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dishBy JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer A weekly serving of food news and views deconstructing chives
There's nothing better than a baked potato with sour cream and chives, as long as the chives aren't those dried, shriveled bits from a jar. Go fresh if you can. Delicate chives, a kin to onions, garlic, leeks and shallots, add a subtle kick to food but when dried, the herb doesn't have much taste at all. And be forewarned that broiling, frying and baking destroys the aroma of chives in any form. Chives can be grown in Florida almost year-round but will struggle through the humid, wet summer months and do better in the winter and spring. Chives will be happier out of direct sunlight. Chives do well in pots; keep them well-watered. Trim the skinny, grasslike leaves at the bottom. Don't give them a haircut. If you allow chives to flower, you can use the spicy purple blooms in salads. Chives in pots and cut chives in bags are available in most grocery store produce departments. The more common variety has thin, hollow shafts; a flatter, wider-bladed version is also available. Put the plants in soil or snip them as needed. Chives already cut should be stored in the refrigerator and used within a few days. The origin of chives is unknown but they may come from central Asia. Regardless of the plant's birthplace, chives are grown around the world and used in many cuisines, especially in central and western Europe. There, they are chopped fine and sprinkled over soups, vegetables and stews and used in sauces. Chives are a natural companion to mild cheeses. A spoonful of snipped chives swirled into cottage cheese is refreshing and you can make your own chive cream cheese by blending the two together; add chives to taste. cooking class
constant comment"Men cook more, and we all know why. It is the only interesting household task." -- Screenwriter Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle) this web site cooksYou'll find no shortage of ideas on how to prepare mussels, thanks to this new Web site from the Great Eastern Mussel Farms, the largest mussel aquaculture grower in the United States. The site contains 64 recipes for dishes featuring mussels, including appetizers, salads, soups and entrees. There also is information on storing and handling mussels. cracked logicTwo chicken aficionados called last week to tell us we missed the mark on our explanation of the difference between brown and white eggs. It seems that a hen's earlobes have everything to do with the color of the shell. Birds with red earlobes will lay brown eggs, while those with white will lay white or tinted eggs. The earlobes are behind the eyes. The color of the feathers is not always a factor, though dark-feathered chickens often have red earlobes and white birds often have white ones. catch these booksLovers of seafood of all kinds may wish to check out a couple of paperbacks: Off the Hook: Reflections and Recipes from an Old Salt by Roger Fitzgerald (Ten Speed Press, $16.95). Anecdotal and not too formal, Fitzgerald writes about travels, fishing, eating out and cooking at home in the Pacific Northwest. The Ultimate Shrimp Book by Bruce Weinstein (Morrow, $16.95). The subtitle promises more than 650 recipes "for everyone's favorite seafood prepared every way imaginable." Entries range from Shrimp a la King to XO Shrimp. XO is the spicy sauce made famous on TV's Iron Chef. more ketchup colorsIf green and purple ketchup weren't enough fun for you, hang on. In late April, three new colors will be hitting store shelves, thanks to the marketing geniuses at Heinz. The bottles of Heinz EZ Squirt Mystery Color ketchup will be white with a rainbow label. To find out which color -- Passion Pink, Awesome Orange or Totally Teal -- is inside the bottle, consumers will have to buy it, then open and squeeze. Suggested retail price is $1.79 for a 19-ounce bottle. - Compiled by Janet K. Keeler, from staff and wire reports
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
Don't put wooden rolling pins in a sink of soapy water or they will warp. The best way to clean a wooden pin is to scrape off residual flour with a pastry scrape or butter knife and wipe it off with a damp cloth.
