5 Minute Food Fix

It's always* fun when you go viral, especially for an article you've written about bodily functions!

One thing I didn't include in the article was a tip from my pelvic floor physio about what to eat for exceptional digestion! She really, REALLY wanted me to eat this food on the reg, so I did, and it's actually been pretty life changing!

But how can you make it yummy? And not food = medicine?

The trick might be adding it to this granola:

TEMPLATE GRANOLA:

750g rolled oats

100g coconut fat

100g honey or maple syrup

3tbs ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardomon

pinch salt

THAT'S THE TEMPLATE

Then add in non-sweet things, eg.

Pepitas

roasted peanuts

sunflower seeds

pecans

walnuts

shredded coconut

METHOD

Toss everything together then roast in a low, 140C oven for 10 minutes.

Add in the sweet things, eg.

crystallised ginger

raisins

sultanas

dried cranberries

dried blueberries

...toss everything around, then back in the oven for another ten minutes until it's clumping together, smelling aromatic, sweet and nutty, and is starting to go golden.

Allow it to cool before storing away in airtight containers.

Serve with diced whole kiwi fruit (SKIN ON!), yogurt and ground flaxseeds.

*not always

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We just did an episode about capers and I was fired up to talk about Smoked Salmon Bagels, given that they're a classic and I have eaten PLENTY.

So what are some of the elements of the perfect Smoked Salmon Bagel?

As usual, Simon knows a gobsmacking amount about a niche food (Caperberries and boiled bagels, in this case), and we leave you with a completed episode and a rumbling tummy. Is that you immediately heading out for supplies for tonight's dinner?

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Today, Yumi is still sore of throat and there's an alarming revelation about the waste of money that is cough medicine!

But Simon has energy around the delicious ingredient - CAPERS.

What the heck are capers?

They're actually the unripened berried from a prickly caper bush and food-wise, they're probably best-known as the thing you find atop of a smoked salmon bagel.

On today's episode, Simon talks us through what they're commonly used for, how to maximise their punch in your day-to-day cooking, and then a brilliant recipe from his favourite cookbook (so far) of 2024, Anna Jones - EASY WINS.

Cauliflower Caponata:

Heat your oven up to 220C.

Break up 1 cauliflower into big florets directly onto a big oven tray.

Cut up 3 onions into wedges and chop up 3 sticks of celery, add them to the tray then toss through 1tbs olive oil, 2tbs white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Cook for 25 mins until charred and softened.

Remove from oven. Turn the oven down to 200C.

Add in 2 tins of plum tomatoes, 100g of good quality pitted olives, 3tbs of a star ingredient CAPERS, and 50g of raisins. Mix them all together, mashing the veg a little with a fork as you do.

Back in the oven for another 40 minutes.

Take out the tray and while it's cooling add another tablespoon of vinegar and some chopped parsley.

Serve immediately while still warm or jar it up to last at least a week, finishing with olive oil.

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As we near our 300th episode, Simon and I review our reasons for doing a food podcast.

Is it because we love the sound of our own voices?

Not so much! (Maybe!)

It's because even the BEST cooks struggle to feed their families every day, especially when running households, multiple jobs, parenting, and all the other things we're doing just surviving.

So one thing you can do is prepare a few things when you DO have time - like a daal that can be frozen, sweet potato croutons that can be used on a soup one day and then to plump out a salad the next.

Find out more by subscribing to your favourite food podcast!

DAILY DAAL

Cube a couple of sweet potatoes, toss in 2-3 tbs of oil, shake over some salt, pepper and cumin seeds, then roast until soft, about 20mins at 180C,

MEANWHILE... fry up some onion in a deep, wide saucepan or frying pan. Add in 2 cloves of garlic and a hearty knob of ginger, and fry out. Add in half a packet of Herbie's Daal Spice Mix and cook to release the aromas. When ready, add in a tin of tomatoes, the same tin again but filled with water, a tin of coconut milk or cream, and crumble in a stock cube.

Allow to cook for 20 mins, stirring, then check for doneness.

At cooked, add in a squeeze of lemon. Freeze what you don't need for later.

To serve: Add another squeeze of lemon. Top with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, some fresh coriander leaves and those delicious sweet potato croutons.

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The science does NOT back turmeric as anything other than a brightly coloured tuber... but having it with ginger in SHOT form can certainly enliven the feeling in the back of your throat, make you feel like you're at least TRYING to feel better - and it's kind of delicious! It certainly worked for Simon - who reports that this is a MASSIVE retail fad back in the UK - and after recording Yumi also gave it a go. Didn't cure her hayfever, but it was YUMMY, used up some ginger and turmeric and was a bit of a morning heart-starter!

In a high-speed blender combine:

400ml fresh apple juice

60g loosely chopped ginger

20g turmeric (powdered or fresh)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

spoon of black pepper (optional!)

BLEND FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. Then strain the mixture through a Chux in a sieve or through a good, old-fashioned tea-strainer. Serve cold in 50ml shots.

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It's true that we "eat with our eyes".

Most cooks consider the appeal of contrasting (and bright) colours when putting together a meal.

Simon gets deep today, asking, "Is there a place for grey food?"

Yes, if you count oysters as a grey food!

What else?

Listen here...

Tomato Tonnato recipe

Arrange 5-6 big chunky vine tomatoes (about 900g), sliced on a gorgeous platter.

In a blender

5 tbs olive oil

85g tin of tuna in oil

2 anchovy fillets

2tsp drained capers

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 garlic clove

a few basil leaves

Whizz until creamy. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Spoon the sauce over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and more basil leaves. Serve with crunchy bread.

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We can't nail every meal!

Especially when we're cooking in someone else's kitchen!

On today's episode, Yumi and Simon both get pod therapy about their most recent disasters, and Simon does a do-over on a delicious Baba Ganoush.

DO-OVER BABA GANOUSH

2-3 eggplants, pricked with a skewer or fork (if you don't want to live dangerously)

Cook the eggplants WELL on the BBQ. Like, REALLY WELL, so they're blackened and blistered and completely yield.

Allow them to cool and sweat a bit on a plate, then rub off the skin, cut off the heads, and with the remaining soft cooked flesh, chop in up on a big board with a big knife.

In a big bowl, season with salt (but not too much), a good glug of olive oil, the juice of at least 1 lemon, and some spoons of tahini. Greek yoggut *could* be deployed here but is optional.

Serve with crusty bread or on the side with lamb. Yum.

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All green, raw food does not have to flee from your kitchen just because it's cold.

Yes, the weather definitely affects what you feel like eating but salad can still comfort and nurture you even when you're putting an electric blanket on the couch. (Try this! It's excellent!)

On today's episode Yumi revisits one of the GOAT salads. The classic. Rocket, Pear and Walnut. It appears in her cookbook Endless Summer. But she's giving it a rejig to make it more weather-appropriate.

THE SALAD

240g rocket leaves

2 firm pears, sliced into chips

3/4 cup of walnuts, refreshed by being toasted under the grill for 2-3 minutes

between 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmesan Cheese

THE DRESSING (enough for 3 salads, so only use a third of this!)

40ml White Balsamic Vinegar

80ml of your best olive oil

1tsp honey

3/4tsp salt

2tbs tahini

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Yes, it's been a big and exciting couple of days for Stynes with her book with Dr Melissa Kang 'WELCOME TO SEX' being nominated for a Prime Minister's Literary Award... but we WILL talk about food.

Yumi's been busy going through the cookbook she co-wrote with Simon. Partly because she loves Simon's recipes but also because she can't remember her own! It's incredibly handy having them written down - and you can find the book here if you're interested.

SIMON'S FULLY LOADED BANANA BREAD

Melt 100g of butter and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Activate 1tsp of bicarb in 1 cup of Greek yoghurt. Allow it to sit for 5 mins to fluff up and activate.

Add to the yoghurt mixture the butter, 1 cup of caster sugar and 2 eggs, and mix.

Now add in 250g plain flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon - and mix but don't overmix. Finally, add in 400g of very ripe, very mashed banana.

Pour it into the prepared tin and cook it for 1.5 hours, trying not to doubt the cook time.

Cool on a wire rack.

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There are NO MORE EXCUSES if your roasted potatoes aren't perfect!

Also, why is Yumi laughing so hard she has tears?

It's all about this guy who went viral for his potatoes.

THIS RECIPE IS YUMI'S VERSION

Get a large pot on the stove with 2cm water in, turn up hot.

At the same time, put a full kettle on to boil.

Quarter 700g potatoes.

By the time you've finished cutting up the spuds, the water in the kettle and the small amount on the stove should both be boiling.

Pour the kettle water into the pot on the stove.

Tumble the potatoes in making sure they're not sticking together. Stir a little.

Wait for the water to return to boiling then set a timer for 3 minutes.

Once the timer has sounded, drain the potatoes really well so they're dry, and allow them to cool.

To do the Ibiza method, pop the now-cool potatoes in the FREEZER for 35 mins.

Preheat the oven to 200.

Get a roasting tray on the hob and fill it with at least 2mm of olive oil. Be careful! Use the stove element to heat the oil and when it's spattering hot, carefully decant the potatoes into the oil. They will spatter. Use tongs to make sure each piece is cut-side down.

Pop in the oven and roast for 30 mins before turning to the other cut side, and roast for another 20 mins. Serve when golden crunchy all over.

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