Paleomantic

Tarragon Marinated Chicken – Paleo, AIP

Tarragon Marinated Chicken is tender and so aromatic. The flavour is hard to describe - it's a little like fennel or aniseed, but more elegant, and curious.

The flavour of tarragon cannot be described. It's unique, and it's wonderful. If you don't already have a pot of this lovely, wispy herb growing on your balcony or in your back yard, then I urge you to hunt one down. Tarragon Marinated Chicken, tender and aromatic, is our new favourite thing. Tarragon Marinated Chicken - Quick, Easy, Sensational Looking for the recipe? Scroll all the way down.When I started this blog a couple of years ago, I wasn't aware of how difficult it is to write about food. Flavours are impossible to define. It seems that the only way you can convey an idea is by comparison with other flavours. But the technique invariably falls short, because 'like' isn't the same as 'is'. So, of tarragon, we could say that it's sort of like fennel or aniseed, but more gentle, and sort of like mint, but without, well, the mintiness. You see what I mean? So then you try out adjectives. It's not so much exotic, which seems to call up Asian or Middle Eastern spices. Nor does it ignite the passions such as you'd expect from a buffet of Spanish Tapas, or a long Italian lunch, quaffed down with quantities of red wine.Tarragon is, well, elegant. Sophisticated. And surprising. It's associated with French cuisine, which makes you think of creamy sauces, which'd be wonderful, I'm sure. But here in Italy it's called dragoncello, and mixed into a marinade of olive oil and lemon, it's marvellous. Because it's a gentle herb, it compliments perfectly chicken and fish. So the recipe for this Tarragon Marinated Chicken is simple, yet the flavour is decisive. You remember the mantra for a Great Marinade? - oil, acid, salt, sweet and aromatics. Olive oil, lemon juice, salt, honey and tarragon. Mix it up. Cut the chicken breast into thin slices, and then into bite-sized pieces. Coat the chicken pieces in the marinade, toss them around with your hands. Let them sit and soak it up, even overnight. Then heat up a pan and fry them quickly until golden, ...

The Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio needs to be 1:1. If there's an excess of Omega 6, it's impossible for the body to be inflammation free. Yes, we can balance them.

Both Omega 6 and Omega 3 are essential for good health. They’re required for the optimal functioning of the brain, heart and immune system. But - and this is a big But - the Omega6:Omega3 ratio needs to be in balance. Omega 3 is well known as the anti-inflammatory fatty acid. Less well known is that Omega 6 in excess causes inflammation. When we have a higher concentration of Omega 6 in our system, it’s impossible for the body to be inflammation free. The Perfect Omega 6: Omega 3 Ratio Human beings have evolved to have an Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio of 1:1. This perfect balance means that our immune systems are able to produce just the right amount of inflammation for healing injuries and fighting bacterial and viral invasions, and are then able to reduce the inflammation quickly once the job is done. The World Health Organization recommends a ratio of 4:1 for cardiovascular health. But across Europe, the average ratio is 15:1, and in the USA, the average is 25:1. Note: they’re average figures, which means some people are living with much higher states of imbalance.Chronic Systemic Inflammation is a direct result of these vast imbalances in the Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio. To understand what happens, we can use the common analogy of arsonists and firefighters. Imagine arsonists (Omega 6) and firefighters (Omega 3) running around in your body. If there are enough firefighters to put out the flames every time an arsonist lights a match, then there’s no problem. But if there are too many arsonists and not enough firefighters, it’s simply not possible to put out the fire. When the situation of too-much-fire-too-few-firefighters becomes chronic, the immune system will eventually become weak and confused from constantly overworking. Disease will result.The problem is exacerbated by other factors. One is that often we aren’t aware that we’re already suffering from Chronic Systemic Inflammation - the symptoms have become so common that we think they’re normal. Another is ...