Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 11, 1990 TAG: 9007110062
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONI BURKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
How much to cook:
- Plan on 2 ounces of uncooked pasta per person for a main dish, 1 ounce per person for a side dish. Two ounces of dry pasta will yield about 1 to 1\ cups cooked pasta, depending on the shape. For short pasta that you can measure in a cup, 1 cup uncooked pasta makes about 2 cups cooked (1 1/4 cups for noodles).
Cooking pasta:
- Use a large pan and plenty of water to allow pasta to "swim."
- Cover the pan while water comes to boiling - it's faster - but cook pasta uncovered. Keep the water boiling.
- Occasionally stir long pasta, such as spaghetti, with a long-handled fork to keep strands from sticking together. Stir other pasta with a wide spoon.
- Cooking regular pasta in the microwave is no faster or more convenient than cooking it on the rangetop. However, the microwave works well for reheating pasta or pasta dishes, and pasta specially processed for the microwave is available.
- Rinse pasta to be used in a salad in cold water and drain. For other recipes, pasta does not require rinsing.
Keeping pasta hot:
- Warm the serving dish by running hot water into it and letting it stand a few minutes. Dry the dish, add the drained pasta, and serve immediately.
- When adding other ingredients to cooked pasta, return the drained pasta to the pan it was cooked in. Add the ingredients; the heat of the pan will warm them.
- If you must delay serving pasta, drain it and return to the pan it was cooked in. Or transfer to a colander placed over a pan containing a small amount of boiling water. Coat pasta with a little margarine to prevent sticking and cover the pan.
Extra pasta:
- Add a little oil to extra pasta and toss to coat. Then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, place cooled, oiled pasta in a plastic freezer bag, seal and freeze for up to 3 weeks. To reheat, remove pasta from bag and add to boiling water; stir gently to separate. Return to boiling and cook until hot, about 2 minutes. - Associated Press
\ SO HOT IT'S CHILI Now's the time to sign up to participate in the Take A Walk on the Chili Sidecookoff on July 28 at the ballpark in Fieldale. It's sanctioned by the Chili Appreciation Society, International, and there'll be lots of trophies for the top winners.
The fee is $15, and all proceeds will go to Stepping Stones Inc., an organization for mentally handicapped adults.
Contact David Moore, Route 3 Box 95, Martinsville, Va. 24112, for more information or to register to cook.
\ DAIRY WINNERS Catherine P. Latane of Washington's Birthplace cooked green beans Italiano and won the recent Virginia Dairylicious Recipe Contest at Valley View Mall. And Dodie Botkins of Covington was the second-place winner for this recipe.
Festive vegetable medley
\ 1 large head cauliflower, washed and broken into flowerets
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups 2 percent milk
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. crushed dill weed
Parsley sprigs for garnish
Cook cauliflower, covered, in a small amount of water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms and peppers in butter until tender. Blend in flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture is thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add sour cream, cheese, salt and dill weed. Stir until blended and smooth. In 2-qt. casserole, alternate sauce and cauliflower, beginning and ending with sauce. Bake in 325-degree oven for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley.
\ MARKET SHOPPING String beans or snap beans . . . whatever name you call them, all green beans aren't the same. A trip to a farmers' market will prove it. You'll find green beans called half-runners, pole beans, Blue Lakes, Early Serves, McCaslins, Franklin County flats, Romas and some marked only as stringless green beans.
The kind you choose depends on what you like, and most people like what they grew up with. The Franklin County flats, half-runners and pole beans, for example, are old-timey beans that do have strings that must be removed. Even then, strings will show up in the cooked product.
A few strings might show up in the McCaslin, but this is a good all-purpose bean. Blue Lakes are just like those you buy in a can. The Early Serves are small, tender, sweet and stringless, and the Romas are large, flat, sweet and tender.
I don't plan to get into the controversy of how long to cook green beans. Some folks like them cooked for hours and some folks like them cooked for minutes. The best way to cook them is the way you like them. I will note, though, that stringless beans require less cooking time, otherwise they become quite mushy.
Farmers have some October beans, too, and these must be shelled before cooking.
There is plenty of other good stuff coming to market now, but farmers are worried about the lack of rain. Drought conditions could dry up the supply rather quickly. Right now, look for lots of beans, squash, zucchini, eggplant, green apples and beets. There are some cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, rhubarb, broccoli, greens, blackberries, cabbage, spinach, radishes, turnips, peas and peaches.
WORTH WRITING FOR The basics of buying, storing and preparing favorite fish and seafood products are included in "Fish and Seafood Made Easy" from the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council. For a copy, send 50 cents to Fish and Seafood, Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, Colo. 81009.
A refrigerator magnet and a brochure with mushroom care, handling tips and recipes are offered by the Mushroom Council. Just send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope to Mastering Mushrooms Magnet Offer, 55 Union St., San Francisco, Calif. 94111-1217.
by CNB