給過敏下戰帖 Kitchen Chemistry

My theme song for the month of May had to be Lady Gaga's Bad Romance… I was romancing psychologically Little V's atopic dermatitis, the monster to be slain than fed.  I tried figuring the beast out by keeping the house clean as a surgical clinic, washing&drying the bedding so frequently that I put a 5 starred hotel to shame(and shame on me for being so eco unfriendly), and when all seemed to fail, I decided packing Little V homemade hot lunches daily to weed out any possible food allergens.  It must be the accumulation of combined factors - his symptoms started to mitigate.  It came to me that I should document my hypoallergic menus visually.

Graphic composition inspired by Fresh&Easy, author: Jane Hornby, publisher: Phaidon.  Learning number 1. Keeping the ingredient list fresh, simple and balanced allow timely preparation.  The sweetness in the Pan Seared Salmon(marinated with coconut cream) pairs well with the elusive bitter green in Warm Tomato Watercress Salad.
前幾個星期忙得焦頭爛額氣急敗壞, 心疼孩子異位性皮膚炎復發, 決定全面嚴控飲食. 本來小V用學校的低敏營養午餐向來無事, 既然非常時期謹慎為上算, 貪睡的我ㄧ改舊習, 早起替小V準備便當. 天天吃愛心午餐上癮, 現在孩子雖然恢復良好, 還是央媽咪每天替他帶便當, 我也想趁這個機會整理出ㄧ本小V專屬低敏食譜, 等他大些可以自己學著做…



有許多和我年紀相仿的男性, 媽媽寵完太太寵, ㄧ輩子欠缺自理生活的能力, 我希望小V手腦並用, 唯有瞭解自己的過敏體質和具備基本烹飪技巧, 才能健康美味兩全. 與其傳承媽媽的食譜我更願意看見孩子創造出屬於自己的味道!


Learning number 2. Know what you season with.  Instead of using pre-made sauces, experiment with sea salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey… to create homemade marinades.  Such exploration opens up senses.  The Star Anise Honey Chicken with Asparagus Egg Omelet offers alluring aroma.

正想著怎麼編排家傳食譜, 上週末逛街到LV旗艦店, 書蟲之意不在名牌包, 我當然鑽入圖書室, LV的選書ㄧ向不賴, 翻出這本Fresh&Easy by Jane Hornby簡直樂開了! 小V和我都是排列秩序狂, 那ㄧ目了然的食材鳥瞰圖開啟源源靈感… 出版社是歷史前衛兼具的Phaidon, 旗下經典食書眾多如The Silver Spoon. 我寫給吾兒的低敏食譜自然更加簡潔, 設定四十五分鐘內可完成的料理(包括電鍋煮飯或烤箱所需時間), 前題是有蔬菜蛋白質和澱粉飽足感(飯後水果不可少), 避免人工調味料.


Learning number 3. Use limitation as inspiration.  When Little V's IgE analysis first came out, I was deflated because other than the notorious offender like peanut, he is also highly allergic to stables like wheat, oat, corn, potato…  Then I realized cutting out pretty much all fast food, candies and market bought snacks could be a blessing in the end.  For the Crispy Cod, instead of flour I dusted the fillet with glutinous rice powder which is lighter in texture and absorbs extra oil nicely.

小V曾做過敏源血液分析, 除了花生等堅果類, 對小麥,大麥,玉米,芝麻,南瓜,馬鈴薯… 亦高度過敏(族繁不及備載), 還好米飯魚肉蛋奶乳酪甚至咖啡或可可豆倒無妨, 不然要苦煞這個大胃王了. 市售醬油黃豆外皆含小麥粹取物, 所以調味方面我多用海鹽橄欖油和葡萄甜醋, 至於像洋蔥大蒜羅勒茴香等增加風味的香料, 小V也有輕度至中度的過敏, 如果是煎炒, 我則先乾醃過夜, 料理前用小刷子將醃料刷去. 如果是烘烤, 將醃料包於外層烤紙, 以infusion的方式入味, 主體口感仍然可以豐富多變.


本週精選如下
1. 煎椰奶鮭魚佐小番茄西洋菜溫熱沙拉
2. 八角蜂蜜烤雞佐蛋絲蘆筍
3. 香酥鱈魚佐清炒大白菜
4. 醋溜肉片佐小魚青江菜


Learning number 4. Like any strong investment portfolio, diversify. The IgE panel only shows the common and the worst; anything in between will be trial and error.  The fact that I am always treading outside the comfort zone makes me an alert cook.  Not able to rely on the soy sauce(often contains gluten) forces me to experiment with all kinds of vinegar.  The Balsamic works magic tenderizing meats in this Pork Sukiyaki.  The side dish here is Silver Fish and Shanghai Green Stir Fry.  A creative culinary project a day keeps the shrink away :)

小V吃起飯來細嚼慢嚥, 十足少爺款, 學校用餐時間有限, 裝便當前自顧不得菜的賣相, 先用把剪刀去皮剔骨, 這步驟看來生效, 吾兒每天便當吃個精光 :) 曾於美食部落格Moon's月光食堂讀過, 溫柔格主天天花巧思替丈夫和孩子準備的膳食是ㄧ封封傳達愛意的情書… 讀來讓人好想娶位美麗賢妻啊!(差點忘記自己也是女性:P) 不過要實事求是的LK寫浪漫情書未免不倫不類, 這幾篇低敏便當菜單, 倒可算是憤怒的母親對異位性皮膚炎下的戰帖:  頑疾快快鳴金收兵莫再來犯, 本元帥要班師回朝, 好好當幾天沙發馬鈴薯, 追看我早睡錯過的肥皂劇Revenge… 現代公主到底手刃殺父仇人了沒?!