Gordon Ramsey supports NHS stop smoking campaign, Stoptober
Thousands of people have been trying to quit the cigarettes as part of the NHS stop smoking campaign for October, Stoptober. Now more than two weeks in, ex-smokers will start to notice the return of something they had been missing: their sense of taste.
A study by the Dortmund Health Study found that one in five smokers cannot distinguish between the five main taste groups - salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami - due to the poisonous chemicals in cigarettes dulling their senses.
After 12 days of being smokefree, smokers will have started to notice that tastes are becoming more distinct. To celebrate this, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has created a tasty cod and tomato chowder recipe, a great winter warmer meal.
Gordon Ramsay said: "One of the most noticeable benefits of stopping smoking is that your taste buds come back to life. You will notice that a wider variety of foods will start to taste amazing. So, to celebrate your achievement of getting this far without smoking, I've created a delicious recipe especially for you – simple to make, yet bursting with flavour!
“Congratulations to those who have managed to stay smokefree so far and best of luck with the rest of Stoptober.”
Ingredients: Cod and tomato chowder
Serves 4
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks, trimmed and roughly chopped
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large waxy potatoes, about 400g, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, cored, deseeded and roughly chopped
- Few thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 900ml fish or chicken stock
- 150g green beans, cut into short lengths
- 2 courgettes, roughly chopped
- few dashes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
- 600g cod fillets, skinned and pin-boned
- Bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan. Add the onions, celery and some seasoning, and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes to soften. Add the carrots, potatoes, yellow pepper and herbs, and sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables are lightly golden.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan and pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for about 7–9 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Now tip in the green beans and courgettes, give the mixture a stir and simmer for another 3 minutes. Check the seasoning, adding a few dashes of Tabasco to spice up the chowder if you like.
- Lightly season the cod fillets and lay them on the vegetables in the pan. Cover the pan again and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the fish is opaque and just cooked through.
- Using a spoon, gently break the fish into large flakes. Ladle the hot soup into warm bowls and scatter a handful of chopped parsley over each serving.
If you'd like more information, or if you want to stop smoking, visit smokefree.nhs.uk/Stoptober.
Tagged in Recipes Food & Drink