dish

By JANET KEELER
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 5, 2001

deconstructing
explanations from the inside out

chestnuts

We don't know if chestnuts will be roasting on open fires much in Florida, but this is the time of year that the Old World nut crops up in food and song.

Chestnuts have been a staple food in Mediterranean countries for centuries and were popular in the United States until a fungus virtually wiped out all chestnut trees in North America in the early 1900s. Americans now depend on imports, mostly from Italy.

To roast chestnuts, cut an X into the flat side of each nut with a sharp knife, cutting through the shell. Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, scored side up, sprinkle lightly with water and roast at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Peel while the nuts are warm; reheat briefly if they become hard to peel.

Chestnuts have an earthy, musty taste. Though they can be eaten hot off the coals, they are better mellowed by the herbs in stuffing or in other dishes. Soon after roasting, the nuts can become so hard they could break a tooth if bitten too vigorously. However, they still can be chopped. Some larger grocery stores and most Italian markets carry chestnuts in the shell and unshelled chestnuts in a can, which are notably softer. You can also find chestnut puree and chestnut flour at Italian shops.

this web site cooks

www.homecooking.about.com/cs/hanukkah/

This Hanukkah recipe link from About.com offers so many recipes for the eight-day Festival of Lights that you won't know where to start. But log on anyway. You'll find recipes for curried latkes, for a holiday menu from Paris and for vegetarian entrees. Need to know how to render goose or chicken fat to make schmaltz, the flavorful oil sometimes used to fry latkes? Instructions are here. Looking to reduce the fat in some traditional Hanukkah dishes? Help is on the way.

Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sunday. You'll need until then to read through all these links and recipes.

constant comment

"I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit." -- William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

cooking class

A standard procedure when making breads or other yeast rising foods, such as pizzas or rolls, is for the dough to be set aside for an hour or more, covered, until doubled in size. In a busy kitchen it is easy to forget the initial size and time the bread started proofing. A tip: cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and with a marking pen make an outline of the dough on the plastic and note the time, as well. An appropriate place to proof bread, free of drafts, is in a turned-off oven.

recipe saver

Here's a way to preserve all those great holiday recipes. The ezLaminator from Manco Inc. uses a cold lamination process to coat paper in a non-yellowing, waterproof film, without using electricity or batteries. The machine is available at Wal-Mart, Staples and other retailers for a suggested retail price of $59.99.

blue ribbon ready?

If your Pecan-Bourbon Pie wins raves every time you serve a slice, consider entering it in the 2002 Florida State Fair baking competition. The fair will be Feb. 7-18 in Tampa, so you still have time to perfect your Coconut-Banana Nut Bread or Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever. There are adult and youth divisions in Baking, Food Preservation plus Snacks, Dips, Breads and Salads. Entry forms must be received by Jan. 4; completed dishes are delivered at fair time. Rules may be obtained by writing Florida State Fair, P.O. Box 11766, Tampa, FL 33680, ATTN.: Joyce Covington, or by calling (813) 627-3247 or toll-free 1-800-345-3247 (ask for Florida Living Department). Web site is www.floridastatefair.com.

snap that bag

If your trash bag is forever falling into your trash can, check out Hefty's new "Gripper," a 13-gallon trash bag made with a "Stretch and Grip Top," an elasticized drawstring designed to stretch over the trash can and grip it tightly. The Gripper comes in a 48-count box at a suggested price of $5.43. A 20-count package sells for a suggested price of $3.88.

the animal vote

Koala bear, walrus, penguin and cobra cookies

Barnum's Animals Crackers will celebrate its 100th birthday next year by adding a new edible animal to the zoo. It's up to you to decide if the koala bear, walrus, penguin or cobra will be the 18th member of the cracker family. Cast your vote at www.nabiscoworld.com. You have until Dec. 31. Your vote automatically enters you in a sweepstakes to win a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond. You can mail your vote on a 3- by 5-inch postcard to Barnum's Animals Crackers 100th Birthday Vote for the New Animal Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 324, Pine Brook, N.J. 07058.

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