CityLife

Med diet good for babies

IT could be a winning recipe for mums-to-be - lashings of fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil - and after nine months `cooking time' you could serve up a healthy, allergy-free baby.

A new six-year study shows that pregnant women who eat that classic Mediterranean-style diet - already recommended to help boost heart health and stave off cancer - may prime their babies for better health.

Greek-based research on nearly 500 women on the Spanish island of Menorca, found that two-thirds of the mums-to-be on a high quality Mediterranean diet had children up to 50 per cent less likely to suffer from complaints such as asthma and allergies.

As Britain has one of the highest rates of childhood asthma - one in ten children suffer - charity Asthma UK has welcomed the study.

Leanne Male, assistant director of research, says: "It adds to previous research showing that a Mediterranean diet, which traditionally contains higher levels of fresh fruit and vegetables, can have a beneficial effect on asthma symptoms, and specifically in this study that these benefits can be passed to the pregnant mother's unborn child."

But don't just think predictable pasta or rice dishes to benefit your bump. Give junior a taste sensation early on and take inspiration from some exciting and different dishes gathered from our Mediterranean neighbours.

Treats

Recipes from those countries are included in a feast of treats garnered from around the world in a new book, 1001 Foods - The Greatest Gastronomic Sensations on Earth.

Food writer Terry Durack, who wrote the book's introduction, urges people to try new foods. "An average human being puts away close to 65 tonnes of food and drink in his or her lifetime.

"We owe it to ourselves to make sure it isn't all chips, steak, burgers and beer. If nothing else, we owe it to our taste buds. They need input, variety and excitement!"

Top chefs have contributed their favourites, among them Jamie Oliver with Fish Pie and Bangers and Mash from Heston Blumenthal. But you could try two groaning with those vital Mediterranean ingredients and goodness - an Italian hearty pasta and bean soup, Pasta e Fagioli and a French dish, Cod With Puy Lentils, see below.

The Greek research shows that for good health, and children less likely to suffer from complaints such as asthma wheeze and allergic skin problems, the diet in pregnancy should include vegetables more than eight times a week, fish more than three times a week and legumes such as beans more than once a week.

Cereals, particularly wholegrains rich in antioxidant compounds of Vitamin E, have also been shown to have a protective effect against asthma in children. Eating red meat more than three times a week, however, appeared to increase the risk of allergies according to a study by medical journal Thorax.

1001 Foods - The Greatest Gastronomic Sensations on Earth is published by Pavilion, priced £20.

Pasta e Fagioli
Serves six

Ingredients:
50ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp chopped onion
3tbsp chopped carrot
3tbsp chopped celery
3 or 4 pork ribs
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1kg/2lb fresh borlotti beans (white or red)
750ml/1 1/4 pt meat broth
Salt and pepper
250g/8 oz small macaroni
15g/ 1/2 oz butter
2tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

Method

Put the olive oil and chopped onion in a soup pot on a medium heat until the onion goes pale. Add the carrot and celery, stir to coat them well then add the pork. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning from time to time with a wooden spoon.

Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice, adjust the heat so that the juices simmer very gently and cook for 10 minutes.

Shell the beans, rinse them in cold water and put them in the soup pot. Coat them well then add the broth. Cover the pot, adjust the heat so that the broth bubbles at a steady but gentle boil and cook for 45 minutes to one hour, until the beans are tender.

Scoop up a ladleful of the beans and mash them through a food mill back into the pot. Add salt, a few grindings of black pepper and stir thoroughly. Check the soup for density; it should be liquid enough to cook the pasta in. If necessary, add more broth.

When the soup has come to a steady, moderate boil add the pasta. Stop the cooking when the pasta is al dente.

Before turning off the heat, swirl in the butter and the grated cheese.

Allow to settle for 10 minutes before serving with crunchy croutons.

Cod with Puy Lentils
Serves four

Ingredients:
250g/8oz dried Puy lentils
1 onion
1 bay leaf

For the salsa verdi:
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1tbsp Dijon mustard
2tbsp chopped capers
25g/1oz chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
250ml/8 fl oz olive oil

For the fish:
4 (150 to 175g/5-6oz) pieces cod fillet, 1.5 to 2.5cm/3/4 to 1 inch thick
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Put the lentils, onion and the bay leaf in a pan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender, 12 to 25 minutes. Drain, reserve 125ml/4 fl oz of the cooking liquid, and transfer the lentils to a bowl. Discard the onion and bay leaf.

For the salsa, stir all the ingredients together. To cook the fish, pat it dry and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan over a moderately high heat, then saute the fish, turning it over once, until browned and just cooked through, about six to eight minutes.

Serve the fish on a bed of lentils and spread the salsa verde on the fish. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley if desired.