Quick Tip: Chopping Bacon

Bacon is used a lot today to add a touch of yummy salty flavor. A quick tip: if you need to cut up bacon - pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes and then chop it up. The colder the better, but make sure it's not completely frozen. It makes it much easier to slice! Mary

A Microplane should really be a staple in your kitchen

Please tell me you have one of these gems in your kitchen? If you don't you should definitely get one, sooner rather than later. The Microplane grater is an essential in any kitchen. It's original intention was meant to be a citrus grater, its fine teeth do an excellent job of leaving the pith behind. And for anyone who has struggled through the tedious task of trying to zest a lemon that is music to your ears. However, zesting is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what this magic little gadget can do, it shaves garlic into the perfect paste for most recipes, handles hard cheeses with ease, grates onions to give you amazing flavor without the big chunks (which I don't know about you, but I loathe in certain recipes) and can even hide vegetables in almost anything. Imagine sneaking a few vegetables into baked goods or pasta for the picky little ones? Have I convinced you yet? Good, you should order one today.

Mary.

Asparagus Italian Style

The temperatures have been warm in the Salt Lake Valley this last week and it has me dreaming of Spring and all the amazing food that comes with this season. As I wondered through the grocrey store, without a bulky coat in tow for the first time in what seems like forever, it seemed the Aspargus was calling to me. Even though these sensational spears season doesn't usually begin for about another month or so it seems as though they have arrived. And the site of big green stalks next to amazingly low price tags I felt like it was begging me to buy it (not that it had to I would have gladly placed it in my cart without any prodding).

Of course I turned to Always in Season to mix it from just the boring steemed version.....

Asparagus Italian Style
Always in Season (page 41)

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
Sugar and salt to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
15 to 20 stalks asparagus
lettuce or red cabbage
1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pill, sugar, salt and half the Parmesan cheese in a bowl and mix well.

Trim the asparagul and peel with a vegetable peeler. Place in a shallow pan and cover half-way with water. Simmer for 8 minutes or until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Pat the asparagus dry with a paper towel. Arrange on a serving platter lined with lettuce or red cabbage. Pour the olive oil mixture over the top. Sprinkle with pepper and the remaining Paresan cheese. server chilled or at room temperature.

To grill the aspargus, marinate it in the olive oil mixture for 1 hour. Place directly on the grill or on a sheet of foil and grill for several minuets on both sides.


I must admit I had to give it a bit of a twist. I was in a bit of a hurry and wanted more of the grilled fare, but didn't have time to drag out my grill so I decided why not broil them? I let them soak in the mixture as the recipe states and then i put them in the broiler for a few minuets on each side. It made the perfect pairing to the tilapia I was having as my main dish. Give it a try, I hope you enjoy!

Mary

Beef Stroganoff

Always In Season, page 181

Last weekend, sadly, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was at its end. I was looking for a little comfort food to help me make the transition back to ordinary life and decided what would be better that to settle in for the Closing Ceremonies with a nice warm dish. Beef Stroganoff!

It looks a little "stroganoff-ish" but it was really good and it is easy to do a low fat version with light sour cream instead of the full fat stuff. I used green onions as a garnish instead of parsley since that's what I had on hand. Yum, comfort food.

Ingredients

2 pounds sirloin steak
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 cups beef broth
1 ¼ teaspoons nutmeg
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup water
⅔ cup sour cream

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cut the beef into ½ x 4-inch strips. Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet until the foam subsides. Add the beef and sauté until brown.

Add the onions. Cook over medium heat until the onions are tender.


Add the mushrooms, beef broth, nutmeg, basil, salt, cayenne and black pepper. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the beef is tender and the liquid is reduced to about ½ cup, stirring occasionally.

Blend the cornstarch with the water in a small bowl. Stir into the beef mixture. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the sour cream. Serve over rice or buttered noodles in a heated serving dish. Garnish with parsley.

Serves Four to Six