Fire In The Belly

Hearty helpings for heartburn-hampered hungry.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

I is two o'clock in the morning and you can't
sleep. That cheesy, tomato-sauced garlic-packed
lasagna you ate for dinner is burning deep inside
you and the sour taste in the back of your throat
is merciless. It's July, but you've made a resolution to
never eat lasagna again. Never.
What you have there is heartburn. The kind that
sends you rifling through cabinets and drawers hunting
for the little purple pill or any panacea that will extin-
guish the fire.
These days, heartburn has a more clinical name, acid
reflux or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), and
it's literally hotter than ever.
Good news comes in the form of a new handbook on
the subject by Huntington Woods' Jill Sklar and me,
Annabel Cohen. It's called simply, Eating for Acid
Reflux, and it contains all the information you need to
know about this disorder and how to treat and avoid it. _
You'll find recipes for every occasion and culinary
taste. They easy to prepare, too, so you can make
them and eat them in realistic time frames, like for din-
ner every day. We've left out or reduced most of the
common bad stuff— triggers — but left in the flavor.
Below is a sampling of some of the fire-extinguishing
recipes from this new book
Want to know more? There's a cooking demonstra-
tion and discussion about Eating For Acid Reflux at
Border's Books and Music in downtown Birmingham
7-9 p.m. Tuesday, July 22.

ASPARAGUS AND ARTICHOKE SALAD
WITH ASIAGO AND BASIL
Asparagus is naturally lean, so the small amount of fat
from the olive oil and Asiago cheese makes it appropri-
ate occasionally. The recipe instructs you to peel thick
asparagus stalks. Look for thin stalks to avoid this step.
The amount of water called for in the recipe steams the
asparagus instead of boiling it, ensuring bright green
stalks and a crisp-tender crunch.
2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and peeled if the
stalks are thick
1 red bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips
1 cup water
1 can (about 15-ounces) quartered artichokes,
drained
1/2 t. dried oregano
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup grated or shredded Asiago cheese (as
tolerated)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, whole
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (as tolerated)
Heat asparagus and red pepper with one cup of

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2003

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water in a large covered pot over high heat. When the
water boils, turn off the heat and let the vegetables
steam for about 5 minutes more. Remove the vegetables
to a colander, rinse with cold water and drain well.
Arrange the asparagus and peppers on a platter.
Arrange the artichoke hearts over and around the
asparagus. Sprinkle with the oregano and kosher salt.
Sprinkle with cheese all and garnish with the basil
leaves. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over and serve.
Makes 6 servings.

to remove excess flour.
Heat olive oil until very hot in a large nonstick skillet
over high heat. Add the tuna, and brown it well on
both sides.
Carefully pour the wine into the pan, add the celery,
half the parsley, capers, bay leaf, cinnamon and soaked
raisins (discard water). Bring the liquid to a boil and
cook until it is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Serve
the tuna immediately, sprinkled with kosher salt and
remaining parsley. Makes 4 servings.

SEARED TUNA WITH RAISINS AND CAPERS
An unusual combination that combines two favorite
tastes — sweet and savory. For variety, use any type of
"steak fish" — salmon and swordfish work well. For
variation, you could also add toasted pine nuts or
almonds for more fiber. GERD-inciter wine has been
reduced considerably and can be replaced by chicken
broth if desired. The mildly sweet and sour flavors of
the raisins replace the savory tastes of garlic and onions
here.
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup boiling water
4 tuna steaks (6-ounces each)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley, divided
1 T. drained capers
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 t. ground cinnamon (as tolerated)
Kosher salt
Place raisins in small bowl and cover with boiling
water. Soak the raisins for 30 minutes and drain. Set
aside.
Dredge tuna in flour and pat lightly with your hands

TURKEY "MEATOAF'
Meatloaf is one of those foods that's normally not very
healthful, often made with high fat-content meat and
whole eggs. It also customarily includes large amounts
of onions, garlic and tomato paste or sauce, all GERD
triggers. This version uses turkey breast meat — very
lean — and egg whites to hold the loaf together.
Onions are reduced to just a small amount, and toma-
toes are gone altogether. All in all a very simple and
appetizing meal.
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast meat, chilled
2 T. chopped onions (as tolerated)
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried thyme, crumbled
2 T. dried parsley flakes
1 T. light soy sauce
1 tsp. kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350°F Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan
with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine all loaf ingredients in a large bowl and mix
with your hands. Transfer the turkey mixture in the pre-
pared pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30
minutes. Uncover, and cook about an hour more. Let
stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and
cutting into 1/2-3/4-inch slices. Makes 6 servings.

Asparagus and artichoke salad
wtih asiago and basil.

HERBED OVEN STEAK FRIES
It's hard for anyone with GERD to rationalize eating
French fries. They're deep fried, a no-no on any diet.
Oven "frying" maintains the fresh potato taste, adds a
little crispiness and, best of all, puts fries back on the
menu. Many prefer the texture and taste of the potatoes
unpeeled, but remove the peel if that's how you like
them. Try making this same recipe with parsnips or
sweet potatoes for variety. The herbs give the fries
more flavor and eye appeal.
2 pounds Idaho or russet potatoes, well scrubbed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 t. paprika