ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES FOOD EDITOR
When you were a tyke and fell down and scraped your knees, who was there to kiss the boo-boo and make it better? Mom! And she's likely been there throughout the years, keeping you fit, healthy and feeling your best.
This Mother's Day, do the same for her, with a delicious, heart-healthy Mediterranean-style meal.
This eating style encompasses the cuisines of regions and countries as diverse as Spain, Israel, southern France, Italy, Greece and Morocco. The diet is rich in grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, as well as moderate amounts of fish, meat and poultry, nuts, olive oil and wine. Researchers believe that a combination of low amounts of saturated fat, high fiber, plenty of antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, and a wealth of potentially cancer-inhibiting substances known as phytochemicals make this one of the healthiest diets in the world.
You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen or even be a particularly skillful cook to prepare delicious and produce-rich Mediterranean-style food. If you use a few ``value-added products,'' such as quick-cooking grains, prepared doughs, prewashed and precut produce, and dried, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, you can create tasty and even low-fat Mediterranean meals easily and quickly.
Wine has received a lot of attention lately as a possible healthful component of Mediterranean diets. There's no scientific proof as of yet, but a nicely paired wine stil could enhance your special meal.
Marchesi Antinori Italian vintners has operated the Antinori family's restaurant in Florence, Italy, since 1506. The company has produced a concise but informative booklet that includes wine profiles and several sensational recipes. To receive a free copy, send a self-addressed 6x9-inch or larger envelope, with 55 cents postage, to: Antinori's Tuscan Table, c/o Remy Amerique Inc., 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10019.
Fruits and vegetables also receive much acclaim for making Mediterranean-style eating healthy. The cantaloupe wedge recipe, while not of Mediterranean origin, combines some of the lovely fresh fruits so readily available right now with a low-cal, no-fat gelatin that's been a favorite for more than 100 years. To get a copy of the booklet from which this recipe was taken, send 75 cents, one Knox Gelatine proof of purchase seal and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Knox Recipe Booklet, P. O. Box 7658, Clinton, Iowa 52736-7658.
The following punch recipe, also not Mediterranean, was submitted by reader Jennipher Lommen, owner of Passionflower Herb and Perennial Nursery in Christiansburg, in observance of National Herb Week (May 6 -12).
Lommen said that monarda, or bee balm, was chosen by the International Herb Association as 1996's Herb of the Year. The native perennial plant is known for its beautiful flowers and its ability to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, she wrote. Native American tribes often used monarda medicinally. The herb, which has a citrusy, sweet, hot and minty taste, also replaced black tea in the American colonies after the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
Today, Lommen suggests adding fresh dried bee balm blossoms to lemonade or to black tea to give it an Earl Grey flavor.
As for you and your special day with Mom, as they say in Marseilles, ``Bon apptit!''
Recipes for:
STRACOTTO ALLA FIORENTINA
(FLORENTINE POT ROAST)
FARFALLE ALL'ORTOLANA
(BUTTERFLY PASTA WITH VEGETABLE SAUCE)
CANTALOUPE WEDGES WITH FRESH FRUIT
BEE BALM PUNCH
PROVENAL PEAR CAESAR SALAD
ONE-POT LEBANESE SUPPER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Wines, paired with flavorful grains and meats, willby CNBhelp make mom's meal even more special. 2. Cantaloupe wedges with
frsh fruit. color.