of nervous to be in this kitchen.

Why?

I don█t know, it's bigger than mine.

It's smaller than mine, but it's okay.

I'm going to put a pinch of salt on top of this garlic.

Now, when you're cooking now, if you've salted your pasta water really well, you don't need to salt this dish so much because the pasta is not going to get rinsed.

It's just going to become part of the dish.

And what you're doing by salting the pasta water is flavoring the pasta because pasta is what flour and water tastes like.

Nothing.

You can throw that right out.

Well, you know what I mean?

It's not like you have to.

Yeah, beautiful.

Give me the whole thing.

Just give me a little bit of a stem.

Not very much.

And you can hear that the sizzle is building.

And what we're going to do is just allow this fennel to start of soften.

And caramelize just a little bit.

And we're going to do that by adding some balsamic vinegar.

Yeah, perfect.

I think that'll do us.

a little bit of balsalmic vinegar.

Smells super.

Well, it does smell good and it's pretty simple.

We didn't add any hot spice.

Nothing.

But now the next thing we'll add.

Yes, please, is my favorite, favorite, favorite kitchen trick.

Because everyone complains that their lemons go bad.

So in my house - hand me that with the black handle, the microplane.

What I do is keep my lemons in the freezer.

And then... That█s a smart choice.

You just do this and you grate right through the lemon, through the skin, through the pith, right into the flesh of the lemon.

And you get all of the flavor of the juice, all of the flavor of the the zest.

Now, of course, of course, it's best if your lemons are organic so that you're not grating pesticides into your dish.

Yes.

Please don't.

So, Carolina, now that you've been here, you've been here for how long?

Almost a year.

Yeah, almost a year.

Yeah.

So when you start to think about going back home to Rome.

to your mom...

Okay, so...

I have to go back to Rome eventually because I am still in my residency program.

As I told you, yeah.

Even there?

So I█m kind of sad.

When you're here cooking.

What do you miss about food at home?

Oh, okay.

Oh.

A lot.

I know what I miss the most when I go to these big grocery shops they are great and you can find whatever you want, whenever you want.

But that's the good news.

And the bad news.

I know.

Don█t you think?

And it's also.

Yeah, I do.

I agree.

And it's also very different from, from the way I was raised and the way I was going to the fresh markets with my parents.

And we were like... we were like, asking, what do you have?

Like, and that's how you base your menus is what they have.

You can't decide it in advance, you know, whereas here I am kind of like Every time, so many stimuli and I don't know where should I look, which is just good because you get everything.

But are you sure that those products are fresh?

Those products are seasonal and also the sustainability.

When you go home, what will you miss about here?

I am a very curious person, as you know, so I really enjoy like eating different cuisines and different food and from different cultures.

And I think this is great about America.

Yeah, I agree with you.

Everything that has a front, has a back and the front is we can get whatever we want any time.

And the back is we can get everyone any time.

Okay.

Our rigatoni is ready.

Yeah.

Wow.

I'm going to serve this up.

And when you take your pasta from the pan, take a little bit of the water with you, because that starch helps to create almost like a little bit of a sauce.

Can I say something?

Yes.

What you're doing is called “mantecare” And, you know, that's what it says, which is like I was like trying to explain to my American friends what I was doing.

And you guys don't have an exact like translation.

So, okay, so mantecare, specifically a term that we use for pasta is when you cooked it like this.

Uh-oh!

One rigatone escaped.

Yeah.

And now you're taking the pasta water and the pine nuts and the garlic and the oil and the lemon.

And just having this all sort of blend and create this almost like gravy around the rigatoni.

And so Carolina.

Yeah.

I think it's time that we feed our gentlemen some food.

[Italian music plays] Carolina, thank you for cooking with me and our lovely rigatoni dish with fennel.

It was wonderful.

And here we are with our lovely men, and for me, (and I know as an Italian you feel the same way) It's so important to not just cook, but to sit together and eat and celebrate the meal.

That's the most important part, actually.

It is.

I mean.

We don█t just... It█s being together, yeah.

We don█t eat sitting in the car, and all of that.

It█s really good.

We█re a good team!

We should cook more together.

Great job!

You like it boys?

Molto bene.

Monto buono.

Thank you for correcting him.

(laughter) That's it.

I like the pine nuts when they get stuck.

When they get stuck in the rigatoni?

Yeah!

It's just one of those dishes that it's so easy to make.

I mean, you guys saw we didn't even break a sweat making this dish, and it's so satisfying.

And we sit together and celebrate.

And, like, every meal in our house is a mini celebration because we get to be together and in the world we live in, I sort of see life as a big collaborative art and we're better together than alone.

So what are you waiting for?

Let's get back to the cutting board and I'll see you next time on Christina Cooks: The Macroterranean Way.

Ciao!

This is really good.

Underwriting for Christina Cooks is provided by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties: Sweetness, the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan█s Spoons individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by: You can find today's recipes and learn more by visiting our website at ChristinaCooks.com, and by following @ChristinaCooks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Learn how to add delicious plant-based dishes to your daily diet with the companion cookbook VegEdibles, featuring more than 80 easy-to-make recipes.

To order your copy for $29.95+ handling, call 800-266-5815 Or visit ChristinaCooks.com.

Add “Back To The Cutting Board” and get both books for $49.95 plus handling.