Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 16, 1993 TAG: 9303170386
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONI BURKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENING TO VINEGAR
Vinegar is popping up everywhere these days, sometimes in the most unlikely places. A cousin to wine, this tart, well-known liquid is tailor-made for today's health-conscious consumer.Vinegar contains no fat, has just tiny amounts of sodium and is low in calories. One tablespoon of vinegar contains roughly 5 calories, according to the Department of Agriculture, one reason it is often a favorite choice for adding flavor to dishes consumed by dieters.
While there aren't a lot of vitamins or minerals in vinegar, there are small amounts of potassium and calcium.
Already a common ingredient in many foods, such as mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, basting sauces, stews, soups, casseroles, tomato sauces, cheeses and bakery products, vinegar is also becoming increasingly popular on its own.
Specialty vinegars, in particular, are popular, largely because of a growing interest in balsamic vinegar, the variety that originates from Modena, Italy. Balsamic vinegar comes in a variety of fine vintages just like wine. While many inexpensive versions of balsamic vinegar can run about $3 to $4 per bottle, some varieties can cost as much as $200.
It's not necessary, however, to spend a lot of money on one of the many types of vinegar now available. Prices start at about a $1 a bottle for an acceptable tasting cider vinegar, made from the alcoholic fermentation of fruit juices, often apple, and then allowed to become acetic acid.
Raspberry vinegar is also one of the older and more popular varieties, as are red and white wine vinegars. With the increasing demand for vinegar, a wide variety of flavors are also available, from those with hot cajun spices to some laced with herbs or other seasonings.
It's also easy to take a standard vinegar and make it into something very special by adding garlic bulbs, fresh sprigs of rosemary, tarragon, sage and other flavorings.
Or try what Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet, did on a recent television show. Instead of topping sliced strawberries with fattening whipped cream, he sprinkled 1 tablespoon of sugar on them, then marinated the mixture in a half cup of balsamic vinegar for about an hour at room temperature.
Voila! A simple, low-calorie, high-fiber dessert with a tart twist. - The Washington Post
\ HELP!!! DEAR SOS: Recently I attended a party given by a couple in Louisiana. Among the appetizers they served was swamp dip. Its main components seem to be spinach, sour cream and onion, but the remaining ingredients remain a mystery. Can you help? - MARY LOU
DEAR MARY LOU: We're not sure if we can help with the exact recipe used by your friends, but here is a version that might do.
Swamp dip
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream or mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced green onions
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill weed or 1 Tbsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
Drain spinach. Combine with cottage cheese, sour cream, green onions, parsley, dill and hot sauce in blender or food processor fitted with steel blade. Process until creamy. Refrigerate overnight. Makes about 2 1/2 cups. - Los Angeles Times
\ HOT AND HEARTY In this fruit-rich takeoff on stroganoff, apples and yogurt step in for the usual mushrooms and sour cream. Yogurt provides the creamy, tangy flavor without adding the fat of sour cream. Using cooking spray to saute the strips of lean pork tenderloin keeps the fat low, too.
Pork with apple-yogurt sauce
3/4 lb. pork tenderloin
Nonstick spray coating
1 cup thinly sliced apple
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried sage, crushed
1 8-oz. carton plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
2 cups hot cooked fettuccine or noodles
Snipped chives (optional)
Fresh sage (optional)
Trim fat from pork. Cut crosswise into 1-in. thick slices. Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Lightly pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness. Spray a cold large skillet with nonstick coating. Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add pork slices and cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Turn pork. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more or until no pink remains. Remove pork from skillet and keep warm.
Add apple slices, apple juice, onion, salt and sage to skillet. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir together yogurt and flour. Add yogurt mixture to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Arrange pork over fettuccine or noodles. Spoon sauce over pork and pasta. If desired, garnish with chives and sage. Makes 4 servings. - Associated Press
EGGS-ACT MEASUREMENTS What's the difference between a dozen "large" eggs and a dozen "medium" eggs? Weight, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A dozen jumbo eggs must weigh a minimum of 30 ounces; a dozen extra large eggs, at least 27 ounces; large, 24 ounces; medium, 21 ounces; small, 18 ounces; and "peewee," 15 ounces per dozen.
By the way, when a cookbook calls for eggs, it normally means large eggs. It's sort of a cookbook writer's standard. But unless you're preparing something like a cake, which requires precise measurements, it doesn't usually matter if you swap medium for large in a recipe.
- Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
\ TOP COOK Leisla Sansom of Alexandria will be Virginia's representative at the National Chicken Cooking Contest.
Her recipe could win the grand prize of $25,000. There'll be 50 finalists in the competition on May 20 in Richmond.
Spicy peanut chicken thighs\ 8 chicken thighs
2 Tbsps. peanut oil
2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsps. flour
1 12-oz. can beer
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup tomato-based chili sauce
2 Tbsps. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsps. chili powder
1 tsp. rosemary leaves
1 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, without skins
Parsley sprigs
In a large frypan, heat oil to medium-high temperature. Add chicken and cook, turning, about 8 minutes or until brown on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Drain all but 2 Tbsps. of the oil from pan. Add onions and garlic to pan and saute abot 5 minutes or until onions are soft and brown.
In small bowl, combine flour and beer; stir until smooth. Add to onion mixture, stirring to loosen brown bits from bottom of pan. Stir in chopped parsley, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, rosemary, pepper, bay leaf and peanuts. Return chicken to pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 25 minutes or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease. Discard bay leaf. Place chicken on serving dish and pour sauce over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs. Makes 4 servings.