Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9409290004
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Several chefs recently addressed the National Pasta Association about subtle seasoning variations. Tomatoes, herbs, garlic and freshly ground pepper were acknowledged pasta standards.
Tomatoes - ripe and fresh whenever possible - or canned whole or crushed, serve as a base for limitless sauces. Their various colors, sizes and shapes add brightness and endless interest to all types of dishes. Since red tomatoes have more acidity than yellow ones, the chefs suggested using more lime juice or vinegar to add acidity when using yellow tomatoes to make a salsa.
The chefs encouraged cooks to experiment with fresh herbs. If in doubt, they said, by sniffing an herb, you can get a sense of how it will taste. Start by adding just a little of the selected herb to your sauce, taste, and keep adding until the desired intensity is achieved.
Garlic's intensity varies depending upon how you prepare it. Saute it for stronger flavor, or roast whole cloves for a milder taste and use in sauces and vinaigrettes.
To create Southwestern flavor, the chefs suggested using cilantro, also known as coriander or Chinese parsley, which has a pungent odor and distinctive flavor that enhances salsas, vinaigrettes or cooked sauces. Use jalapeno pepper raw in salsas or roasted to bring out more flavor aside from pure heat. To impart its fiery flavor, add one or two whole dried peppers to the cooking pasta. Add roasted, grilled or sauteed corn for distinctive sweetness and texture in sauces, salsas and almost any Southwestern dish.
New American cuisine is driven by whatever ingredients are seasonally and regionally available. Some of the more popular ones include parsley and chives as ingredient or garnish; shallots for a mild, pleasing flavor in sauces and gravies; mushrooms of the standard white button or wild varieties; and butter as a base for cream- or tomato-based sauces.
For fusion food, try mustard, used subtly, to add delicate flavor to both spicy and sweet dishes. Sugar or honey can be used lightly in virtually anything to balance acidic and spicy ingredients. And lime juice or vinegar's acidity enhance marinades, soups, sauces and dressings.
Add fire and interest to Italian with red pepper flakes. Or try the sharp flavor of Parmesan cheese to enhance any traditional dish, even one as simple as pasta, butter and Parmesan cheese.
For fast Italian flavor, Velveeta Italiana combines mozzarella, Parmesan, fontina, Asiago and Romano cheese in a pasteurized process cheese spread that melts smoothly throughout the dish, rather than stretches or clumps. The just-introduced product is or soon will be available in most supermarket dairy sections.
Pasta's versatility has inspired numerous cookbooks. The fully illustrated "100 Great Pasta Recipes" ($14.95, Ladies' Home Journal Books) overflows with recipes, many requiring only 15-30 minutes to assemble, start to finish, as well as hints, tips and serving suggestions. The book's lay-flat spiral binding is a nice feature for easy countertop use.
Sarah Schlesinger's "500 Fat-Free Recipes: A Complete Guide to Reducing the Fat In Your Diet" ($22, Villard Books) maintains pasta's natural low-fat character. The book's recipes, which cover a spectrum of foods besides pasta, do not contain oil, butter, margarine or shortening of any kind but rather rely on herbs, spices, defatted stocks and broths, wines, nonfat dairy products, fruit juices and vegetable purees for surprising, satisfying flavors and textures. It also teaches how to change classic cooking techniques to fat-free.
Both books include nutritional analysis and breakdowns.
Additional ideas and recipes, not necessarily low-fat, are available free by sending self-addressed, stamped business-size envelopes. Request "Pasta from Alphabets to Ziti" from National Pasta Association, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 920, Arlington, Va. 22201 and "Italian Cheese Masterpieces" from Sargento Cheese Company Inc., Dept. N93, 1 Persnickety Place, Plymouth, Wisc. 53073.
\ SEAFOOD LASAGNA
LAYERED PENNE WITH HAM, MUSHROOMS AND PEAS
OLIVE AND LEMON CAPELLINI
BOW TIES WITH GRILLED CHICKEN, ARUGULA & ROASTED CORN
MOSTACCIOLI AND SHRIMP WITH TANGERINE-BASIL SAUCE
RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE AND OLIVES
BOW TIES WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE
ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH STEAMED VEGETABLES AND GARLIC SAUCE
PENNE WITH CABBAGE AND TOMATO CREAM
BAKED MOSTACCIOLI
\ see microfilm for recipes
by CNB