Week of March 28, 2004

Sauce it Up!

Are you getting a little tired of plain grilled, baked, poached and broiled meat and poultry?

Don't let things gets boring. Sauce it up a bit and make life interesting.

Try some of this week's sauce recipes like: Dill Sauce on your grilled salmon, Creole Pepper Sauce on your chicken, Chili Mint Dipping Sauce for your boiled shrimp, Spicy Cilantro Sauce for your baked or grilled halibut or cod and Crowd Pleasing Salsa for chicken, fish or even on baked tortilla chips.

With a little imagination and a good sauce recipe, you can also give life to leftover grilled meat, fish and poultry with out adding much Saturated Fat or Calories.

So why settle for boring over and over again. Find a good repertoire of sauces as staples for your cooking and bring a little excitement to your meals.

 

Week of March 21, 2004

The traditional Chinese way to cook fish is by steaming it in a tiered bamboo steamer set over boiling water in a wok. Pour about 1 1/2 inches of water into the wok. If you do not own a wok or a bamboo steamer, you can use a vegetable steamer rack set in a very large pot. The pot must be large enough to allow steam to circulate around a glass pie plate that will hold the fish which is placed on top of the steamer rack.

The bamboo steamer is favored over metal steamers because condensation does not form on the bamboo during steaming.

Steaming seafood is the first choice for many cooks when they discover how moist and flavorful steamed fish can be. As further reward, when you steam seafood you'll reduce the fat and calories.

Try these recipes : Steamed Sole with Vegetables and Steamed Orange Roughy with Asparagus or Steamed Halibut on Rice .

Week of March 14, 2004

Don't be afraid to use wine in your healthy cooking. Cooking with wine is an easy way to add character and flavor to many dishes. You can use wine when marinating meats or deglazing a pan to make a sauce. The longer the wine cooks, the more concentrated the flavors become.

Wine is also great for those who are health conscious because it adds a distinct rich and deep flavor without increasing fat content. And guess what . . . when the alcohol in the wine burns off during cooking, so do some of the calories.

Week of March 7, 2004

After World War II, those who had served overseas and enjoyed garlic as part of the native cuisine in many European countries, helped bring about the popularity of this small but pungent bulb. Having discovered how it enhances the flavor in soups, stews and sauces, they shared the Europeans' enthusiasm for its flavor and aroma. Soon, many Mediterranean classics became very popular.

Soon we were rubbing our salad bowls with a cut garlic clove to gently perfume the greens and making pasta sauce from scratch. We like it mashed, pressed, minced, chopped, in salt, dried, roasted, pickled and raw.

In 1971, in a trend-setting restaurant in Berkeley, California, patrons were served a whole head of roasted garlic. The chef taught diners to press out its soft cloves and spread them across slices of bread. We soon discovered that roasting garlic tames its harsh flavor and caramelizes its sugars, making the creamy cloves taste almost sweet. So many other chefs followed her lead, that roasted garlic has become as familiar as olive oil, used to lend its softer flavor to dressings, soups and even mashed potatoes.

Here's how to roast a whole head of garlic:

1. With a sharp knife, cut off the pointed top portion from 1 medium head of garlic, leaving the bulb intact but exposing the individual cloves.

2. Place in a small baking dish or custard cup.(Spraying with oil first keeps the cloves moist as they roast, or you can use a few drops of olive oil.)

3. Bake, covered, in a 325 degree F oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until the cloves are very soft.

4. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Squeeze garlic paste from individual cloves and use as directed in recipes, or serve garlic bulbs whole on an appetizer platter.

A roasted head of garlic keeps for a week or more, so you can gradually use the cloves to season vegetables, dressings, soups and other dishes, or as a spread for bread.