High blood sugar levels promote heart disease

This post includes a summary of a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine Vol. 165 No. 16, September 12, 2005 and a recipe for island braised short ribs.

Study title and authors:                                                                                                         Books:

Glycemic Control and Coronary Heart Disease Risk in Persons With and Without Diabetes

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH; Josef Coresh, MD, PhD; Sherita H. Golden, MD, MHS; Frederick L. Brancati, MD, MHS; Aaron R. Folsom, MD; Michael W. Steffes, MD, PhD

This paper can be accessed at: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/165/16/1910
 
Selvin concludes that high blood sugar levels are a risk factor for heart disease.

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Websites : Videos : Food Mall 

Recipe of the day

Island Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients:

◦5lb Beef Short Ribs                                                                                           Food Mall: Short Ribs 

◦3 large, fresh leeks; thoroughly washed and finely chopped (light green and white sections only)

◦2 tbsp Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce
◦1/2 cup Tequila, plus another few shots for the chef
◦1 cup coconut milk
◦1 cup beef broth
◦2 cups frozen mango chunks (or cut some fresh mango!)\
◦2 tbsp coconut oil

The Procedure:
First, we want to salt and pepper the meat all over with sea or coarse kosher salt, and fresh-ground black pepper. Work the salt and pepper in with your fingers until it’s thoroughly embedded in the meat. Don’t be afraid to get in there! I also like to give a thin coating of olive oil to the meat before I start in with the salt and pepper.

Next, we want a heavy skillet heated up to searing temperatures (medium-high heat should do). You can choose nonstick for easy cleanup, or cast iron for a

A hot grill works wonderfully for the initial sear as well superior sear. After the skillet has heated up, we want to brown each side of the ribs (even the edges). The Maillard reaction here is what gives meat many delicious flavor compounds, as well as the appealing burnt color, so don’t skimp on this step!

Ensure that you brown the ribs in small batches. If the pan is crowded, that is that much less heat being applied to each rib, so the browning won’t be as effective. We are not looking to fully cook the ribs; this is why the hotter the pan, the better. We want a scorched outside, and a raw inside. Got it? As the ribs finish browning, place them lovingly in the dutch oven, or in the crock pot.

You’ll notice that a good amount of the fat from the ribs has rendered and melted into the pan’s loving embrace. This is perfect, just what we wanted! We are going to use this fat, plus a little more in the form of the 2 tbsp of coconut oil to brown or caramelize the leeks. So put the supplementary fat in, and throw in those leeks!

The noble leek is called "poor man's asparagus". I believe asparagus to be the "poor man's leek"

Leeks are a bit more delicate than onions. You will have to watch these closely and toss them about the skillet every minute or so. What we are looking for is that browned color which means the leeks are turning sweet and succulent. This should take between 10-15 minutes. If you have a while, I highly recommend a slow caramelization of the leeks over the lowest possible heat. It can take up to 6-8 hours, but is very much worth it.

While the leeks are browning in the skillet, we want to prepare the rest of the braising fluid. Simply combine the tequila, beef broth, coconut milk, Chipotle peppers and mango chunks in a blender and hit ‘liquify’. You might have to add more beef broth to get the mixture to a thin enough consistency. We then add this mixture to the browned leeks.

Bring the mixture up to a light simmer, and let the flavors combine for a few minutes. Pour the mixture over the short ribs.