| Have fun and experiment when learning to pair wine and food
PAIRING WINE and food seems to be a confounding element of wine appreciation for many people. What would seem to be a natural fit can give even the most adventurous palates anxiety . It certainly doesn't have to be this way. With a few basic guidelines and a little experimentation, you will be able to pair meals with ease. People may be surprised to hear this, but flavor is not the top factor I use in pairing wine and food. The first criterion I consider to be important is acidity. Think of squeezing a lemon over your food. The lemon imparts flavor, of course, but it's the acidic kick that brings out the flavors in the food and provides a balance to the fat and starch. Wine does the same thing. Acid is present in white, red and rose wines, and it is important to pick a wine whose acidity has not been artificially reduced (or at least too much).
New top toque at Michael Mina
Change is in the air at Michael Mina on Union Square. Chris L'Hommedieu, executive sous chef at Thomas Keller's Per Se in New York, is heading west to become Mina's executive chef at his elegant restaurant in the Westin St. Francis. That means L'Hommedieu, 36, will be the nightly hands-on chef, in charge of executing Mina's intricate "trio" and classic menus. It's the first significant change in the kitchen since Mina opened in 2004. L'Hommedieu replaces Jeffrey Lloyd, who has been the executive chef since the beginning. L'Hommedieu, who has already left Per Se, is no stranger to Mina's kitchen. The two worked together at Aqua, where L'Hommedieu began as a line cook and worked his way up to sous chef. After that, he moved on to New York, where he opened Mix for Alain Ducasse, then Per Se, becoming executive sous chef under Jonathan Benno.
Rat Patrol Closes 3 More Restaurants
After a round of reinspections, the city Health Department has shut down three Pizza Hut restaurants operated by the same franchisee that owned the KFC/Taco Bell in Greenwich Village where cavorting rats became YouTube stars last week. Ten others were also shut down pending the new inspections. The reinspections of the company's other restaurants in the five boroughs were ordered after it was learned that the one in the Village had passed a health inspection a day before the video was shot. The inspector was removed from duty, and the matter was referred to the Department of Investigation. Eight of the 23 restaurants operated by the company, ADF Fifth Operating Corporation, passed reinspection and remain open. But after the new closings, Yum Brands Inc., the parent company of Taco Bell and KFC, shut down the 10 others protectively pending the visits by inspectors.
It's not just the food, it's also how you prepare it
"I try not to boil all the vitamins out of my vegetables, and look to buy organic dairy products because I think they are better for my kids," says Cathy Wickenhaisser, of Oxford. We all know that nutrition and exercise are the keys to shaping up, so when I counsel people on eating the right food, I talk about how best to prepare it. First, look at your top nutrient-dense vegetables. Winning the "most likely to boil" category, we have broccoli, carrots and spinach. All three can be lightly steamed, and the steam will slightly break down their fiber to release the highest amount of nutrients. Peas, collard greens, kale, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and green beans can also be lightly steamed. Then, of course, you have salad makings like lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots.
Great Cajun food Ozarks style
Take one festival, add 23 good cooks and throw in some prize money, and you've got the recipe for a successful cooking contest. The first Mardi Gras Cajun Cook-Off Sunday in Lakeview was just that a great success. Edna Fusco of Mountain Home walked away with first-place honors with her Crab and Shrimp Bisque. The judging team rated Fusco's bisque as top-notch with it's creamy, smooth texture and flavorful taste created from shrimp and real crabmeat. .
My dirty little secret: an hour of daytime TV
If my children ever read this, I'll deny it, but the truth is, I recently did something really naughty. I watched daytime TV.
I never watch daytime TV. I know all about Oprah, in theory, but I could count on one hand the number of times I've actually seen her show. I don't watch soap operas, either. I also don't watch "The View" (though the Rosie/Donald Trump thing made it tempting).
I don't even watch morning news shows while getting dressed.
However, one day about a week ago, while making lunch for myself, I decided to take my sandwich into the den and see if I could find a creative idea for dinner by watching a few minutes of the Food Network. When your regular menu includes several dishes prepared with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, you need inspiration every now and again.
Bill Would Have Nebraska Claim Some $80 In Additional Food Stamp Funds
Nebraska could bring in approximately $80 million in additional federal food stamps by taking full advantage of existing guidelines, proponents of a measure pending before the legislature's Health and Human Services Committee said Wednesday. The measure (LB171) offered by Senator Gail Kopplin of Gretna, would have the state adopt a federal program that calls for actively seeking more people who are eligible for food stamps, but not receiving them. As many as 60,000 additional people might be qualified for food stamps, according to the Nebraska Appleseed Center. Food stamps are entirely funded by the federal government, and Nebraska received $124 million of those funds last year. However, state food stamp administrator Mike Harris opposed the bill, saying it would increase state costs because more workers would be needed to handle additional caseloads.
Small plates Edwardsville's Erato on Main matches traditional ...
In Spain, where tapas began, they are defined as small plates of food served in drinking establishments. What you get are a few bites of paella, a slice of Spanish omelet (eggs mixed with fried potatoes), a meat turnover called an empanada, a trio of tomatoey meatballs. When you "go for tapas" in Spain, you spend the evening traveling from one bar to the next, enjoying a drink and a tapas before moving on to another bar, another glass of wine, another tapas. Tapas have become bar food in the United States as well, though not on the stomach-filling scale we think of: Plastic baskets lined with waxed paper and piled with hot sauce-laden chicken wings and fried mozzarella sticks. Tapas are not appetizers -- if you go by the traditional Spanish style, that is.
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