By Cal Orey
"Pass the butter--especially the right kind and right amount. This 20th century forbidden saturated fat is a new “health food” in 21st century." The Healing Powers of Olive Oil, Revised
"Pass the butter--especially the right kind and right amount. This 20th century forbidden saturated fat is a new “health food” in 21st century." The Healing Powers of Olive Oil, Revised
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| In moderation butter boasts health perks |
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| Author cooks/bakes with butter paired with oils for health and superior flavor and texture |
Pass the butter, please! Several years ago,
after I penned the first edition of The
Healing Powers of Olive Oil, I confess I bought butter. I ate it on the
sly. I could have written a real-life book on Confessions of a Butter Eater.
One
day I told my dear friend/olive oil producer’s wife Gemma Sciabica, “I like to
bake with it.”
She
darted, “It’s animal fat.”
And,
of course, being a health author and devout health nut I listened to the women
decades my senior, and sensed she was right, sort of. After all, olive oil has
a record of being heart healthy, and can add
years to your life. But I continued to buy, eat, and cook/bake with rich
European style butter. Ironically, both my blood pressure and weight maintain
the same healthful numbers, I rarely get sick and enjoy boundless energy. So, I
have pondered, “Is real butter, like dark chocolate and coffee, good for you
used in moderation?
Desperately
seeking to be thin, too many of us have gone fat-free “crazy,” but haven’t shed
the unwanted pounds. Worse, some people have gained weight on no-fat diets. The
reason is that fat-free foods contain sugar and calories, but we gobble them up
thinking that they’re okay because they’re fat free. I recall years ago, I’d
buy and “healthy” margarine with less calories. Not only did it taste like
cardboard, I rebelled and became a closet butter eater.
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How much butter should you eat? It’s a no-brainer you’re not going to stay lean and heart healthy if you eat a stick of butter daily. But note, if you don’t eat enough fat, such as butter, you’ll end up unsatisfied nd eventually you’ll go off your diet plan. That’s why you should incorporate a small amount of fats such as butter into your daily diet. Past research compares a low-fat diet with a high-fat diet (mostly from good fats). After time, high-fat eaters lost pounds, low-fat dieters gained pounds. The reason, according to researchers: Fatty foods, such as avocado, chocolate nuts, olive oil, and butter curb hunger by satisfying the desire for some fat.
How much butter should you eat? It’s a no-brainer you’re not going to stay lean and heart healthy if you eat a stick of butter daily. But note, if you don’t eat enough fat, such as butter, you’ll end up unsatisfied nd eventually you’ll go off your diet plan. That’s why you should incorporate a small amount of fats such as butter into your daily diet. Past research compares a low-fat diet with a high-fat diet (mostly from good fats). After time, high-fat eaters lost pounds, low-fat dieters gained pounds. The reason, according to researchers: Fatty foods, such as avocado, chocolate nuts, olive oil, and butter curb hunger by satisfying the desire for some fat.
But
I didn’t need a study to give me permission to eat butter. For several years to
present-day, I incorporated flavorful butters with olive oils in sautéing
vegetables to baking muffins. Not only did my dishes taste better by pairing
the oil and fat, but I am hardly alone. I notice chefs in the Mediterranean
countries back in the 20th century combined butter and olive oil,
too.
Enter
my world of butter, a by-product of milk. That means it’s 80 percent fat with
the rest water and milk solids. Butter is a mix of fats: saturated,
monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. It boasts some calcium, potassium, and
plenty of vitamin A.
The World of Butter: Good butter can help make great sauces,
cakes, pastry, can and cookies. Butter
can be salted or sweet, and chefs favor unsalted butter for its mild
flavor. Speaking of taste, European
style “cultured” butters are what I favor and use in my recipes. True, they are
higher in fat, but for taste’s sake, it’s worth it...
Minted Citrus Tea Cookies
* * *
2/3 cup flour ¾
teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3
cup butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated
sugar ½
cup powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoons grated
lemon peel 1
½ teaspoons grated lime peel
3 tablespoons finely
chopped fresh ¼
cup extra light olive oil
mint or 1 tablespoon
finely chopped 1
egg
rosemary sugar
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in small mixing
bowl; set aside. Cream butter, granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar, lemon
and lime peels and mint in large mixing bowl. Blend in olive oil and eggs. Stir
in flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350
F.
Shape dough into 3/5-inch balls; place 2 inches
apart on ungreased baking sheet. Dip tops in sugar; place on baking sheet,
sugared side up. Flatten to 1/8-inch thickness with fork or bottom of drinking
glass dipped in granulated sugar. Bake 7 to 11 minutes, or until cookies appear
set in center. Carefully remove cookies from pan immediately. Cool on wire
rack.
(Courtesy: North American Olive Oil Association.)
Excerpt from The Healing Powers of Olive Oil, Revised and Updated -- You can grab a copy at most bookstores (click on link to find out where!)
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