Organic Food Recipes

Restart Your Diet After the Holidays with a Jacques Pepin Recipe

O.K.  Christmas is over.  I will not even tell you how many parties I went to,  how much pecan pie and pots de crème I tasted.  Nor will I even begin to tell you how much belly fat came back.

Well,  O.K.  I will tell you that.  In a period of about 3 weeks,  3 inches around the waist.

Now this number is even more relevant than the number on the scale,  which I will not even get into.

But,  as Jimmy Moore says,  I forgive myself.  I just get back up on that horse and ride.

For breakfast this morning,  I fried a couple eggs in butter, put a dab of grated cheese on top and once I had the eggs out the pan and onto the plate,  I wilted a small handful of spinach and put it on top.  Salt and cracked pepper.  Cup of tea.  I feel great.

Which brings me to the point.  Dr. Salerno always tells me how forgiving the body is.  No matter what kind of excesses we throw at it,  it will recover,  if we just work with it a bit.

So,  just to review,  5 small meals a day, plenty of saturated fats and proteins.  NO processed carbs.  Period.  64 ounces of water, tea, or coffee.

And to that end,  I’m making my grocery list.  Care to follow along?

Brie, pate, sausage, bacon, some little steaks and chops,  some tuna, bunch of nuts of various kinds. Butter.  Earl Gray.

Gonna try and ease off the veggies and fruits for two weeks.  Stay with me.  We’ll see how this goes.  el

Here’s a full fat recipe I just adore, and I’ll bet you will too. Jacques Pepin’s mother taught him how to make it.  Can’t top the French for understanding the Full Fat Fast.

JACQUES PÉPIN’S SKIRT STEAK GRANDMA
4 skirt steaks, about 6 ounces each and about 3/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to sprinkle over cooked steaks
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon good-quality olive oil
1 (2-ounce) can filleted anchovies in oil (reserve oil)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced scallion
¼ cup water

Rub steaks with 1 tablespoon lime juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper 10 minutes before cooking. Heat olive oil and oil from canned anchovies in large, heavy skillet over high heat. When hot, add steaks and cook about 1 ½ minutes on each side for medium rare, or to preferred doneness.

Crush anchovy fillets with chopped garlic. When steaks are cooked, transfer to a warmed plate to rest a few minutes.

Meanwhile, add anchovy-garlic paste and scallions to pan drippings and cook about 30 seconds. Add water and boil 30 seconds. Pour over steaks, sprinkle with more lime juice, and serve. Makes 4 servings.

SOURCE: More Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pépin (Houghton Mifflin, $32).