Diet Dictator Mike Bloomberg declared war on salt this week — after tackling trans fats, sugary sodas and tobacco — with the goal of reducing the salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over five years. Of course, not all restaurant items are loaded with salt, sugar and (bad) fat. We asked some of the city’s most celebrated chefs to provide recipes for some of their healthier menu options. So, do these dishes deserve the Bloomberg seal of approval? To answer that question, we turned to Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom, author of the new book
“The Real You Diet” (Wiley) and founding director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
ROASTED GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ROOT VEGETABLES
Chef Andrew Carmellini cooks his fire-roasted garlic chicken for two (above) in a wood-burning oven at Locanda Verde ($21 per person; Greenwich Hotel, 379 Greenwich St.; 212-925-3797). The recipe below, adapted from Carmellini’s “Urban Italian” cookbook (Bloomsbury), can be made using a run-of-the-mill oven. Serves four.
For the marinade:
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
½ cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup grapeseed oil or corn oil
2 tbsp. dried oregano, preferably on the branch
2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper
1 tbsp. sugar
For the chicken:
2 whole chickens, halved
½ tsp. each of salt and coarse-ground black pepper
For the vegetables:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
¼ lb. each of four types of seasonal vegetables such as cauliflower florets, fingerling potatoes, celery root and seeded delicata squash, all cut into small pieces of roughly equal size (about 1 inch)
1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place chicken halves in large container and pour marinade over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in fridge for at least eight hours, or overnight.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Remove chicken from marinade (but don’t wipe the herbs off). Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place chickens on a roasting rack and broil them until the skins are crisp, about five minutes.
6. While the chicken is broiling, combine all the vegetables in a large roasting pan and toss with oil. Spread in a single layer and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Reduce the heat to 425 degrees and put the vegetables on a separate oven rack.
8. Bake the chicken until the juice runs clear when you stick a leg with a knife, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
9. Increase the heat to 475 degrees. While the chicken rests, continue to cook the vegetables until fork-tender.
Dr. Fernstrom says: Since you’re not actually eating the marinade, “there’s nothing wrong” with two tablespoons of salt. “It’s a pretty good dish” that just needs tweaking. “Make sure that marinade gets under the skin” so that after you cook the bird, you can remove the skin and still have “flavorful chicken” with less fat and calories. You can cut the oil used to roast the vegetables in half and “no one would cry.”
WILD STRIPED BASS WITH FENNEL PUREE, CUCUMBER SALAD AND LEMON BROTH
Accompanied by slow-cooked octopus salad at Marcus Samuelsson’s Japanese-New American fusion restaurant, Riingo ($26; Alex Hotel, 205 E. 45th St.; 212-867-4200), this dish has been slightly modified for home cooks. For more recipes from Samuelsson, check out his latest cookbook, “New American Table” (Wiley). Serves four.
To make the fennel purée:
3 whole fennel
½ Spanish onion, peeled
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup water
salt and white pepper to taste
1. Cut the fennel and onion into pieces.
2. In a pot, combine the fennel, onion, butter and water. Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Lower heat and simmer until fennel and onion are soft (about an hour).
4. Purée the mixture in a blender until smooth, season with salt and white pepper.
To make the lemon broth:
2 tbsp. oil
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 knob ginger, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup white wine
6 cups dashi (fish stock)
2 lemons, peeled and juiced
salt and white pepper to taste
1. Heat pan on high and add oil.
2. Add apples, ginger, onion and garlic and sauté four to five minutes.
3. Add the white wine, dashi and lemon juice and allow to come to a boil. Lower the heat and let it reduce by half (about 10 minutes).
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Strain the broth and set aside.
To make the final dish:
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. butter
4 fillets striped bass (6 oz. each)
salt and white pepper to taste
2 cups fennel purée
½ cucumber, peeled and diced
4 sprigs watercress
4 mint leaves, chopped fine
1 tsp. cilantro, chopped fine
2 cups lemon broth
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat an ovenproof pan on high heat and add oil and butter.
3. Season the sea bass fillets with salt and pepper and put in the pan skin-side down. Lower to medium heat.
4. Cook the fish for about three to four minutes on the stove then transfer the pan to the oven, cooking the fish for another two to three minutes until cooked through.
5. Warm up the fennel purée and place it on the plate (1/2 cup per serving).
6. Place fish on top of the purée.
7. Toss together cucumber, watercress, mint and cilantro in a bowl and place on top of the fish.
8. Pour the lemon broth around the fish.
Dr. Fernstrom says: “It’s not low but moderate in fat [but] the balance is pretty good in terms of the saturated fat. He has a very light hand with the butter and focuses more on oil. I’m not going to tell him to cut down on the oil from the flavor point of view, but from the heart-health point of view he’s in the right direction.”
COLTRANE’S RESOLUTION
This fizzy, wine-based cocktail can be enjoyed at both Blue Smoke ($14; 116 E. 27th St.; 212-447-7733) and its downstairs club, Jazz Standard (212-576-2232), where it was created to pay tribute to “Resolution,” a seminal track on the jazz giant’s 1965 album “A Love Supreme.” From Union Square Hospitality Group’s recent cocktail book “Mix Shake Stir” (Little, Brown). Serves one.
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
splash of blood orange purée
About 5 oz. Champagne, chilled
Blood orange slice for garnish (optional)
1. Combine the Lillet and blood orange purée in a chilled flute.
2. Fill with Champagne, garnish with the blood orange slice, if desired, and serve.
Dr. Fernstrom says: “This is great. It’s a fruity drink, but it has a simple bit of orange purée — no pretend juice mix that gives you that pretend sweet tropical taste. It’s very simple. Champagne is a low-calorie choice. You’re going to have around 100 calories, and a really nice beverage.”
HEALTHY HOSTESS
Erin McKenna whips up this vegan, gluten-free version of the Hostess Cup Cake at BabyCakes NYC ($4.25 each; 248 Broome St.; 212-677-5047), her LES bakery. The following recipe, adapted from McKenna’s “BabyCakes” cookbook (Clarkson Potter), uses store-bought Suzanne’s Ricemellow Crème, available from Whole Foods. Makes 24 cupcakes.
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup garbanzo–fava bean flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup potato starch
¼ cup arrowroot
1 tbsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. xanthan gum
2 tsp. salt
1 cup coconut oil
1½ cups agave nectar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot water
Suzanne’s Ricemellow Crème
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until you have a thick batter. Pour in the hot water and continue mixing until the batter is smooth.
3. Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it. Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for 24 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 14 minutes. The finished cupcakes will bounce back when pressure is applied gently to the center, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
4. Let the cupcakes stand in the tins for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut each cupcake horizontally in the center. Using a frosting knife, spread 1 tablespoon Suzanne’s Ricemellow Crème on the bottom layer and set the top of the cupcake back on it. Frost the top of the cupcake with another tablespoon of Suzanne’s Ricemellow Crème. (For an extra-pretty cupcake, fill a pastry bag with chocolate frosting and pipe chocolate curlicues onto each cupcake.) Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Dr. Fernstrom says: “It’s a fabulous concoction, but I would like it better if it made 36 [cupcakes] instead of 24. While it’s vegan and gluten-free and with healthful ingredients, it’s still going to be a lot of calories. And there’s still a lot of debate about coconut oil — it’s saturated fat, but it seems to have health-promoting properties. The jury is still out.”
RIBOLLITA
Chef Marco Canora serves this Tuscan soup as part of his nightly $35 “cucina povera” menu at Hearth ($10 a la carte; 403 E. 12th St.; 646-602-1300). Adapted from Canora’s new cookbook “Salt to Taste” (Rodale), this recipe uses store-bought chicken broth in place of traditional Easter broth made from simmering a pot of mixed meats. If you can’t find black cabbage — also known as dinosaur kale or cavolo nero — you can substitute green kale. Serves eight.
About 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for serving
3 cups diced onions
3 cups diced carrots
3 cups diced celery
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chopped savoy cabbage (about 1 small head)
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. tomato paste
8 cups finely chopped black cabbage (about 4 bunches)
10 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
5 cups cooked cannellini beans
Thin toasted crostini
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fresh thyme leaves
1. Heat a skim of oil, about 2 tablespoons, in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Season with salt and stir to coat the vegetables with oil. Cover and sweat the vegetables (cook without coloring), stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the savoy cabbage. Mix well and cook, covered, until it begins to wilt, about three minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, taking care to distribute evenly. Turn the heat to low and add black cabbage. Mix well, cover the pot and stew the vegetables until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the broth or water, raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil.
4. While the soup is cooking, purée 3 cups of the beans in a blender or food processor, adding a little water if needed. Whisk the purée into the soup. Add remaining 2 cups of beans and bring the soup back to a boil. Reduce the heat again and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
5. Season the soup with salt and lots of pepper. To serve, ladle hot soup into bowls. Top each serving with crostini, Parmigiano, pepper, thyme leaves and a drizzle of oil.
Dr. Fernstrom says: “This is the Mediterranean dream item. It’s low in fat. It’s got tons of vegetables [and keeps] sodium low by using a low-sodium broth.
“It’s not flour-thickened — it’s thickened with bean purée, which gives you the nutrients of beans and really great flavor. Parmesan cheese gives it that extra pop of flavor because it stimulates the `umami’ taste bud — that savory taste.”