This Nut Is Said to Kick Cravings for Unhealthy Foods

In an age where ab belts and man Spanx are still a thing, there’s no denying America’s obsessive need to be at the forefront of weight loss trips, tricks, and trends. But what if we told you the secret to curbing cravings for cookies and fries lies not in diet pills or hypnosis, but in a food itself?

According to a recent study published in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, the almighty walnut may be responsible for eliminating that unstoppable urge to eat everything in your refrigerator.

Over a course of five days, ten clinically obese volunteers were given a smoothie that contained either a handful of walnut halves or a placebo with identical taste. Since the study was double blind, neither the participants or scientists were aware of the smoothie’s walnut content.

After consuming the smoothie, participants were asked to view a series of photos that ranged from high-fat foods and low-fat foods to non-food items. Scientists tracked their neurological responses through a process called functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Following the study, participants returned home and continued their normal diet for a month. They were then asked to come back in and repeat the MRI testing with the opposite smoothie. The result: Researchers found that walnut-based smoothies not only led to a suppressed appetite, but also the activation of the right insula—the part of the brain that manages your impulses, especially when it comes to food.

“Although we had previously observed that walnuts give a sense of fullness, here we demonstrated for the first time that walnuts can alter the way that our brains view food and impact our appetite,” said author Olivia Farr, Ph.D.

This is obviously only one study with a very small sample group, but it’s good news for those of us who are admittedly a little nutty. Continue to toss a handful in a salad or protein shake and you may be two steps ahead in this game we call dieting.

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Rebel Kitchen Coconut Water

The new coconut water has no refined sugar, additives, or preservatives - just 100% young green coconut water

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Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles

These classic dill pickles get their characteristic tangy flavor through good old-fashioned lacto-fermentation. Simply make a saltwater brine, submerge the cucumbers in it with herbs and spices, then let the wonderful world of friendly microbes take over. As they eat the natural sugars in the cucumbers, they'll produce lactic acid, which will make the pickles nice and sour and perfectly preserved for longer-term storage. Get Recipe!

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Milwaukee Dill Refrigerator Pickles

These classic Milwaukee-style refrigerator pickles are flavored with layers upon layers of spice along with dill, garlic, and onion. Feel free to adjust the spice blend and aromatics to suite your own tastes. Don't like onion or garlic? Don't add them. Get Recipe!

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Umami Gyoza Dumplings

The new Umami Gyoza Dumplings are savory and come in three varieties: Chicken & Leek, Chicken & Shiitake and Pork & Leek.

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Osso Buco Overview

Osso buco sounds much fancier than “bone with a hole,” doesn’t it? But that’s what it means, and there is indeed a round, marrow-filled bone in the center of the veal cut used in this Italian classic. It’s the cross-cut shank or shin bone of a young calf, to be exact, braised so the meat gets fork-tender.

Traditionally, the braising liquid is some combination of wine and stock, and the veal may or may not be browned in flour first. Gremolata (a mixture of chopped lemon peel, parsley, and garlic) is the usual garnish.

It would be remiss not to mention the controversy and squeamishness surrounding veal, even from people who have no problem eating meat in general. But that would also lead to a discussion about the industrialized dairy industry and factory farming in general—which are all absolutely worthy of everyone’s consideration. Let’s just say here that your best bet, as always, is to source your meat from a local, organic, free-range farm where the animals are raised in natural conditions and treated humanely all the way through to the end.

Based on sheer numbers, it’s especially rare to find veal from such sources, and it will be significantly more expensive, but many people feel it’s worth it, whether they owe it to the animals and the farmers raising them, or are just willing to pay more for their own peace of mind. (Of course, even if you think you’re buying humanely raised meat, it might not actually be so great; “organic” is big business now, and your food might just be marketed to you in such a way as to make you feel better about what you’re eating. Plus, for those who don’t eat animals for ethical reasons, there is no such thing as humane meat at all.)

None of this is news in this day and age, and many of us don’t intend to change our habits regardless of what we read. But even some of us who do plan to keep eating meat still don’t want to consume even ethically sourced veal. Although veal is the traditional star of the Milanese classic, osso buco can—despite the arguments from purists—be made with beef shanks instead (aka from cows which have had a chance to grow older), and you’ll even find pork and lamb versions. The veal has a more delicate flavor, but the other meats will take on all the wonderful nuances of the sauce. Vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores who have been put off by the preceding paragraphs can even enjoy the basic flavors with a carrot and mushroom interpretation, but osso buco is definitely a meat-eater’s dish.

No matter which kind of animal you use, the cut should include bones, because those add a lot of savor to the dish, and if they’re marrow bones, all the better, since that unctuous substance will seep out into the sauce. The finished dish should be hearty, full of rich flavor, and exquisitely tender—the kind of thing that literally inspires poetry.

The traditional accompaniments to osso buco (which may actually correctly be spelled ossobuco, though you’re far less likely to see it that way in American recipes) are risotto alla milanese, made with saffron, and the aforementioned gremolata garnish, but these days there are many different iterations. And while it’s ideal eating for the colder months, you can enjoy osso buco all year round, as these recipes attest.

Osso Buco with Risotto alla Milanese

Recipe Tin Eats

This is not quite the quintessential classic osso buco recipe because it uses tomatoes, which the original dish did not, but the extra hit of acidic sweetness from them makes the sauce even more delicious. The veal shanks are browned in oil before being braised in white wine, broth, and aromatics like onion and garlic, with a little bay leaf and thyme. The classic partners of bright gremolata and golden saffron risotto are here to complete the meal. Get the recipe.

Ossu Buco Ragu with Pappardelle

Mustard With Mutton

A particularly rich pasta topping, this osso buco sauce takes several hours, but then so does traditional ragu. You could certainly just sauce some pasta with leftover osso buco rather than making this from scratch (or top it with these considerably quicker osso buco meatballs), but it’s nice to casually tend a simmering pot all afternoon once in a while, especially if you’ve got a glass of wine and good reading. Get the recipe.

Slow Cooker Osso Buco

Table For Two

It’s always wonderful to find a slow cooker version of your favorite dish, and here’s one for osso buco. (There’s also slow cooker pork osso buco, and on the other end of things, if you want osso buco and want it now, we have a Pressure Cooker Osso Buco recipe for almost instant gratification.) It will perfume your whole house with mouthwatering aromas and the only thing you’ll need to do before dinner are make some sides, like mashed potatoes for soaking up all the sauce. Get the recipe.

Clinton Kelly’s Chicken Thigh Osso Buco

Dinner Then Dessert

Okay, so maybe this shouldn’t really be called osso buco, but regardless of the name, it’s delicious and immensely satisfying. If you’re not a dark meat fan, you could use chicken breasts, but in either case, it’s important to use bone-in and skin-on chicken parts, or else you won’t get the same depth of flavor, or caramelized crispiness from the skin. Get the recipe.

Osso Buco Pies

Gourmet Traveller

Sort of a cross between pot pies and shepherd’s pie, these osso buco pies are not only full of rich flavor and fantastic texture (luscious gravy, tender meat, and flaky pastry), they look so whimsically impressive, like portobello mushrooms turned on end. Don’t be daunted by the metric measurements; you can convert them, or simply use this recipe as inspiration. And if you’re not after the playful look of these particular pies, you can use leftover osso buco meat taken off the bone and baked under a crust, whether that’s homemade pie dough or store bought puff pastry. Get the recipe.

Smoked Osso Buco

Girls Can Grill

There’s not much you can’t cook on the grill. Turns out, osso buco is no exception. This method imparts a lovely smokiness to the meat, which is braised in a tomato-rich sauce. Get the recipe.

Lamb Osso Buco with Creamy Polenta

The Year In Food

For lamb fans, here’s a take on osso buco that’s far from sheepish. The rich flavor of the meat is complemented by the homey sauce of red wine, rosemary, and tomato paste. A lamb shank osso buco with gremolata is also a good way to go, and would be just as tasty served over this creamy polenta. Or you could go beefier and make this short rib osso buco where the polenta serves as a crust. Get the recipe.

Leftover Ossobuco Soup

Simple. Tasty. Good.

If you actually have leftover osso buco, this is a fantastic way to use it. Extra tomatoes and garlic stretch the leftover sauce into a broth, and white beans and carrots add a nice creamy yet toothsome heft to the soup. Get the recipe.

Asian Osso Buco

What Do You Crave?

Classic Italian osso buco may date back to the 18th century, but don’t feel bound by tradition. This Asian take on the dish is fragrant with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chiles, anise, and cinnamon. Soy sauce and Thai basil come into play too. Any leftovers would be especially great used in these osso buco bahn mi sandwiches, but for the first go-round, serve over noodles. Get the recipe.

Fennel, Leek, and Orange Pork Osso Buco

Local Milk Blog

This is just a beautiful way to make pork, period. Fennel, leeks, oregano, and orange lend lovely flavors to the slow-braised meat. (For another porcine variation tailor-made for fall, try this pork osso buco with braised apples and apple beer.) A fennel-orange gremolata echos the traditional osso buco topping while being distinct. Get the recipe.

Osso Buco with Mushrooms

Fantastic Fungi

Back to beef (or veal)—this version of osso buco brings mushrooms into the fold for extra meatiness and savor, and adds the spicy note of sage to the gremolata. Serve over risotto, polenta, pasta, or potatoes, and you’ll be completely satisfied. Get the recipe.

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What Is the Difference Between Coffee and Espresso?

When you walk into pretty much any coffee shop on the planet, you’re usually given a few ordering options on the menu, and two of the biggest, boldest, capital-letters ones are Coffee and Espresso. Under the coffee menu, there might be several different types to order: iced or hot, for instance, or light or dark roast. Sometimes there’s a host of countries or even farms to chose from. Under the espresso list, you’ll find myriad fancy-sounding drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, mochas—you know, the fun stuff.

But…wait a second here, aren’t all of these drinks made from coffee beans somehow? Doesn’t a barista make both of them? What’s going on behind the counter behind all those machines, the secret between these two drinks? What’s the difference between “coffee” and “espresso,” anyway?

My friend, you’ve asked the perfect caffeinated questions: Let’s break down the difference and get to the bottom of the espresso/coffee confusion once and for all.

Strength

To begin, yes, both of these drinks are made with coffee beans, which have been roasted and ground, and are then brewed using hot water. To that extent, they start off basically the same. The main difference, and certainly the most obvious to anyone who’s drinking the stuff without any milk or sugar, is that espresso is a very concentrated coffee beverage: While both a cup of drip coffee and an espresso might start out with the same amount of ground coffee in the recipe (say, 20 grams or so), espresso is brewed with only about 2 ounces of water, instead of 8 or 10—so it packs major punch in the taste department.

The confusing thing for many people is whether espresso has more “oomph” strength, meaning more caffeine: Actually, since caffeine is pretty reliably soluble in hot water, espresso ends up having a not-too-dissimilar amount of caffeine as your standard cup of Joe, somewhere between 80–120 milligrams. The difference is in the caffeine by volume, of course, as most espresso shots are 2 ounces or less, while most brewed coffee is anywhere from 8 all the way up to 20 ounces. (Note that 20 ounces of brewed coffee will have closer to 200 or more milligrams of caffeine, so take it easy on that stuff, pal.)

Espresso’s concentration is what lets it shine through steamed milk in layered beverages like lattes, and it’s also what gives it that creamy texture that coats your tongue. On the contrary, it makes it a hard drink to nurse: No one is still sipping a shot of espresso two hours later, so if you intend to camp out with your laptop I suggest ordering something a bit longer in the cup, so to speak.

Speed

The other main defining difference between espresso and what is generically called “coffee” on the average menu is the length of time each one takes to make. Coffee comes in various styles and preparations, each of which will require a different brewing time: An AeroPress, for instance, can make a very small amount of coffee in under 2 minutes, while a French press or a Chemex might take 5 minutes or more. Cold brew is a 12 to 24 hour situation—which seems like a lifetime when you consider that the ideal espresso shot is fully extracted to its concentrated perfection in under 30 seconds. Yup, in less time than it takes to drop a dollar in the tip jar, that thick coffee elixir is pushed out of the espresso machine. The way that black magic is achieved is one of the other key differences between “coffee” and espresso, and that is…

Pressure

Just like the catchy bass line and fist-pumping chorus of the classic David Bowie and Freddie Mercury song, espresso gets its speed and its chutzpah from the fact that it’s brewed under pressure. While most drip coffees rely on gravity alone to do the slow and steady work of pulling water through the coffee grounds, a well-tuned espresso machine uses mechanical pump pressure—normally around 130 pounds of it—to force very hot water through very finely ground coffee, essentially squeezing all the coffee stuff out of it in no time.

The espresso machine was invented to perform this task very precisely, with an emphasis on speed and strength: The first espresso drinkers were Italians during the Industrial Revolution, who needed a way to prepare their preferred style of coffee (which was more akin to a Middle Eastern or “Turkish-style” brew, very thick and bittersweet) quick enough to shorten their coffee breaks and get back to work in the factories. Steam-powered espresso machines allowed them to stay caffeinated on the quick, and to keep the gears of industry turning.

Roast

Gotcha! This one’s not actually a defining characteristic of espresso vs. coffee, though for many years it was certainly considered a hard-and-fast determination. Many roasters approach coffees differently when they’re developing them to be brewed as filter coffee or espresso, because the nature of preparing espresso can make certain flavors overwhelming and even unpleasant in the cup. Bright fruit notes like citrus or lemon add a nice bit of tang to a filter- or press-brewed coffee, but in a very concentrated shot of espresso they might make your face practically implode, like sucking on a lemon rather than simply getting a touch of zest.

While there are technical ways that a roaster can change his profile to be more “espresso friendly” (such as roasting the beans darker, or at a lower temperature for a longer time—both of which will temper the zingy flavors and bring out more chocolate, nut, and sweet tones), the truth of the matter is that you can use any roasted coffee to make espresso, because there are no rules to flavor. Plus, at the end of the day, coffee beans are coffee beans, and you can do whatever you want with them, no matter what their roast level or place of origin is.

Still have questions about the differences between espresso and coffee? Leave them in the comments!

— Head photo illustration by Chowhound, using: flickr (david pacey)/Pixabay.

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