What is a tomato? You probably think it’s a vegetable, right? As do most people. However, tomatoes are in fact not a vegetable, but rather, a fruit. In 1883 the United States Congress passed a tariff act requiring a 10% tax on imported vegetables; a response to the growing international trade at time.

A tomato importer, John Nix, decided to challenge the law after scrutinizing the Tariff Act. His case relied on the fact that tomatoes were a fruit and not vegetable, therefore, it should not be subjected to the Tariff Act. Nix’s objections brought the case to the Supreme Court in 1893. Although Nix had a solid case, the Supreme Court rejected the botanical facts and continued to refer to tomatoes as a vegetable.

Plant family

Tomatoes belong to the genus Lycopersicon, while potatoes belong to the genus Solanum; Both of which belongs to the same “flowering plant family” solanaceae. The similarities in leaves and flowers justifies this taxonomic grouping.

The UK - Introduction of the tomato

When the tomato plant was first introduced into the UK, some areas were not willing to consume the fruit because they were considered poisonous. Other plants that were poisonous, and in the same family as the tomato, such as the henbane, mandrake and the deadly nightshade were reasons to be concerned.

The deadly nightshade (Atropus belladonna), in particular, resembled the tomato plant the most, and was used as a hallucinogenic drug, as well as for cosmetic purposes in various parts of Europe. In Latin, the name “belladonna”; literally means “beautiful woman.” The women in medieval courts would apply drop of deadly nightshade extract to their eyes, dilating their pupils, a fashionable statement at the time.

When the deadly nightshade was taken for it’s hallucinogenic properties, the consumer would experience visuals and a feeling of flying or weightlessness. German folklore suggests it was also used in witchcraft to evoke werewolves, a practice know as lycanthropy. The common name for tomatoes in Germany translates to “Wolf peach,” which was simply another reason for Europeans to avoid the plant.

North America - Introduction of the tomato

Tomato plants were transported by colonists from Britain to North America. The plants were most valued for removing pustule (Pimples, Blisters - Pus filled, inflamed skin). The inventor of peanut butter, George Washington Carver, strongly urged his poor Alabama neighbors to consume tomatoes because of their unhealthy diet. However, he had little success convincing them that the plants was edible.

Early efforts by merchants to sell tomatoes were not very successful. It is said that the fruit was brought to the liberal hamlet of Salem, Mass. in 1802 by a painter who also found it difficult persuading people to try the fruit. New Orleans cuisine was reported to have used tomatoes by 1812, however, doubts about the fruit lingered in some areas.

It’s thought that doubts about the plant’s edibility was laid to rest, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson announced that he will consume a bushel of tomatoes in front of the Boston courthouse at noon on September 26, 1820. Thousands of spectators turned out to watch the man commit suicide (At least, so they thought) by consuming the poisonous fruit. It is said that spectators were shocked when they realized the Colonel will survive after consuming numerous tomatoes. This story is from an old farm journal and may not be very reliable, however, it’s quite entertaining.

Tomato popularity on the rise

Throughout the western world, tomatoes began to grow in popularity. In the 1820s, several cookbooks included recipes which required or called for tomatoes. Tomatoes were sold by the dozens in Boston’s Quincy Market in 1835. In Thomas Bridgeman seed catalogue, 4 varieties of tomatoes were listed: Cherry, Pear, Large Yellow and Large Squash.

Bruist, a seed merchant commented on the tomato in 1858 - “In taking retrospect of the last eighteen years, there is no vegetable on the catalogue that has obtained such popularity in so short a period as the one now under consideration. In 1828-29, it was almost detested; in ten years almost every variety of pill and panacea was extract of tomato. It now occupies as great a surface of ground as cabbage, and is cultivated the length and breadth of the country.” - www.heirloomseeds.com

That year, Bruits had eight cultivatars listed in his catalogue. A few years later, in 1863, a popular seed catalogue had 23 cultivars listed. One of the listed cultivars was Trophy, the first modern-looking, large, red, smooth-skinned variety which was sold for $5.00 for a packet of 20 seeds.

Large scale breeding for desirable traits became common in the 1870s in both the US and UK. In fact, by the 1880s several hundred cultivars had been named and it was clear that tomato had grown on the western culture. According to a study conducted at Michigan Agricultural College in the late 1880s, 171 of the named cultivars represented only 61 truly unique varieties, many of which were only marginally different.

Heirloom varieties

Although Central American is thought to be the center of domestication, throughout Europe and later in North America, further domestication occurred on a more intense level. Eastern Europe appeared to produce large numbers of high quality varieties. Tomatoes are self-pollinating plants which tend to become genetically homozygous after many generations. Tomatoes will rarely cross breed and usually produce plants will similar characteristics as the parents.

Because of tomatoes natural breeding process, early cultivars did not change much and were kept in a family or community for a long time, hence the name heirlooms. There are cultivars that dates back to over one hundred years that are still produced today. Most heirloom varieties are different in color, size and shape. Some varieties are black, red with black shoulders, dark purple, rainbow and green. In terms of size, some are the size of a cherry to larger varieties weighing over 2 lb.

Heirlooms - a story

Some heirloom varieties have interesting histories as well; at least I think so. Lets talk about the story of a heirloom name Mortgage Lifter. A radiator repair shop owner, Charlie, experienced hard times, as did much of the nation through the Great Depression. Because of financial reasons, most people abandoned their cars and Ol Charlie’s business too a hard hit. He decided to use his four largest fruit producing tomato plants to cross breed repeatedly with each other to create a plant that produced two pounds of fruits.

Claming that his plants could feed a family of six, Charlie peddled the crops for a dollar per plant. Within four years, Charlie generated enough money to pay off the $4,000 dollars mortgage on his home, which led to the heirloom name “Mortgage Lifter.”

Heirlooms - names & origins

In general, the names of heirloom varieties links directly to their history. For example, the Baptiste family in Remis, Fance cultivated the First Pick variety. Picardy’s history also dates back to France (1890). Besser arrived from the Freiburg section of Germany, while Schellenburg’s Favorite came from the Schellenburg family near Manheim, Germany.

Elbe was cultivated in 1889 near the Elbe River in Germany. Since the 1870s, the Amish in Pennsylvania cultivated the Amish Paste variety. Brandywine was also cultivated by Amish farmers near Brandywine Creek in Chester County Pennsylvania in 1885. The hills of Virginia is thought to be the origin of the Hillbilly variety. Old Virginia was cultivated in Virginia as well in the early 1900s. In 1953 Campbell Soup Co., introduced the Ace variety which is still popular for canning. On Edgar Allan Poe’s estate, a cultivar found growing there bears his mother’s maiden name, Hopkins.

Please bear in mind that these heirloom stories may be true or false, in part or whole, and may be inaccurate or exaggerated.

About The Author

Kirk Gordon

This article is courtest of http://www.HydroponicSearch.com - The Agriculture and Gardening Search Engine.

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When you take a look at garlic you will see that there are various kinds of garlic that you can use for your mashed potatoes such as German red garlic, Spanish Roja garlic, Leningrad garlic, and Yugoslavian. You can find all of these garlic’s in a powder form or use fresh garlic. So, the first thing you need to do is decide which garlic you would like to use. Personally, I like using fresh minced garlic cloves.

There are two popular ways to prepare the best garlic mashed potatoes. With this recipe you will use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. For the first recipe you will need enough potatoes to feed your family or guests. The rule of thumb is one medium potato per person. But, my family love potatoes, so I have to use 2 per person. Now you will need milk or cream, butter or margarine, salt and pepper and your garlic powder choice. You can either wash and peel your potatoes or you may wash your potatoes and boil them with the skins on. Cut your potatoes into chunks and boil until tender. Drain and pour into mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper garlic powder and margarine and blend with your electric mixer until the combined well. Now, add a bit of milk or cream and beat again until smooth. Add more milk until you achieve your desired consistency.

In this next recipe you will use fresh minced garlic cloves to prepare the best garlic mashed potatoes. This is my favorite way. You will need all of the same ingredients as above except for garlic powder. While your potatoes are boiling, sauté the garlic cloves in a frying pan with the margarine. Let the garlic simmer and blend in with the margarine. When your potatoes are ready to mash and you are adding the ingredients, add the melted butter and sauté minced garlic and blend with the potatoes.

Try both recipes and choose your favorite for the preparing the best garlic mashed potatoes.

Check out http://percentsavings.com for more info plus savings and coupons for all the best online stores

Melody Ralls http://percentsavings.com

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Makes: 4 servings

To serve, place chicken on top of hot cooked rice on each plate and spoon sauce over the top. Wonderful served with steamed asparagus.

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup maple flavored syrup

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Bring orange juice and wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat slightly, but keep high enough to continue a low boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in maple syrup and continue boiling for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until glossy and just slightly thickened. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl mix together the rosemary, salt and pepper. Rub mixture on both sides of chicken breasts, and set aside.

3. Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts, cover skillet and saute for about 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Pour orange-maple mixture over chicken (mixture will boil and bubble). Reduce heat to simmer; cover and let cook for another 10 minutes, basting occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce has turned into a rich, thick glaze.

Nutrition Info Servings Per Recipe: 4

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 395

Total Fat: 14.2g

Cholesterol: 84mg

Sodium: 452mg

Total Carbs: 34.3g

Dietary Fiber: 0.2g

Protein: 27.8g

Source:

www.recipesecrets.net/index_ebk.html?hop=macksterj

Anthony Lee Smith is an affiliate of Recipe Secrets, which provides a service to cooking enthusiasts with a vast array of recipes.

Famous Secret Recipes Exposed! Get the recipes that everyone loves but nobody knows how to make. Free Bonuses for ordering today - go to: http://www.recipesecrets.net/index_ebk.html?hop=macksterj

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Any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that?

The answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture).

By reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. You can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not.

This is one of the most important tools in the kitchen, believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal.

And literally ANY liquid can be reduced.

A few uses

Wine is frequently used in cooking, both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat.

There are some problems with it though, one of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people.

On the other hand, if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of ‘gourmet’.

What’s more, you don’t have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. You can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge.

You can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. Just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe!

Pork with apple sauce? Use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. And if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process.

Are you getting an idea of how simple this is?

Take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. You will transform it into something even the manufacturer won’t recognize. But beware!

You need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify ALL the flavors, and not just the good ones.

If it’s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you’ve reduced it even by half. So if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it’s an extremely good one.

And believe me when I tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces.

Thickeners

Because you will be tasting as you go (won’t you?), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached.

So here’s a couple of hints right now for your sauces.

Sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. Surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked.

For meat sauces, one of the most effective ways to thicken is to mix corn starch with water and whisk this into your sauce a little at a time until the required thickness is reached. You do this at the end of the reduction time.

If you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. Stir in a little extra water to thin it.

Reduction pans

Reductions need to happen rapidly in order to preserve flavors. And the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate.

For fast reductions, therefore, I often use a skillet, or frying pan, only transferring the sauce to a deeper pan when I want to whisk it. (whisking ‘finishes’ off a sauce, making it shine)

However you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that I find a small wok is best; one with a handle.

A wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. But try both methods and see which you prefer. You may even end up using something totally different.

There’s no magic to this. Whatever works for you, that’s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking.

Just bear in mind that what you’re after is speed and ease of use. As well as a great tasting result, of course. :>)

Keeping

For the most part, reduced liquids can be frozen in cubes and used as needed. However if the sugar content is high this may not work too well and they would be better stored, covered, in the fridge.

If they should dry out, simply add a little water and heat through.

Sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you’re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. There is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it’s better not to. Simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil.

Why do you do this? To avoid food poisoning, that’s why. You are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off.

Don’t worry, this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (I hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean.

In fact your food, and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. Don’t worry about them. Careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

For more information on the subject, see my booklet “Hygiene In The Kitchen”, which is available free through the Cool Cook’s Club.

About The Author

Michael Sheridan was formerly head chef of the Pierre Victoire restaurant in London’s West End, specializing in French cuisine. An Australian, he is a published author on cooking matters and runs a free membership club and cooking course for busy home cooks at http://thecoolcook.com

tingirablue@optusnet.com.au

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“Frozen Key Lime Pie recipe?” Fern Butters asked. “Child, I’ll take that secret with me to the grave.”

Fern Butters’ frozen key lime pie was legend. Every time President Harry S Truman went through Islamorada on Upper Matecumbe Key on his way to the “Little White House” in Key West, he stopped. More specifically, he

stopped at Fern Inn for some of Fern Butters’ frozen key lime pie.

And so did other folks, commoners and dignitaries alike-Papa Hemingway, Cordell Hull, Douglas Fairbanks, Julia Child . And me.

I didn’t see any of those famous folks. Except Julia Child. And I didn’t know who she was. Ignorance of youth.

But I did eat Mrs. Butters’ frozen key lime pie.

I wasn’t a child when I asked her about the recipe. I had recipes for my grandmother’s compressed fruit cake. And my grandfather’s elderberry wine. And a passel of others I’d collected from near and far. So I thought her recipe would fit right in with my collection.

Not so. I was a young pastor at her little church in Matecumbe. But I could have been Gabriel himself.

And could never obtain that closely guarded secret.

Many had tried to replicate her recipe, but without success. I saw Julia Child once try to wheedle the recipe from Fern Butters with no success. I heard she tied to duplicate the recipe-again, no success.

Of course, that may just be a legend. It’s believable. Everyone who ever ate her frozen key lime pie coveted the recipe.

Well, Fern is now dead. The Fern Inn has changed names. Fern took the recipe to the grave with her.

But, recently her daughter called me up. She said that after all these years she was going through her mother’s letters and things and trying to clean out an old dresser drawer packed with old letters and notes.

She came across an envelope with my name on it. She wanted to know if I were the same preacher that served the little church down in Matecumbe.

This was a strange event. I had moved to Wisconsin serving churches there for several years. When I returned to South Florida, I was a professor in a college for 33 years. I retired from the college and served a church in North Miami Beach for 13 years. I retired again. Then answered a desperation call to serve as chaplain at a retirement community. I just happened to be in the area where Fern Butters’ daughter could contact me.

She sent me the envelope, now yellow with age. Fern had been dead for some 40 or so years. I opened the envelope. The note read:

This is what you asked for. Use it wisely.

And there was the recipe!

Now I’ve wondered what to do with this recipe. I could, of course, just publish it. Or I could write a book about my days as a young pastor among the Keys Conchs, as the folks there called themselves. I might even sell it [How long would that last!?]

But I’ve decided to give it away. I’m not even going to swear the recipients to secrecy. I’m just going to give it to folks who have a love for unusual recipes and for historical recipes. I have a buddy from North Carolina, for example, whose family has a recipe for pumpkin soup handed down since pioneer days.

And then there’s my friend from Ladies Island in Beaufort County South Carolina. She claims her ancestors created Frogmore Stew.

There’s an aunt in Western Maryland says she will give me the recipe for “Puddin’,” a meat product that’s out of this world when used on pancakes. I’ve no idea what the ingredients are, but I long to find out.

Folks that are interested in these kinds of recipe and are willing to share their own favorites are invited to subscribe at no cost to COOKIN’ GOOD NEWSLETTER at http://www.cookin-good.com/.

Not only will subscribers receive a copy of Fern Butters’ frozen key lime pie recipe, but will also receive a monthly issue of the newsletter at no cost. Everyone is invited to send their own unique recipes.

And invite your friends to subscribe. They’ll love you for telling them about it.

But for those who are simply curious about the recipe, for those who don’t want to visit the web site, for those who don’t mind missing out on all the wonderful features found in Cookin’ Good Gazette, here’s the recipe.

With Fern’s secret ingredient [forgive me, Fern!].

Mrs. Butters’ Secret

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup sweetened condensed milk
• 6 egg yolks [save whites]
• ½ Cup key lime juice [genuine key lime]
• 6 egg whites [I told you to save them!]
• 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 graham cracker pie crust [preferred-regular crust permissible]
• ½ pint secret ingredient

Procedure

Filling

• Add yolks to condensed milk and beat 8 minutes
• Add secret ingredient and beat until well mixed
• Add key lime juice and mix well
• Fold into pie shell
• Place in freezer until well set. Keep unused portion in the freezer for up to a week [if it lasts that long!]

Topping

• While pie sets beat 6 egg whites with cream of tartar for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of sugar and whip until meringue makes peaks when beater is removed from mixture.
• Add to top of pie
• Brown in 350◦ oven and cool in refrigerator for 15 or more minutes for a regular pie or in the freezer for an hour if it is frozen key lime pie.

Secret ingredient. ½ pint of soft vanilla ice cream.

Don’t laugh. The addition of this secret ingredient has stumped many a jealous cook and chef, including, as I said, Julia Child. Reveal it and you take the mystery out of your own ability to produce “Harry Truman tested” Frozen Key Lime pie.

About The Author

Dr. Larry Winebrenner is a well-known, well-received public speaker. He has extensive background in business practices seminars, genealogical research, producing training materials, marketing consulting, nutrition studies, and religious studies.

This article is located at www.cookin-good.com. Other sites maintained are located at www.home-bible-study.com, www.learningfolder.com/mark39.htm, and www.family-search-secrets.com.

©2005 by Dr. Larry Winebrenner. Permission to copy entire article with no omissions or changes.

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Tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi - even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful. Japanese cuisine is easily one of the healthiest in the world, with its concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. The pungent sauces and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement each other beautifully, and the methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

The Japanese have easily a dozen different names for rice, depending on how it is prepared and what it is served with. The most common meal is a rice bowl, a bowl of white rice served with various toppings or ingredients mixed in. So popular is it that the Rice Bowl has even made its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another food: domburi tendon, for instance, is rice topped with tempura and domburi gyudon is rice topped with beef. The Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese, and a century ago, when curry was first introduced, developed Kare Raisu, curry rice. It is now such a popular dish that there are many fast-food restaurants that serve several versions of it in take-away bowls.

Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine also features onigiri - rice balls wrapped in seaweed, often with a ‘surprise’ in the middle, and kayu, a thin gruel made of rice that resembles oatmeal.

As an island nation, it’s not surprising that seafood is featured in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and sashimi both are raw fish and seafood with various spices. Impeccably fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi, served with wasabi and soya sauce. The Japanese love of beauty and simplicity turns slices and chunks of raw fish into miniature works of art. Fish sliced so thin that it’s transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate fan that alternates pink-fleshed salmon with paler slices of fish. Sushi is typically arranged to best display the colors and textures to their best advantage, turning the platter and plate into palettes for the artistry of the chef.

Traditionally, meat plays a minor role in the Japanese diet, though it has been taking a larger and larger role over the past fifty years as Japan becomes more westernized. Beef, chicken and pork may be served with several meals a week now. One of the more popular meat dishes is ‘yakitori’ - chicken grilled on a skewer and served with sauce. A typical quick lunch might include a skewer of yakitori and a rice bowl with sushi sauce.

In an interesting twist, Japan has imported dishes from other cuisines and ‘Japanized’ them, adopting them as part of their own cuisines. Korokke, for instance, are croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu - western dishes that have made their way into Japanese everyday cuisine include ‘omuraisu’, a rice omelet, and hambagau, the Japanized version of an American hamburger.

About The Author

Troy Pentico

Visit The Tasty Chef for more great tips, techniques, and insights pertaining to cooking and recipes. http://www.tastychef.net.

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pinto beans, dried
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 5 cups Water
• 1 Nutmeg, ground, whole
• 2 tbsp Lard
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Bacon drippings
• 2 tsp Oregano, dried, pref. Mexican
• 1 Onion
• 4 tbsp Sesame seeds
• 12 oz Pork sausage, country-style
• 1 cup Almonds, blanched, skins removed
• 1 lb Beef, coarse grind
• 12 Red chiles, whole dried
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Anise
• 1 1/2 oz Milk chocolate, small pieces
• 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 can Tomato paste (6oz ea)
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Cloves, ground
• 3 tsp Lemon juice
• 1 Cinnamon stick, ground
• 1 Soft tortilla, chopped
• 1 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
• Salt

Instructions for this special chili recipe:

Place the rinsed beans in a bowl, add 2 to 3 cups of water and soak overnight. Check the beans occasionally and add water as necessary to keep them moist. Pour the beans and the water in which they were soaked into a heavy saucepan and add 2 to 3 more cups of water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, until the beans are cooked but still firm. Check occasionally and add water if necessary. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid.

Melt the lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the beans and lightly fry them in the lard. Set aside. Melt the drippings in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is translucent.

Combine the sausage and the beef with all the spices up through the oregano. Add this meat-and-spice mixture to the pot with the onion. Break up any lumps with a fork and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very well browned.

Add the reserved bean-cooking liquid to the pot. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and cook, uncovered, for 1/2 hour longer. Stir occasionally. Add water only if necessary to maintain the consistency of a chunky soup. Serve.

**MUST TRY** Recipes: Easy Meatball Recipes and Cheese Ball Recipes

Copyright 2005

Jonathan loves eating! If you are like him, you definitely need to visit Easy Recipes Secrets ? The special place where Jonathan reveals 3 BIG secrets to make any recipe a pure success!

**IMPORTANT**: Feel free to republish this article on your website, however, you are NOT allowed to modify any part of its content and all the links should be kept active!

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These pasta recipes are excellent for dinners or parties.

In this article, I’m going to share with you three delicious pasta recipes that you can prepare for any occasion that suits you. The recipes are very easy and can be prepare in less than 30 minutes.

So, here we go

Lemon Tuna Pasta

• 4 tsp Butter
• 18 Black olives, pitted & sliced
• 1 tsp Oil; olive
• 2 can Tuna; chunk, drained
• 4 large Garlic cloves, chopped
• Pasta; penne, cooked and drained
• 1/8 cup Lemon juice
• 4 tsp Butter (add at end)
• 3 tsp Capers, drained

Melt butter with oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, capers and olives and cook another 2 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting. Add tuna & separate it (do NOT flake) with a fork. Heat through, stirring gently. Drain pasta. Add remainder of butter and sauce to hot pasta, tossing well.

Tomato Soup with Pasta

• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 lb Tomatoes, chopped
• 3 pt Stock
• 1 Carrot, sliced
• 1 cup Small pasta / broken vermicelli
• 1 Celery stick, sliced
• 1 tbsp Chopped parsley
• 1 tsp Salt

Heat oil in soup pot & gently fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, carrot & celery. Mix well with the oil. Sprinkle in the seasonings & stir together. Fry for 3 minutes. Add stock & bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then add pasta. When pasta is tender, serve, garnished with parsley.

Both Pasta Recipes yield 4 servings

If you are concerned about your healthy and think that the above pasta recipes are too rich in calories, here is one recipe that I’m sure you’ll love

Broccoli-Pasta Toss

• 2 cups Broccoli flowerets
• 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 oz Fettuccine, broken up
• 1 tsp Sesame seed, toasted
• 1 tbsp Oil, cooking
• 1/8 tsp Garlic powder

In a large saucepan cook broccoli and pasta in a large amount of boiling water for 6 -8 minutes or just until tender, stirring once or twice. Drain. Add oil to pasta mixture and toss. Add cheese, sesame seeds, garlic, and pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately. 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 168 cal., 6g Pro., 24g carbo., 5g fat, 3mg chol., 72mg sodium.

If you need more free recipes on pasta, try Pasta Salad Recipes.

About The Author

Copyright 2005

Jonathan loves eating! If you are like him, then you definitely need to visit http://www.easy-recipes-secrets.com - The special place where Jonathan reveals 3 BIG secrets to make any recipe a pure success!

You can publish this article on your website as long as the resource box remains intact.

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The answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture).

By reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. You can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not.

This is one of the most important tools in the kitchen, believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal.

And literally ANY liquid can be reduced.

A few uses

Wine is frequently used in cooking, both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat.

There are some problems with it though, one of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people.

On the other hand, if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of ‘gourmet’.

What’s more, you don’t have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. You can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge.

You can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. Just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe!

Pork with apple sauce? Use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. And if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process.

Are you getting an idea of how simple this is?

Take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. You will transform it into something even the manufacturer won’t recognize. But beware!

You need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify ALL the flavors, and not just the good ones.

If it’s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you’ve reduced it even by half. So if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it’s an extremely good one.

And believe me when I tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces.

Thickeners

Because you will be tasting as you go (won’t you?), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached.

So here’s a couple of hints right now for your sauces.

Sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. Surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked.

For meat sauces, one of the most effective ways to thicken is to mix corn starch with water and whisk this into your sauce a little at a time until the required thickness is reached. You do this at the end of the reduction time.

If you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. Stir in a little extra water to thin it.

Reduction pans

Reductions need to happen rapidly in order to preserve flavors. And the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate.

For fast reductions, therefore, I often use a skillet, or frying pan, only transferring the sauce to a deeper pan when I want to whisk it. (whisking ‘finishes’ off a sauce, making it shine)

However you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that I find a small wok is best; one with a handle.

A wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. But try both methods and see which you prefer. You may even end up using something totally different.

There’s no magic to this. Whatever works for you, that’s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking.

Just bear in mind that what you’re after is speed and ease of use. As well as a great tasting result, of course. :>)

Keeping

For the most part, reduced liquids can be frozen in cubes and used as needed. However if the sugar content is high this may not work too well and they would be better stored, covered, in the fridge.

If they should dry out, simply add a little water and heat through.

Sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you’re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. There is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it’s better not to. Simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil.

Why do you do this? To avoid food poisoning, that’s why. You are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off.

Don’t worry, this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (I hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean.

In fact your food, and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. Don’t worry about them. Careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

For more information on the subject, see my booklet "Hygiene In The Kitchen", which is available free through the Cool Cook’s Club.

Michael Sheridan is an acknowledged authority and published writer on cooking matters. His website at http://thecoolcook.com contains a wealth of information, hints, tips and recipes for busy home cooks.

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