No less authentic is D’Ortona’s recipe for Veal Braised in Milk and Herb Sauce.

Try D’Ortona’s recipes and you’ll be amazed at how much better homemade pasta can be. Pour yourself a glass of Chianti and imagine sitting in the sun-drench cobblestone piazza of Siena, or among the towering keeps of San Gimignano.

Veal Braised in Milk and Herb Sauce

- 4 tablespoons (65 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 sprig fresh rosemary

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt

- 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) ground black pepper

- 41/2 pounds (2.2 kg) boneless veal roast

- 1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine, preferably Vernaccia or Trebbiano

- 2 cups (500 mL) 2-per-cent milk

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) butter

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) flour

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add garlic, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper. Brown veal on all sides, then add wine and continue searing until most of the wine has evaporated.

2. Add milk, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover and allow meat to braise 11/2 hours.

3. meanwhile, in a small pot melt butter and combine with flour to make a paste. after cooking the meat, if the sauce is too thin whisk in butter/flour paste and simmer 1 or 2 minutes until sauce thickens.

4. To serve, slice veal thin and serve with sauce.

Source: Vilma D’Ortona, La Mia Pasta

Per serving when serves 6: Calories: 784; fat 40.2 g; Cholesterol: 367 mg; Sodium 733 mg.

Makes about 2 pounds (900 g)

- 7 cups (1.75 L) all-purpose flour or Type 00 flour, plus extra for rolling and dusting

- 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt

- 11/2 cups (375 mL) cold water

- 4 large whole eggs, or 8 egg yolks

1. In a bowl, combine flour and salt, then transfer to a clean work surface. Form a well in the middle of the flour and pour water and eggs into the well, using fingers to mix in flour and form a dough.

2. Knead pasta about 5 or 6 minutes, until smooth, adding more flour if necessary. When the dough is smooth and elastic, cover with a cloth and let it rest 20 minutes.

3. Divide dough into 5 strips. Take one strip and keep the rest covered to avoid drying out. Use a rolling pin to slatted the dough enough to fit into the largest (widest) thickness on a pasta-rolling machine* (alternately, roll dough, dusted with flour, with a rolling pin as thin as you can without tearing). if using a rolling machine, decrease thickness as you go until you get to the second-thinnest setting.

4. for ravioli, leave pasta in long strips; for other pasta shapes, cut accordingly. Repeat with remaining dough.

* a pasta rolling machine is available at Preston Hardware, or other good kitchen supply shops

Source: Vilma D’Ortona, La Mia Pasta

Homemade Ravioli with two Fillings: Ricotta and Spinach, Pumpkin and Parmesan

Either filling makes about 30 ravioli, depending on size

- 1 recipe Tuscan pasta dough

- 2 whole eggs, lightly whisked

For ricotta and spinach filling:

- 6 cups (1.5 L) fresh spinach leaves

- 1 cup (250 mL) ricotta cheese

LONDON (AFP) – the French have long been considered masters of cuisine but Britons spend longer in the kitchen and prepare a wider variety of international food, according to a survey out Tuesday.

The French eat out more and stick to family recipes while at home, found the cross-Channel study by BBC Olive magazine and French title Madame Figaro.

It found that 72 percent of Britons cook at home every day, compared to 59 percent in France.

And when in the kitchen, 50 percent of Britons spend more than 30 minutes cooking, while 27 percent of the French do so.

However, people in France tend to produce more, with 47 percent preparing two courses or more compared with 18 percent of Britons.

The French eat out on average three times a month compared to twice a month in Britain.

Ninety-three percent of Britons and 87 percent of French said they cooked Italian food; 76 percent of Britons and 40 percent of French cooked Chinese; 76 percent of Britons and 31 percent of French cooked Indian; and 62 percent of Britons and 55 percent of French cooked Spanish.

The French cooked more Moroccan food than the British, with 49 percent to 43 percent ever preparing such dishes.

“Although the French have an enviable food heritage, it’s fascinating to see how much British people have embraced home cooking and international cuisine over the past few years,” said Olive editor Christine Hayes.

While Italian was the favourite foreign food for both countries, just one percent of French respondents said British cuisine was their favourite.

And while 46 percent of Britons said the dining out experience was better in the other country, the percentage of French who said likewise was zero.

Olive readers thought that 1970s favourite crepe suzette was the dish which best symbolised French cuisine, while the French said it was veal, followed by foie gras.

Madame Figaro voters reckoned Christmas pudding best symbolised British cuisine. British readers said it was a roast dinner with Yorkshire pudding, followed by fish and chips then a full English breakfast.

Madame Figaro editor in chief Sebastien Stehli said: “What’s striking about the survey is that in both countries people are moving toward a cuisine which is more international, more open, curious of other cultures, less nationalistic.

“People now have access to multiple sources of inspiration — books and magazines as well as television and now the Internet. It feeds into their thirst for experimenting new ways of cooking, exploring new restaurants.”

The survey questioned 2,061 readers of BBC Magazines and 1,345 Madame Figaro readers in January.

Three of my Favorite ThingsPosted on: March 10, 2010 – 7:32 pm

This Post was extracted from Roasted Chicken Recipes
Go here to see the original and read more: Three of my Favorite Things

ZALINA MOHD SOM

when in Taiwan, Malaysians can indulge in a favourite pastime
— that of eating out — with relish, writes ZALINA MOHD SOM EXCEPT for his white skull-cap, 80-year-old Yusuf Ai looks as ordinary as the next man. The octogenarian is, however, the face for an official travel guidebook published by Taiwan Tourism Bureau titled Travelling in Taiwan for Muslims. not only that, he has been featured in one of the episodes for Rasa Halal Orient, a travel-food programme aired by Astro Oasis. for tourists, Yusuf is like a celebrity chef while for Taipei folks especially, he is the one to look for if you want great beef noodles. See, Taipei has declared itself as the world’s capital for beef noodles and Yusuf’s has been a long-time favourite — not only for Muslims but for non-Muslims too, both locals and visitors. “His broth is full of flavour and tastes better than the rest in town,” says a non-Muslim local who has been a regular patron for some 20 years. Yusuf’s Ai-Jia Qinzheng Beef Noodle Restaurant has been a household name in Taipei for the past half decade. The retired soldier, who came to Taiwan from Henan, China, when he was a teenager, takes his restaurant as his duty to serve the Muslim community. While he still plays the main role — religiously standing behind the counter, preparing bowls and bowls of noodles — his son goes around the small restaurant to make sure everything is in order. though it offers only two choices of noodles — clear (herb-based broth of cow bones) or hot and spicy (soy sauce-based beef stock), the restaurant is always packed with diners.

Come during lunch hour, one will have to wait quite long for an empty table! Located at Chunghsio E.

Road, Ai-Jia Qinzheng Beef Noodle Restaurant is one of a dozen certified halal restaurants in Taipei listed in the booklet. it is probably the only restaurant serving local cuisine since the others are either Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Turkish and Burmese. Islam in Taiwan The earliest arrival of Muslims to the island was recorded in the 17th Century, when Muslim families from the southern Chinese coastal province of Fujian came with the Koxinga’s army to oust the Dutch from the island. The second wave of Muslim migrants came during the Chinese Civil War in 1949 when 20,000 Muslims fled the mainland China with the Kuomintang. Today, Taiwan is home to more than 50,000 Muslims and six mosques — two in Taipei and one each in Longgang, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. Capital Taipei houses the island’s oldest mosque, Taipei Cultural Mosque, which was established in 1940. Owned by the Chinese Muslim Youth League, the mosque’s current five-storey building was completed in 1984. The other mosque, Taipei Grand Mosque, is owned by the Chinese Muslim Association.

it was jointly established in 1950 by the Taiwanese and Saudi governments, and many other Muslim countries, as a part of the government effort to expand foreign relations. Since it is located in the heart of the city, the Grand Mosque is the central place of worship for Muslim residents. While Friday noon sees Muslim men congregating at the mosque, Sunday has women and children getting together for Quran reading classes. Taiwan’s second mosque is located south at Taiwan’s Harbour Capital, Kaohsiung.

The Kaohsiung Mosque moved into a better equipped building 43 years after it was first established in 1949. before the completion of Tainan Mosque in 1966, Muslim folk in Tainan had to travel to Kaohsiung for their mosque activities. Looking by the locations of these mosques, it is probably safe to say that Islam in Taiwan mainly covers the west coast of the island. thus, it’s not surprising that all the halal restaurants listed in the guidebook are located in the cities and towns where the mosques are located. Halal food in Taiwan as the island’s central point of culture, art and economy, Taipei offers 12 halal restaurants showcasing different tastes and cultures but share a common attraction — delectable food. While Yusuf’s Ai-Jia Qinzheng Beef Noodle Restaurant is hailed as the numero uno must-try, other restaurants have their own winning recipes to whet any picky taste bud. some specialise in authentic food of chosen origins like India, Pakistani and Thailand, while others go for a mix of Burmese, Turkish and Chinese. Among these restaurant, Ali Baba’s Indian Kitchen located at Nanjing East Road, stands out for a true-blue north Indian food in a typical Indian setting. it started off as a humble foodstall in a Taipei night market.

Business was brisk and the restaurant was set up.

Today, it has another branch at Taoyuan. At Beining Road, opposite Taipei Stadium, are two Thai restaurants — Thai Food House Restaurant and Tai Xiang Yun Restaurant — located next to each other. Taipei’s collection of halal restaurants is not confined to the streets. Since the capital is big on theme parks, two of its famous parks have dedicated halal food outlets complete with prayer rooms.

So, Muslims visiting Window on China Theme Park and Leofoo Village Theme Park should not worry over food or where to pray while enjoying themselves.

Both theme parks are conveniently located near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Taoyuan city, the suburb of Taipei, has five outlets offering halal Indian or Pakistani, Thai and Chinese food. down south at Taichung, food lovers have more than just the typical international halal fare — typical Indian or Turkish. there, they have two delicious choices of Chinese numbers — Islamic Yellow Beef Dumplings Restaurant and Si Shih Lai Hand-pulled Noodles. further south, the Harbour Capital has something that others don’t.

though it is the only one listed under Kaohsiung, Warung Sate Muslim promises a different fare. Located adjacent to the Kaohsiung Mosque at Jianjun Road, the restaurant not only cooks up Malay Indonesian food but also sells food products from the republic. Giving it more edge, the restaurant is okay when patrons want to order kebab from the next door kiosk. Of veggies and flowers if a halal restaurant is nowhere in sight, Muslims need not fret as it’s very likely there are vegetarian restaurants somewhere. like the Chinese vegetarian restaurants back home, Taiwanese vegetarian cuisine comprised fruits, vegetables, fungi and beancurd. The plus points of these vegetarian restaurants are that they serve food typically cooked a la Chinese and that they range from simple neighbourhood outlets to elegant, posh restaurants.

such choices allow visitors room to manage their budget. for something different, Tai Yi Ecological Leisure Farm located in Puli, Nantau County serves edible flowers for lunch and dinner. Roses, chrysanthemum, water lily, ginger bloom and bamboo shoot take centre stage at the resort’s dining tables.

they come in the form of fresh salad, California roll, deep-fried dish and soup. The blooms are said to promote beauty and youthfulness! Sweet Taiwan Taiwan is famous for its desserts.

it is not hard to find shops and stalls specialising in sweet delicacies alone. The most common items are bubble tea and grass jelly which can be found almost anywhere at Taiwan’s street markets. However, the most unforgettable item is Taiwan’s version of our air batu campur (ABC) or ais kacang. While ours comes in a standard style of shaved ice topped with nuts, jellies and syrup, Taiwan’s come in a myriad of more colours and flavours. The bao bing is made of very finely shaved milk-based flavoured ice (unlike the “plain water” ice used for our ais kacang) topped with a choice of fresh fruits and sweetened beans, and a choice of syrup and condensed milk. Another must-have dessert is the taro balls, the specialty of Jiofen – a charming hillside old mining town about an hour’s drive from Taipei. The taro balls come in a variety of flavours like red bean, green bean and peanut, and are served in chilled or hot sweet soup.

there are also uncooked taro balls for those who want to take home. fast Facts Taiwan is a string of East Asian islands, located between Japan to the north and the Philippines to the south.

it enjoys moderate temperatures all year round, with the best time to visit is during the cherry blossom season in either March or April. there are two international airports, Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport in Taipei and Kaohsiung International Airport. there is a complete round-the-island rail network that connects all major cities on the island. Taiwan also has a dense network of highways divided into national highways (freeways), provincial highways (both highways and expressways), and county and town highways.

Both Taipei and Kaohsiung cities have Metro or MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) systems serving a large part of their metropolitan areas. Taiwanese currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$), with a conversion rate of about US$1 NT$32 (RM3.50). how to get there Cathay Pacific flies three times daily from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei and daily from Penang.

there are also daily flights from Kota Kinabalu to Taipei on sister airline Dragonair.

Details, visit www.cathaypacific.com.my or www.dragonair.com.my. The Travel Times team was taken for a Muslim Tour in Taiwan by Cathay Pacific in collaboration with Malaysia Harmony Tour & Travel Sdn Bhd (Email: muslim@mysharmony.com, Tel: 1-800-88-2011).

Chinese cooking has yielded some of the most delicious foods that are available, but you may feel as if the techniques used to prepare and cook the foods are too complicated or unfamiliar to produce good results. The truth is that Chinese cooking is simple, and can be done by almost anyone.

Chinese cooking is usually done in a wok or a bamboo steamer. A wok is simply a large, bowl shaped pan that can hold soups, stews or stir fry easily. Bamboo steamers are made from bamboo, and are used to make dumplings, meats and vegetables.

You will use the bamboo steamer inside the wok, which will be filled with water. You do not need to use a lot of water, but you will want to make sure that there is enough water so that the wok does not dry before the food is cooked, and that the water is boiling before you add the steamer.You will also want to line the bamboo steamer with either cabbage leaves or lettuce leaves to make sure that your food does not stick to your steamer. most Chinese foods can be cooked with these two simple cooking utensils.

A wok is a great choice for making healthy and nutritious vegetable dishes, since you can use a high heat for your dishes so that little cooking time is required. Since Chinese cooking can be completed in just a few minutes in a wok, your family will love being able to have their favorite Chinese food anytime.

When you cook Chinese food, it is best to use ingredients that are fresh. most Chinese cooking is very simple, using only meats and vegetables with seasonings such as ginger, soy and garlic. The staples of Chinese cooking include beef, pork, chicken, cabbage and rice.

Typically, meats are used for seasonings in Chinese foods such as dumplings and stir fry’s rather than the main ingredient. Fresh vegetables and fruits are very common in Chinese cooking.

Some Chinese cooking does require some practice to make, such as egg rolls and dumplings. The main problem that you are likely to encounter is working with and folding the wrappers for these Chinese foods.

A good tip to remember is to make sure that you measure the foods you put into the wrappers, so that all of the egg rolls or dumplings cook in the same amount of time. You can cook egg rolls and dumplings either in hot oil for a crunchy snack, or in a steamer for a softer one. Typically, egg rolls are fried while dumplings are steamed, although you can always choose the cooking method that suits your family best.

You can put any combination of foods that you like in your dumplings and egg rolls. Chinese cooking is very versatile, and recipes can be adjusted to meet the tastes of even the pickiest members of your family.

Lemons

Why They’re Healthy:

– just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase “good” HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.

– Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Quick Tip:

Add a slice of lemon to your green tea. one study found that citrus increases your body’s ability to absorb the antioxidants in the tea by about 80 percent.

get 31 days of meals using these 10 superfoods!

By admin on March 9, 2010 Under Pie Recipes

I am going to try to attempt at making my first pie. Anyone have good and simple recipes? I have peaches, blueberries, apples and raspberries in my house now .. so one of those pies would be ideal. I am open to others too! Thanks!

Rasberry Peach Pie
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Raspberry-Peach-Pie

Cream Cheese Blueberry Pie
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cream-Cheese-Blueberry-Pie

10th March 2010, 11:54am

EBLEX has launched a new-look website for the foodservice industry.

The website is an essential tool for all those serving Assured Quality beef and lamb to their customers.

The new site, found at www.eblextrade.co.uk, offers recipe ideas, cutting specifications for beef and lamb, latest news, information on forthcoming promotions and events, and advice on how to sign up to the Quality Standard scheme.

In addition, EBLEX is working in partnership with Assured Food Standards (AFS) to exploit the market opportunities for quality assured beef and lamb across all trade sectors. As a result, visitors to the new website will also now find information on AFS’s Red Tractor scheme.

In addition, by completing a simple registration form on entering the site, visitors can sign up to receive regular e-news alerts from EBLEX and ensure that they are kept in the know about latest news, events and planned promotional activity.

When entering the site visitors are asked to choose which sector of the website they would like to visit; ‘foodservice’ or ‘retail’. Information has been tailored accordingly; the foodservice section will to appeal to cost and profit sector caterers and their suppliers, while the retail area is aimed at abattoirs, processors, butchers and multiple retailers.

And within ‘foodservice’, visitors will find a whole host of new features as well as the most popular functions from the previous website such as ‘Cut Of the Month’, the database of Quality Standard approved suppliers, latest category reports, newsletters and additional members’ materials and resources. in addition, all specifications from the industry acclaimed Cutting Specification Manual and Meat Purchasing Guide for beef, lamb and veal are available to download.

A key feature for chefs is the new recipe section featuring the latest electronic ‘flip-book’ technology. All of EBLEX’s beef and lamb recipes (including the popular publications ‘Glorious’ and ‘Passion’) are available to search and download in an easy-to-view e-book format featuring eye-catching photography.

Plus there’s a new book aimed at school caterers which features beef and lamb recipes together with nutritional guidelines, to help create balanced and nutritious meals for children.

EBLEX marketing executive, Laura Bishop, was central to the rebuild process. She said: “We wanted to create a website that was clear, easy to use and visually appealing. We know from research conducted about our previous foodservice website that the most popular features were the two recipe books, Glorious and Passion, plus our CD library and our downloadable operating guidelines.”

“Another important aspect was to bring the two previous completely separate foodservice and retail sites together. That’s why we have rebranded and created a new landing page www.eblextrade.co.uk from which users will be able to choose to enter either the foodservice or retail sections, depending on which sector they work in.”

Related Articles:

• 09 Oct 2009 – EBLEX moves to confirm its quality scheme is continuing

Peanut butter recalls. Spinach scares. Contaminated meat.

Is it any wonder Americans are jittery about their food? so much so that when the associated Press recently ran a recipe for traditional spaghetti carbonara — complete with its only barely cooked egg — e-mails poured in.

Had we forgotten the step in the recipe about cooking the egg? no. but it did make us wonder. with so many traditional recipes calling for uncooked eggs — mayonnaise, Caesar salad, eggnog, carbonara, never mind the simple joy of dunking toast in soft-boiled eggs — what can we safely do with raw eggs?

Simply put, raw eggs can carry salmonella, bacteria that can cause serious food poisoning, even death. but to be fair, any raw food can be contaminated. Salmonella is what triggered the massive peanut butter recall last year.

The Food and Drug Administration is clear on the matter, telling people eggs should be fully cooked until the yolks and the whites are firm. They tell people not to eat or even taste any foods that may contain raw or undercooked eggs.

The risks are highest among the very young, the elderly and people who are pregnant or have a compromised immune system, says Catherine Donnelly, a professor and expert on the microbiology of food safety at the University of Vermont. Healthy adults may get sick from salmonella, but Donnelly says they are unlikely to die.

Still, not dying is a pretty low bar to set for dinner. Is it worth it?

Charles Reeves, chef and owner of Penny Cluse Cafe, a restaurant in Burlington, Vt., known for its from-scratch breakfasts and lunches, certainly thinks so. “You can’t own a restaurant and call yourself a chef if you’re using mayonnaise out of a bottle,” he says. “It’s just too easy to make it better yourself.”

In Reeves’ kitchen, the ubiquitous dressing (made with raw yolks and sometimes the whites) is prepared daily and used on numerous sandwiches. Raw eggs also show up in the base for several other dressings and sauces.

“You just always have to use absolutely fresh eggs that come from a reputable source,” he says.

But Todd Pritchard, a food scientist at the University of Vermont, says farm fresh doesn’t necessarily mean bacteria free. “Bacteria are blind,” he says. “They don’t see whether the eggs come from a local farmer or are free-range or organic.”

Much depends on how the eggs and chickens have been handled, says Pritchard. An unhealthy chicken can have salmonella in its reproductive tract, and the bacteria can end up on the shell or inside the egg.

According the American Egg Board, the risk of an egg being contaminated with salmonella is only around 1 in 20,000. at this rate, an average consumer would encounter a contaminated egg once in 84 years.

But that doesn’t matter, Pritchard points out, if you’re the one who gets sick.

So what’s an egg eater to do?

For adult home cooks in good health, the minute risk of being sickened may be worth the joy of soft boiled eggs or homemade mayo. Ditto when dining out.

Still not so sure? Pasteurized egg products are available. Whites are common, but yolks are hard to find. but many of these products are made mostly from egg whites, which don’t emulsify or thicken well.

A 3 day raw food cleansing diet can be truly helpful in the quest to get rid of harmful toxins from your body and also act as a wonderful jump start to a raw diet plan. The body has the instinctive capability of filtering out toxins from diet and the environment thru the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin. The secret would be to give it the raw equipment to do so.

While there are numerous practices to the three-day detox diet, each one of them follow these general recommendations:

- quit smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, consuming processed foods and unnatural sugar, and consuming alcoholic beverages
- eat plenty of ripe, raw vegetables and fruit
- consume soaked seeds and nuts
- drink a lot of clean water

Following with a three-day raw diet simply involves enjoying raw fruits, veggies, herbs, and / or nuts and seeds for your nutrition. Eliminating meat products and milk products helps to further clean the body of deadly bacteria and toxins that enter into the body as a consequence of consuming dead animal products and / or cooked food. Cleansing your body helps to clean the blood which in turn assists in rejuvenating the organs thus helping to optimize their performance.

This detox diet will give your body an opportunity to flush noxious waste products without new toxins entering the body at the same time. As well as the raw food, a successful raw detox may include some herbs that may further assist in the internal cleansing of the body.

Infusions using:

• ginger
• senna
• star anise
• lemon

and other herbs can be created with warm or hot water and can really help your body release poisonous substances and poisons in a matter of a few days.

Besides raw detoxing foods, one must drink plenty of water on this detoxing diet. Raw living foods have lots of water in them, but to replenish a body that is nearly 80% water, plenty of pure filtered water is beneficial. each important chemical process that happens in the body needs water, including the creation of muscle, so it is of the utmost importance that clean water consumption stays high. Drinking plenty of water also assists the liver and kidneys in processing and flushing out the toxins you need to remove during your detoxification clean, permitting you to release many of them by way of your pee and sweating.

Just like an individual who is making an attempt to cleanse from a drug addiction, drinking lots of water and sitting in a sauna can really push this poison release to a higher level. certainly discuss these solutions with your health practitioner before giving them a try. The sauna detox might be one to add to your detox program when you have done subtler cleanses already.

Pamela is a firm believer in natural health and detoxification. Check out her other article: Best Raw Food and her site: Raw Food Diet