Sunday, April 28, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Cooking Asparagus

View the story "Cooking Asparagus" on Storify Cooking Asparagus Storified by Arya McLean· Sat, Apr 27 2013 20:41:40

Asparagus has gotten a bad reputation and it truly isn't deserved. This is one of my favorite vegetables. Often when I cook them I'm guilty of sneaking back into the kitchen to grab a few more with my bare fingers, no matter how stuffed I am.

When purchased in a can asparagus does have a different flavor and texture, which could be why so many people dislike it. Canned asparagus is like baby food. It is pure mush and has an obviously canned taste. I often feel like I'm eating an imitation of asparagus rather than the real thing. You can watch recipe videos online at Gourmandia.

The best asparagus is fresh. I can't emphasize that enough, but I hope that will suffice. Fresh asparagus has all the earthy taste and crunchy body you could ask for. Frozen can be used if you're in a pinch, but honestly you're not saving yourself any time and frozen asparagus has often lost most of its moisture.

I like to cook asparagus very simply, and there are two ways that are my favorite.First, I bake it, and as I said, this is very simple, not to mention wonderfully healthy. Below are the ingredients:

Asparagus spears

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

I told you didn't I? Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While you're waiting for it to heat clean and trim your asparagus spears. They should be rinsed under cold water, each spear at a time, paying particular attention to the tips. Be careful with them, though, as the tips are sometimes delicate. Once they are all rinsed, hold each end in both hands, one hand just above the end and one hand about two inches below the tip. Now bend. The asparagus will break naturally at the point where it becomes too fibrous to be enjoyable. Discard the end.

Now pop them into a baking pan, drizzle them with a generous amount of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with aluminum foil and put them in the oven. Baking should take no longer than 25 minutes.

I also like to saute asparagus spears. I use absolutely the same ingredients as for the first recipe, but the result is quite different.

First, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add about two tablespoons of olive to the pan and let it warm through. Add your cleaned asparagus spears, whole or cut in half, it's up to you. Toss and coat with the olive oil. Add salt and pepper.

Keep an eye on the asparagus. You'll want to give it a toss often to make sure it isn't burning. Let it get a touch brown, though, because it creates an amazing crunchy texture. The asparagus will cook more quickly with this method, so test it after about 15 minutes. The asparagus will wilt to some degree, but the crunch and delicious, almost grilled taste is phenomenal. Even my nine-year old daughter loves asparagus. The men in my family don't, though, but that means more for us.

How To Cook Asparagusmikestokes1

This is my fantastically easy asparagus soup

Asparagus spears, cut into one inch pieces

1 Tablespoon of margarine

1 Tablespoon of flour

1 1/2 cups to 2 cups milk

Salt

Pepper

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Toss in chopped asparagus. Let cook for about ten minutes, stirring very often. Add flour and mix until a roux had developed. Allow to cook for another minute to obviate that raw taste of the flour. Add milk gradually, making sure to use a whisk in order to blend it perfectly with the roux. The secret to doing this quickly is to heat your milk up first. Continue until all milk has been added. Allow soup to cook for another five minutes, but don't let it come to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is a real winner when it's cold and the asparagus lends it a superb flavor.

If you've never had asparagus before, don't let anyone stop you from trying it. I'd heard so many bad reports that I thought I was going to throw up if I tried it. I'm glad I did anyway, though, because it has earned its place in my top ranking vegetables. By the way, I always cook by feel so my measurements are never exact. Remember, when making the soup, that the flour and butter ratio needs to be equal.

Just a tip, though: expect your pee to have a strong and funky smell right afterwards. I don't know what it is in those things that does this, but it's perfectly natural.

Wordpress

Chicken And Spinach Tortellini Soup

Chicken And Spinach Tortellini Soup

A very hearty and comforting meal that goes great with toasted bread and salad, Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup is easy and simple and can be assembled in no time. This recipe, adapted from Bon Appétit 30-Minute Main Courses, uses premade fresh chicken tortellini, which can be bought in Italian specialty food stores or in well-stocked groceries. Designed for the busy lifestyle, this is ideal for those who have no time to make an elaborate home cooked meal but desire a complete, nutritious and traditional dinner. This meal takes about 30 minutes to cook. It will warm you on chilly days and lift you up on stressful occasions. It is quite filling and makes a light and luscious meal. Other chicken recipes include chicken stock bouillon.

Similar to the more popular ravioli, tortellini is stuffed with meat, vegetables, or mushrooms. Instead of the pillow shape, however, it looks like a tubular ring. It goes great with pasta sauce, and especially delicious when cooked as a soup since it absorbs the liquid and flavors quite well. While this recipe suggests using fresh tortellini, which has the best flavor, it may not always be available. You can still make this recipe using frozen tortellini, which can be stuffed with chicken, cheese, spinach, or other fillings. Frozen tortellini takes about six to eight minutes to cook. You know that it is ready when the pasta floats on the surface of the boiling water or stock. Cook the frozen tortellini in a separate pot of boiling water according to package instructions and add it to the soup.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 oz. mushrooms (sliced thin)

2 large garlic cloves (chopped)

43.5 oz (about 5 ½ cups) chicken stock

9 oz. fresh chicken tortellini

3 cups copped fresh spinach leaves

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sea salt

Pepper (freshly ground)

Preparation Instructions

1 In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are just golden. Add the stock. Bring to a boil.

2 Add the tortellini. Cover the saucepan halfway and boil until the pasta is tender but not mushy.

3 Add the spinach and simmer for 1 minute. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese over the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the remaining cheese to the side of the soup.

Cooking Chicken

View the story "Learn how to safely handle and cook chicken" on Storify Learn how to safely handle and cook chicken Storified by Arya McLean· Sat, Apr 27 2013 20:58:41

To ensure that your chicken dishes are flavorful, tender, healthy, and safe to eat, follow these all recipes videos 8 tips for handling and cooking chicken.

1. Thoroughly clean the cutting board and utensils you use to cut raw chicken with warm, soapy water before you use them for other foods.

2. Cook the chicken till it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Use an instant-read thermometer to take the temperature of the meat while you’re cooking chicken.

3. If you’re cooking a whole chicken with stuffing, it’s recommended that you cook the stuffing separately to prevent bacterial growth.

4. Store raw chicken in a refrigerator at 40 degrees F or less. Raw chicken can be stored safely at this temperature for up to three days.

5. Don’t leave cooked chicken at room temperature for longer than two hours. Once chicken leftovers have cooled, put them in the fridge immediately.

6. Don’t thaw frozen chicken on the countertop. Let chicken thaw in the fridge or in cold water.

7. Always cook chicken till it’s well done. Unlike beef, you cannot eat chicken when it’s rare or medium-rare.

8. Cooked chicken should be stored for no longer than two days in your refrigerator.

How to cook Chicken Teriyakilinhhayman Chicken And Spinach Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz. mushrooms (sliced thin)
2 large garlic cloves (chopped)
43.5 oz (about 5 ½ cups) chicken stock
9 oz. fresh chicken tortellini
3 cups copped fresh spinach leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt
Pepper (freshly ground)

Preparation Instructions

1 In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the mushrooms are just golden. Add the stock. Bring to a boil.

2 Add the tortellini. Cover the saucepan halfway and boil until the pasta is tender but not mushy.

3 Add the spinach and simmer for 1 minute. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese over the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the remaining cheese to the side of the soup.

Gourmandia

Pineapple roasted in the pod of vanilla, singed in old rum

Pineapple roasted in the pod of vanilla, singed in old rum

Ingredients of the recipe

• 1 pineapple of 400 g

• 2 pods of vanilla(chefs cuisinier)

• 80 g of sugar

• 20 g of unsalted butter

• 5 cl of old rum (ambré)

• the juice of 2 oranges

• 4 quenelles of ice vanilla

• 4 leaves of mint

• 4 bunches of redcurrants

Instructions of preparation of the recipe

Preparation of the dish: Peel the pineapple in lively and withdraw eyes. Cut up 4 thick edges and withdraw hearts with the aid of an official knife. Preheat a frying pan and add 20 g of butter. In the getting of a butter hazelnut, deposit the edges of pineapple in the frying pan. Will you grab pineapples, dredge with sugar and let caramelize? Burn with old rum. Pour the juice of orange and add the pods of vanilla cracked in two. Reduce the whole to gentle heat, by glazing pineapples often. As soon as you acquire a treacly sauce, pineapples are cooked. Dressage of the dish: In the middle of a plate, deposit an edge of pineapple and glaze it with sauce. On the edge, add the quenelle of ice vanilla. Have next to put the bunch of redcurrants, as well as the leaf of mint. Serve hot this dessert.

Apple Health Benefits

View the story "Top Health Benefits of Apples" on StorifyTop Health Benefits of ApplesStorified by ebanreb· Sat, Apr 27 2013 16:27:05

Health Benefits of Apples

There are many facets to the health benefits of apples. For example, they contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals that strengthen the blood. The skin of an apple contains pectin(video recette beignet). Pectin can help remove toxic substances from the system by supplying galacturonic acid. This is used to help prevent protein matter in the intestine from spoiling.

Specifically, apples can be used to help in the treatment and prevention of some illnesses. Some of these include asthma. Studies have shown children with asthma that drink apple juice daily suffered less wheezing than those with asthma that don't drink apple juice regularly.

Researchers believe that the high levels of the flavonoids quercetin and naringin in apples may have a beneficial effect in inhibiting the formation of cancer. When rats were tested it was found that the risk of breast cancer was lessened by 17 percent when just one apple per day was eaten. Further studies showed rats fed three apples reduced risks up to 39 percent and when fed six apples per day lessened the risk by an amazing 44 percent. Another research linked to cancer was that of extract from an apple's skin. It was found that rats fed the extract from the apple skin reduced their risk of liver cancer by 57 percent.

Health benefits of applesjoyoushealth1

Researchers have also found that a flavanoid called phloridzin, that is found only in apples, may protect woman with menopause from the onset of osteoporosis. Phloridzin also increases bone density. Another ingredient found in apples that increases bone density is boron.

Apples are also useful in the management of diabetes. Galacturonic acid, found in apples, lowers the body's need for insulin. Eaten in moderation, apples can be a real treat for somebody living with diabetes because of the limited choices in the diet, it can be the solution to a sweet tooth. The pectin in apples, which is where the galaturonic acid is derived from, can also help lower "bad" cholesterol by as much as 16 percent, when two apples per day are eaten regularly.

RackcdnCrayfish cinnamon apple and infusion of oil of olive

Ingredients:

12 langoustines

4 apples Granny Smith

1 c. in coffee of cannelle

1 c. in soup of oil of olive

ciboulette

4 staffs of cinnamon

Method:Cut crayfishes in two, mark them with a net of oil of olive. In a frying pan, little oiled and very hot, put to cook crayfishes in the unilateral. Peel the apple, rasp it right away, to avoid oxidation. and, immediately, season with the ground cinnamon. For dressage, try to give an architectural side. In a circle, dispose apples rasped, then, in "cathedral", raise crayfishes. Add a staff of cinnamon, a little oil of olive and some chives.

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