Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 30, 1990 TAG: 9005300139
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Toni Burks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Artichokes are an ancient vegetable, but if they're new to you, give them a try. Look for those with bright green color and tightly closed leaves.
To prepare, wash artichokes and trim stems. Cut off 1 inch from the tops and snip off sharp leaf tips. Brush cut edges with lemon juice. Place 2 artichokes and 2 tablespoons water in a 2-quart casserole. Cook, covered, in the microwave on high (100 percent power) until a leaf pulls out easily, rearranging once. Drain. Serve warm or chilled. Pull off leaves one at a time and dip the base in melted butter, herbed butter, or salsa.
Look for asparagus with compact pointed tips. To store for one or two days, wrap the stem ends in moist paper towels. Then place the whole stalks in a plastic bag and refrigerate.
Peas have natural sugars that start converting to starch as soon as they're picked, so use them at once. Chinese pea pods and sugar snap peas, available throughout the year, don't lose flavor as fast as regular peas.
New potatoes are tiny, immature potatoes. Their skins are so thin and tender that they don't need peeling. Peel a strip around the middle, if you like, for an easy dress-up. For uniform cooking, select potatoes the same size or halve larger ones.
When cutting vegetables to cook in the microwave, cube, slice, or chop them into even-size pieces so they'll cook more evenly.
Arrange the most tender parts of vegetables, such as cut asparagus tips or broccoli flowerets, toward the middle of the dish because foods in the center cook more slowly than foods at the edge.
Whole vegetables with skin, such as potatoes and squash, can burst when you cook them in the microwave. That's why it's important to peel off a strip of skin with a vegetable peeler or to prick the skins with a fork several times before cooking. This allows steam to escape during cooking.
Test vegetables for doneness by piercing them with a fork. Most vegetables are ready to eat when they're crisp-tender (tender, but still slightly firm to the bite). Starchy vegetables, such as peas, potatoes and corn, should be cooked in the microwave until completely tender to rid them of any starchy flavor. - Associated Press
\ GRILL IT
Sweet and hot, the robust flavor of these chops comes from apple jelly and jalapeno peppers. Wait until about the last 10 minutes of cooking to begin brushing on the sauce so it doesn't scorch.
It is best to cook the chops at medium-slow heat. That means you should be able to hold your hand over the drip pan for 5 seconds. If coals are too hot, raise the grill rack, spread the coals apart, or close the air vents halfway. If coals are not hot enough, move the coals closer together, lower the grill rack, or open the vents to allow more air to circulate.
Pork chops with apple and jalapeno
1 apple
1 10-oz. jar apple jelly
1 or 2 jalapeno chili peppers, chopped, from 7 1/2-oz. can
1/4 cup apple juice or orange juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 pork loin chops, cut 1 1/4 inches thick
Cut apple horizontally in 1/2-in. slices. Core and halve the slices; set aside. In small saucepan, combine jelly and jalapeno peppers. Cook and stir over low heat until jelly melts. Combine apple juice and cornstarch. Stir into jelly mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
In covered grill arrange coals around a drip pan. Test for medium-heat above pan. Place chops on rack over pan. Lower hood. Grill 40 to 45 minutes or until well done, turning once. Brush with jelly mixture during last 10 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, wrap apple slices in foil. Place on side of grill during last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve on top of chops. Spoon any remaining jelly mixture over all. Makes 4 servings. - Associated Press
\ WILD AND WONDERFUL Wild rice isn't really rice, and much of it isn't wild either. The long, slender dark grains are actually the seed of a grass that grows wild along the lakes in the upper Midwest. At one time, wild rice wasO harvested only by the native Americans in that area. Now much of what you see in the supermarket is farm-grown.
This pilaf, combining wild rice and brown rice, tastes great with any type of poultry. It also makes a delicious stuffing for pork chops or roast.
Wild rice pilaf\ 1/4 cup wild rice
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup brown rice
1 1/2 tsps. instant chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
Rinse wild rice in a strainer under cold running water for 1 minute. In a medium saucepan combine wild rice, water, onion, brown rice, bouillon granules, thyme and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Stir mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts into rice mixture. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes more or until celery is just tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 4 servings. - Associated Press
offers.
WRITE FOR IT May is National Egg Month and the American Egg Board has several "Eggstra! Eggstra!" is a newsletter that focuses on egg nutrition. For a copy, write Eggstra! Eggstra!, P.O. Box 858, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068-0858.
"1989 National Egg Cooking Contest Winning Recipes" also includes additional top-placing recipes in the annual contest. For a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Incredible Edible Egg #31, P.O. Box 755, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068-0755.
"Eggs . . . Excitingly Easy" has recipes that appeal to the time-scarce consumer. For a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Incredible Edible Egg #30, P.O. Box 755, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068-0755.
- Recipes using dried apricots in a variety of ways are available by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to California Apricot Advisory Board, Dept. B-A, 1280 Boulevard Way, Walnut Creek, Calif. 94595.
- "Tips on Bits" is a brochure with recipes and quick-use ideas for dried tomato bits. For a copy, write Tips on Bits Brochure, c/o Ruth Waltenspiel, Timer Crest Farms, 4791 Dry Creek Road, Heraldsburg, Calif. 95448.
- "Grill Crazy With Pork" is a collection of grilling tips and 11 recipes for pork on the grill. For a copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Grill Crazy, National Pork Producers Council, P.O. Box 10383, Des Moines, Iowa 50306.
- "Summer BBQ Recipes" has ideas for fixing rainbow trout. For a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to Summer BBQ Recipes, c/o SY&T, 1000 Sansome St. Suite 375, San Francisco, Calif. 94111.
- "Easy Elegance: Smart Entertaining Tips for the '90s" is available from the makers of Chinet serving ware. For a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to Chinet Entertaining Brochure, c/o Myers CommuniCounsel, 11 Penn Plaza Suite 1000, New York, N.Y. 10001.
- "Great Desserts" is a collection of 25 award-winning recipes in the Sweet 'N Low dessert contest. For a copy, send $1 for postage and handling to Cumberland Packing Corp., 60 Flushing Ave. Dept. PKG, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11205.
- "Timeless Chicken Recipes . . . In No Time" has recipes for salads, snacks, sandwiches and entrees, along with five menus and recipes that are controlled for calories, fat and cholesterol. For a copy, send $1 to Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken Timeless Recipes, P.O. Box 964, Bensalem, Pa. 19020.
\ MARKET SHOPPING Lots of good eating is in store with all the good things coming to farm markets.
New crops of radishes, green onions, red and green leaf lettuce, head lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, garden peas, sugar snap peas and snow peas are available now. All kinds of greens - even poke greens - are coming in, too, along with such oddities as Chinese cabbage and Chinese spinach. Supplies depend greatly on the weather, and recent rains may cause some harvesting problems, but generally these items are in plentiful amounts.
Strawberries have been reduced by weather problems, but some continue to show up at markets. There are some blueberries, too.
Look for cantaloupes, green beans, peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, asparagus, Vidalia onions and lots of tomatoes from other growing areas.
Vegetable and flower plants continue to be in very good supply, and there's a wide variety of herbs as well as hanging baskets of blooming flowers.
by CNB