WingiGY seaman

THE FRUGAL. GOURMET

I DON’T know of any
culture that doesn’t love
cheese,

The following recipes use this
delicious dairy food in a variety of
ways. Each dish is tasty and easy
to prepare.

CRUSTLESS GREEN CHILI
QUICHE -
(serves 8 to 10)

This dish is perfect for the har-
ried cook.

If you do not like green chilis,
substitute some other ingredients
such as garlic, zucchini and
oregano. Or perhaps chunks of
tomato.

Change nothing in the basic
mixture and think up anything
you like. Asparagus would be ter-
rific!

10 eggs
¥ cup butter, melted

| 2 cup all-purpose flour
Liteaspoon baking powder

) %4 teaspoon salt
1 pound large-curd cottage cheese
2 4-ource cans diced green chilis

4 Freshly ground black pepper to
taste
1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated

“Whip the eggs in a mixing bowl
until fluffy.

Whisk in the melted butter,

f flour, baking powder and salt.
- Stir in the cottage cheese, chilis,
black pepper and half the moz-
zarella.

Place the mixture in a greased
13'°X 9” glass baking dish. Top

# with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400°F oven
for 15 minutes.

Then reduce the temperature to

Meat he PRECIP AR tele he

NEWS iphoto Tory Paters

CHEESE PLEASE: Today’ s recipes include crustless green chili quiche, garlic toast with gorgonzola
sauce, cornmeal mush with cheese, cauliflower with cheese and sour cream.

350°F and continue to bake for 35
to 40 minutes, or until the eggs
are set and the top is lightly
browned.

Allow to cool a bit and cut into
squares.

GARLIC TOAST WITH
GORGONZOLA ‘SAUCE
(makes about 1% cups)

This is not a toasted cheese
sandwich!

Gorgonzola is so rich that this
is a full meal.

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

% cup milk -

¥2 pound Gorgonzola, crumbled
Ys cup olive oi]

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Sourdough bread slices or cocktail
rounds

Heat the butter in a 2-quart
saucepan.

Add the flour and cook
together to form a roux. Do not
brown.

Add the milk and whisk
together until smooth. Bring to 2

+ simmer, stirring regularly until
thickened.

Add the Gorgonzola and stir
until all is incorporated but still a
bit lumpy. Allow to cool.

Combine the oil and garlic.

um A PROJECT done for a

SUE
WILSON

school science fair has turn-
ed up some results that
cooks may find of interest.

Very simply, it proves that col-
or significantly affects our percep-
tion of flavor.

Here’s one student’s experiment
and her results.

Two batches of vanilla pudding
were flavored with equal amounts
of frozen, blended strawberries.

One was left its natural pale
pink color. Food coloring was
added to the other to intensify its
color to a deep pink.

In taste tests, respondents rank-
ed the dark-colored pudding as
markedly more strawberry fla-
vored,

In addition, they consistently
indicated a strong preference for

Toast the bread under the
broiler until crisp on one side.
Brush the untoasted side with the
garlic oil.

Toast under the broiler again
until crisp on both sides.

Spread the cheese mixture on
the garlic toast and broil! until
bubbly and lightly browned.

CORNMEAL MUSH WITH

CHEESE
(serves 6)

Everyone in your household will
love this Romanian dish.

Trust me, there will be no ex-
ceptions.

1 quarts water

1% teaspoons salt

1% cups fine yellow cornmeal
(must be yellow)

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup sour cream

Ys pound white cheese such as
brick or Muenster, grated

% pound yellow cheese such as

‘colby or cheddar, grated

In a 4-quart heavy stove-top
casserole bring 1% quarts of
water to a boil.

Add the salt and move the pan
off the stove.

Stirring constantly, slowly
sprinkle in the cornmeal. Stir well
so that you have no lumps.

the flavor of the darker pudding.
In reality, the flavors were iden-
tical,

While we don’t advocate the use
of food coloring to change colors,
we do suggest that preserving and
enhancing natural color is an im-
portant part of working with
food.

Do we give it the attention it
obviously deserves?

Here are a few instances where
enhancing colors along with flavor
makes food more appetizing.

The next time you’re sauteeing
onions for fajitas or hamburgers,
add a pinch of sugar just before

-they’re soft and allow it to cara-

melize.

As sugar cooks, it breaks down
in composition, slowly changing
to golden, then to deep brown,
taking the onions from bland to

Return to the burner and bring
toa boil.

Turn down to a simmer and let
the mush cook slowly for 20
minutes or more, or until it is
thick. Stir often during this pro-
cess.

The final product should be the
consistency of thick cake batter. If
it is too thick, stir in a little more
water.

In an 8’'X 8” glass baking dish,
melt the butter for a moment in
the oven preheated to 350°F.

Spoon in half of .the cornmeal
mush and cover the bottom of the
dish.

Add half of the sour cream,
spreading it over the mush. Then
add half of the cheeses, spreading
evenly.

Make two layers.

Piace the second layer of mush,
sour cream and cheese on top of
the first layer.

Place in the oven until the
cheeses are melted and slightly
browned on top. Serve immediate-
fy.

CAULIFLOWER WITH

CHEESE AND SOUR CREAM

(serves six)

The sesame seeds add ‘a

wonderful flavor to this dish,

Be eG EMG he Be

though [ will admit the vegetable
is a tad rich when served in this
manner,

Either get the kids to eat their
cauliflower with a litte cheese and
butterfat or they will not eat the
white blossom at all,

Try this — it’s great.
12¥%-pound head cauliflower
1 teaspoon sat
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream
Ya pound sharp Cheddar cheese,
grated

Remove the outer leaves and
core of the cauliflower. Break the
head apart into |-inch florets.

Heat a large pot of water and
add the salt and the cauliflower.

Blanch until just tender, about
5 minutes.

Drain and rinse with cold water
to stop the cooking. Drain well.

Toast the sesame seeds in a
small frying pan until lightly
browned. Do this over medium
heat while shaking the pan. Set
aside,

Place half the cauliflower ina

13'*X 9”? baking dish and even it
out. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spread half the sour cream over
the top. Add half the cheese and
sprinkle it out. Salt and pepper to
taste.

Spread half the sour cream over
the top. Add half the cheese and
sprinkle with half the sesame
seeds.

Repeat with another layer and
bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or
until bubbly and melted.

WELSH RAREBIT
(serves 3-4 as a snack or light course)

I was pleased to find that Welsh
Rarebit really is Welsh.

It is simply a sumptous cheese
sauce that is served over toast, so
it is great for a light evening sup-
per or for Sunday brunch.

Y% pound sharp cheddar cheese,
grated

I teaspoon butter

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Salt: and freshly ground black
pepper to taste

Y% cup beer

Place all the ingredients except
the beer in a double boiler. and
cook, stirring often, until a
smooth sauce is obtained.

Add the beer and continue to
heat for a few moments. Serve
over toast. :

iques the appetite

rich-looking.

The yellows that come from
saffron and turmeric are among
the most potent of colors.

Add a little extra to your next
batch of curry or risotto to give it
a deep, rich hue.

Split pea soup is often the in-
sipid green of dried peas.

Give it a boost of additional
chlorophyll by adding a puree of
frozen peas and fresh parsley just
before serving.

Retain the rich reds of peppers
and red cabbage by combining
them with ingredients that contain
acids.

Familiar combinations like red
cabbage and vinegar are not only
great partners in flavor, they also
make sense, since acid helps retain
the pigments that keep these veg-
gies red.

Red meats are often served with
dark sauces or gravy.

You can buy colorants to add
to pan gravy. But you ‘can also
create your own rich browns.

Add flour to an equal amount
of fat (preferably left from the
meat cooking) and cook
thoroughly to brown the flour
slightly before adding stock, wine
or water.

“If roasting, add a little liquid.to
deglaze the drippings left in the
bottom of the pan.

These are the byproducts of
browning reactions that occur in
the meat and they’re a_ great
source of color and flavor.

As liquid is reduced through
boiling, flavor and color becomes
more concentrated.

When planning menus, visualize
colors.

errr a StL ER