Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 18, 1990 TAG: 9004180031
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Toni Burks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ File (fee-LAY) powder: The ground form of sassafras leaves. Its subtle flavor tastes like a mild herb. In Cajun and Creole cooking, file is used to thicken and flavor saucy mixtures such as gumbo. Because file gets stringy when cooked, add it just before serving. Despite what you may have heard or read, file powder is perfectly safe to eat. Safrole, a possible carcinogen banned from food use by the Food and Drug Administration, is found only in sassafras bark, not the leaves.
\ Hoisin sauce: A thick, rich-flavored oriental seasoning, hoisin sauce is made from soybeans, sugar, garlic, flour, vinegar and spices. Look for it among the oriental ingredients at the supermarket. If you can't find it, soy sauce is the closest substitute.
\ Jicama (HEE-kuh-muh): A root vegetable that's similar to a potato but has a milder, sweeter flavor and crisper texture than a potato. Peel it and slice or dice it to use raw in salads or on relish trays. Or, cook as you would potatoes.
\ Neufchatel: Looks, tastes and cooks just like cream cheese but is made with 25 percent less fat. It contains 80 calories per ounce compared to 100 for regular cream cheese. Formerly labeled only "Neufchatel," this product now carries the word "light" on the label. You'll find it in 8-ounce packages in the dairy case. It can be substituted for cream cheese in any recipe.
\ Orzo or rosamarina: Although it looks like slightly flattened grains of rice, this is a pasta. Cook it in boiling, lightly salted water. Because it's so small, it cooks in just 5 to 8 minutes and is a good choice when you want pasta in a hurry.
\ Shallots and scallions: Both are mild-flavored members of the onion family. Scallions are onions that have not yet formed a bulb; they are more commonly called green onions. Shallots, like garlic, grow in clusters joined at the bottom, each covered with a papery husk. Shallots are often used in French cooking, especially in sauces. When a recipe calls for either shallots or scallions, you can substitute green onions. Or use finely chopped mild onion instead of shallots. - Associated Press
\ MICROWAVE IT This recipe has a mixed national heritage, but the flavors taste so great and the pizza is so easy and convenient to cook in the microwave, who cares about a little geographic confusion?
Mexican pizza pitas
3/4 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 8-oz. bottle salsa
4 large or 8 small pita bread rounds
1 4-oz. can chopped green chili peppers, drained
1 2 1\ 4 -oz. can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
In 1-qt. microwave-safe casserole combine ground beef and onion. Cover and cook on high (100 percent power) for 4 to 6 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain. Stir in sugar, chili powder and garlic salt. Spread some of the salsa on each pita. Top with meat mixture, green chili peppers, olives and cheese. Place half the pitas on a microwave-safe plate. Cook, uncovered, on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining pitas. Makes 4 servings. - Associated Press
\ LOOKING FOR IDEAS? Several new booklet and leaflet offers are available.
If you'd like to hear from a Giant, subscribe to Giant Talk, a free newsleter from the makers of Green Giant products.
It includes product and nutrition information, recipes, coupons and merchandise offers. For kids, there are riddles and stories and pictures to color.
To subscribe, write Giant Talk Newsletter, P.O. Box 5816, Minneapolis, Minn. 55460.
If you'd like to add a little spice to your life, there's a free monthly newsletter from the C.F. Sauer Co. It includes all kinds of information on various spices - where they come from and, most important, how to use them in cooking.
To subscribe, write Sauer's Basics, C.F. Sauer Co. 2000 W. Broad St., Richmond, Va. 23220.
"User Friendly Microwave Turkey Recipes" is a booket with recipes, directions for microwaving a whole turkey, a chart-at-a-glance for cooking turkey cuts and other hints.
For a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Microwave Brochure, National Turkey Federation, 11319 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, Va. 22090.
"Great Grilled Beef" has lots of recipes and grilling tips to take the guesswork out of grilling beef. For a copy, send 50 cents to Meat Board, Dept. TK-GGB, 444 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611. Allow six to eight weeks for processing.
Dried tomatoes are showing up in all the supermarkets, but if you've passed on the wrinkled things because you didn't know how to use them, here's help.
Four brochures are available with information on using dried tomato halves, dried tomato bits and marinated tomatoes to make soups, sauces, pastas, casseroles and salads with intense tomato flavor.
For copies, write Dried Tomato Recipes, Timber Crest Farms, 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, Calif. 95448.
\ REMEMBER THIS ONE? People who say they don't like grits dig into a casserole that's rich with cheese and fragrant with garlic. Serve it as a side dish when pork-- a roast, chops or ribs--is on the menu.
Garlic Cheese Grits
4 cups water
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup quick-cooking grits
2 Tbsps butter or margarine
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Bring water to a boil in large saucepan. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in grits. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir the butter and 1 cup of the cheese until butter melts. Mix eggs with milk. Stir thouroughly into grits. Transfer mixture to greased 2-qt. casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake in 350-degree oven for 1 hour, or until set and browned. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
SWEET STUFF The luscious combination of peaches and raspberries was named Melba by a turn-of-the-century restaurateur in honor of glamorous opera star Dame Nellie Melba. See what that glamorous combination does to dress up homey bread pudding.
Peach Melba bread pudding
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
3 Tbsps. amaretto or 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups dry bread cubes
1 29-oz. can peach halves
3 Tbsps. seedless raspberry jam
4 tsps. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Beat cream cheese and the cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat until blended. On low speed, beat in milk, amaretto, lemon peel and vanilla. Place bread cubes in greased 12x7 1/2x2-in. baking dish; pour egg mixture on top. Place peach halves, cut side up, on top of egg mixture. (Do not allow egg mixture to flow into center of peach halves.) Spoon 1 tsp. jam into each peach half. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over peaches. Top with almonds. Bake at 325 degrees 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Cool slightly. Serve warm with raspberry sauce. Makes 8 servings.
Raspberry sauce: Thaw 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen red raspberries. Sieve to remove seeds; discard. In a small saucepan combine 2 Tbsps. sugar and 2 tsps. cornstarch; add raspberry mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Makes 1 cup. - Associated Press
by CNB