Week
of April 27, 2008
Cauliflower
Whether
you plan to boil, steam, or roast cauliflower, start by trimming
off the leaves and stem.
Although the leaves and stem can be eaten, they have a tougher
texture and stronger flavor than the florets themselves. (If you
like to use everything, save them to use later in soups and stews.)
1. Rinse cauliflower
well and snap off tough outer leaves and discard.
2. Using a
sharp knife, cut off stem, then hollow out and remove core, angling
blade to avoid cutting into florets.
3. Cut or
break cauliflower into large florets or smaller pieces if called
for in a recipe.
Storing
When wrapped tightly in airtight plastic wrap, cauliflower heads
can be refrigerated for three to five days.
Week
of April 20, 2008
Napa
Cabbage
 |
You
are getting ready to prepare a new recipe and it asks for
Napa Cabbage. If you are not familiar with Napa cabbage,
it can also be named Chinese cabbage or Celery cabbage.
Unlike the regular round head of cabbage that is the staple
in most stores, the napa cabbage is shaped like a football
and looks a little like leaf lettuce.
It has
a sweeter taste and is much milder than the standard round
cabbage. When you do find it, you will want to find a head
that has tightly packed leaves that are frim and not floppy.
|
To store the
cabbage once you get home simply wrap the head in paper towells
and place back into the plastic produce bag and refrigerate. It
will keep for up to one week.
When you are
ready to use remove amount of leaves that you desire, rinse well
under cool water and dry thoroughly.
You can use Napa
cabbage in pretty much the same way that you would use standard
cabbage.
Week
of April 13, 2008
Light
Endings
After
a delicious meal, you sometimes want to extend the dinner and
savor the meal and your friends or family. Instead of some cloyingly
sweet and heavy dessert, try something light, icy and fruity.
This
spring time sorbet is sure to please the palate and round off
any meal. You can make this with fresh peaches or mangoes.
Mango
(or Peach) Lemon Sorbet
Yields: 6 servings
3
cups chopped peeled mangoes or fresh peaches (approximately 2
pounds)
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In
a food processor or blender, combine mangoes and water; cover
and process until smooth. Add the sugar and lemon juice; cover
and process until sugar is dissolved, about one minute. Freeze
in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions.
Transfer to a freezer coner; cover and freeze for one hour or
until firm.
Per
Serving: (1/2 cup) 184 Calories; trace Fat; trace Saturated Fat;
0 Cholesterol, 2mg Sodium; 48g Carbohydrate; 2g Fiber; trace Protein.
Week
of April 6, 2008
Keeping
it Simple
Sometimes
simple is better. If you have a really good quality fruit or vegetable,
try to just enhance the natural flavor instead of masking it.
Bring out the most it has to offer and you will be able to savor
its true natural flavor.
Today,
we will start with room temperature ripe plum or Roma tomatoes.
Wash tomatoes and trim. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and then
slice in 1/4 inch slices.
Sprinkle
with a little Kosher salt and lightly dust with fresh ground black
pepper.
Now
we are going to chiffonade some basil. Wash some fresh basil leaves
and pat dry. Remove leaves from stems; stack on top of each other
and roll up like a cigar. Next slice the basil roll into little
ribbons. Add to tomatoes.
Now
chop a little fresh chives and add to the tomatoes.
Let tomatoes and herbs blend flavors at room temp for 20 to 30
minutes and enjoy.
