Simplicity For Your Holiday Cooking

Wanna try the other dishes than the usual thanksgiving?Although usually thanksgiving always decorated with the smells of traditional foods,but it doesn’t mean the dinner table has to be the same each year.

The Flourtown Farmers Market Vendor on Bethlehem Pike have some tips and ideas for preparing a Thanksgiving feast.

The owner and chef of Beck’s Catering, Andrea Borowsky, has been preparing turkeys for the last 16 years. Her list of orders for holiday turkeys begins in January and fills quickly.She is not baste the turkey because pumpkin pie doesn’t have to be for dessert and introducing new flavors.Baste the turkey only makes the outside moist, not the entire bird. The constant opening and closing of the oven for basting dries out the turkey and doubles the time it takes to cook, she said

“Seal it in tin foil, throw it in and don’t open the oven — don’t check it,” she said. “Maybe the last half-hour uncover it to get it crispy. And you’re good to go.”

Always let your turkey rest before slicing, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the bird, she said.

David Grove of David’s Poultry sells fresh, chemical-free turkeys from a farm in Elverson. He said to cook the birds at 350 degrees at 15 minutes per pound.

Both Grove and Borowsky had the same advice: When preparing turkey, simplicity is the best bet.

There are so many recipes out there, but salt and pepper is all the turkey needs, Grove said.

When Borowsky cooks a turkey, she first cleans it and massages the breasts and legs to loosen the muscle. Then, she gets her hand underneath the skin of the breast and breaks the binding between the skin and the meat.

She sprinkles salt and pepper all over the outside and the cavity of the bird, as this is a natural tenderizer, and spreads butter in the space created between the skin and the breast, she said.

She said about 24 to 26 pounds of bird needs about three-quarters of a pound of butter.

Then she cuts an unpeeled orange in half, rolls it to loosen it, and sticks it into the cavity. That will keep the inside moist, she said.

Borowsky also sells gravy made of frozen, cleaned turkey stock, 2 percent milk and fresh thyme.

“My gravy is very compatible with your turkey,” she said. “If you’re cooking your turkey you can add your drippings to my gravy.”

As for side dishes, many Thanksgiving tables have too many, as people feel they need three to four vegetables and three to four starches, she said.

Borowsky advises to invest one’s time in a few different dishes.

“I always tell people that less variety and more quantity is important,” she said.

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Refresh Dishes With Fresh Citrus

Maybe this time you're boring with the taste of your food is always bland?Or you're boring with your snacks even have various snacks.Lets try a combination cooking or give your snack with fresh citrus and see whether your taste be intrigued.

Peel your citrus and slices citrus into several slices and then arrange them neatly fit the form of plates or make an attractive decorative addition to your foods or snack.How about fresh navel oranges in healthful salads, or even in cold soups and fruity drinks. Everybody will love a sprightly Chilean Navel Orange and Radish Salad with Citrus-Dijon decorated by fresh citrus.

Someday you can make it into Chilean Navel Orange and Tomato Gazpacho, a delightfully different twist on a beloved cold soup.Try a smoothie made by whirling in a blender a combo of navel segments, vanilla yogurt and mango sorbet?

Navel orange on the grill

The first step Skewer orange pieces with pork or chicken cubes and brush with teriyaki sauce or another marinade.After that sprinkle thick, peeled orange slices with ground ginger. Grill until lightly caramelized and use as a bed for grilled fish or cut up and add to salads.

Salads and such

Get some navel orange segments, zest and toasted almonds to a couscous or mixed grain salad and make orange segments cut into halves for chicken salad dressed with a tangy yogurt-dill dressing. Serve in a Boston lettuce cup or on a sandwich.For a refreshing salsa, coarsely chop orange or Clementine segments, cucumber and red onion. Season with chipotle pepper, cilantro and lime juice.
Send your salad in a Mediterranean direction with sliced oranges, sweet onions, oil-cured olives and a pesto dressing.

Quick Sips

* Make an ultra-easy sorbet with a food processor by pureeing frozen Chilean navel orange or grapefruit segments with a little confectioners' sugar.

* For a nutritious smoothie, give frozen grapefruit, navel or Clementine segments, banana and cranberry juice a whirl in your blender.

* Give a pretty orange wedge garnish to a classic cocktail (think Tom Collins, old-fashioneds and margaritas -) or create your own.

Navel oranges join an elite collection of Chilean citrus that also includes lemons, mandarin oranges, Clementines and grapefruit. They ripen to sweet perfection in Chilean valleys that provide just the right conditions: warm sunny days and cool nights.

The cool vibe of citrus can't be beat - and the concept just got better with the arrival of Chilean navel oranges.

Chilean Navel Orange and Radish Salad

Serves four

Ingredients:

3 Chilean navel oranges, peeled

4 cups mixed baby greens (about 5 ounces)

1 small green apple, cut into matchsticks (about 1-1/2 cups)

3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes (about 4 radishes)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion (green onion)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch of ground black pepper

Directions:

Into large bowl, cut oranges into segments, reserving membranes. Add greens, apple, radishes and scallion; toss gently. In small bowl, squeeze two tablespoons orange juice from membranes; stir in vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and black pepper. Divide orange salad mixture equally among four salad plates; top with dressing.

Chilean Navel Orange and Tomato Gazpacho

Serves four

Ingredients:

3 Chilean navel oranges

3 plum tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallion (green onion)

Directions

Grate one teaspoon zest from one orange; set aside. Peel all oranges. Into a small bowl cut one of the oranges into segments; cut into small pieces; set aside. Cut remaining two oranges into two-inch chunks; place in a food processor. Quarter two of the tomatoes; add to the food processor along with red pepper, vinegar, oil, salt, black pepper and reserved orange zest. Pulse until orange mixture is very finely chopped but not pureed, about 10 to 12 times. Chop remaining tomato; add to orange in the small bowl along with scallion. Divide gazpacho among four soup plates; top with chopped orange, tomato and scallion mixture.

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Tasteful With Slow Cooker

There was new device to make meal time easier.you just wake up in the morning, throw a few ingredients into the pot, and when you get home from work, dinner is ready and more taste than frozen one.Yes, its all about slow cooker "The Best Cookbook Ever" by Diane Phillips and James Baigrie as photographs.

Phillips has written more than 14 cookbooks and as this one contains 400 recipes slow cooker.Phillips also a cooking teacher.It's slow cooker heaven, with recipes laid out into chapters - soups and chilies, casseroles, chicken and turkey, fish, beef, pork, lambs, side dishes, vegetables, sauces, desserts and party foods.

Many chapters are then further divided according to ingredients - casseroles breaks down into noodles, rice and tortillas; beef into round, sirloin, brisket, ground beef, flank steak, short ribs, veal and veal stews; pork into shoulder, loin, tenderloin, ribs, sausage and ham; lamb into leg, shanks, shoulder and ground lamb; sides into rice, risotto, pilaf, bread stuffings and grits; sauces into gravies, sauces, sweet and saucy and jams; desserts into regular desserts and puddings and party foods into drinks, appetizers, main courses, breakfast, egg casseroles, side dishes and desserts.

The beginning of each chapter also contains some tips and an index of each recipe contained within, so its easy to skim through and find what sounds good to you under a particular ingredient or course.

There's different styles of cooking as well - from Mexican with Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chicken Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce to Italian with Meatballs Italiano and Risotto alla Milanese or try something different like Mediterranean Beef Rolls, North African Beef Stew, Tandoori Chicken and Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin in Mango Sauce. There's some mouth-watering desserts as well, like Hot Fudge Upside-Down Cake, Cappuccino Bread Pudding and Crock-Baked Apples.

You can stock in your pantry with the helpful guide of this book, refrigerator and spices, you don't have go running out to pick something up you forgot again.
Is very helpfull to youngest too have prep.Just make a curry sauce using butter, flour, curry, chicken broth and evaporated milk and then pour over boneless, skinless chicken breast halves already in the slow-cooker. Put the lid on and cook on high for three hours. You can go paly with the childs or watching the television and when you back its ready to serve.

"Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever" is published by Chronicle Books. It is $24.95.

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Oil Options For Healthier Cooking

When you boored using olive oil for all your cooking needs,there are some other options for you to experiment with.Here are this

Avocado oil: extracted from the fleshy pulp surrounding the avocado pit nutty flavor oils such as olive oil, is rich in monounsaturated fat. It has a high smoke point, making it good for sautéing or stir fried fish, chicken or vegetables. It is also delicious in vinaigrette dressing or sprinkled on vegetables.

Grapeseed oil: extracted from the seeds of grapes, and usually imported from France, Italy or Switzerland, this oil has a high smoke point, making it good for sautéing or stir frying. It is also delicious in salad dressings. Some of the imported oils rather have a grape-y taste, but many are quite dull or nutty flavor. Try some to see what you like best.

Nut oil: The good thing about nut oils, such as almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia, peanuts, pecans, pistachio and walnut oils is that they have the same monounsaturated fat found in the notes themselves (but do not contain fiber). Since overheating will reduce the taste of nut oils, sautéing and avoid using them in place in salad dressings or sprinkled over pasta or cooked vegetables. Nut oils can go rancid quickly, so that they keep in the refrigerator to keep them healthy.

Pumpkin seed oil: Made from roasted pumpkin seeds, this very tasty, dark, opaque oil is best used with lighter oils for sautéing or salad dressings. It can also be used undiluted to add a distinctive flavor to fish or steamed vegetables.

Safflower oil: It contains more monounsaturated fat than any other oil. It also has a high smoke point, making it good for sautéing or stir frying. You can mix with more tasty heart-healthy oils for salad dressings, too.

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Dazzle your guests with holiday etiquette tips 101

You've spent the entire day cooking the perfect holiday feast. But it's an hour before your guests arrive, and you find yourself standing in front of the table, listening to a little nagging voice in your head.

Does the knife go on the left, fork on the right, or is it the other way around? Is that centerpiece too tall? Should I go ahead and put food on table before guests arrive, or do I wait until everyone gets here?

If you can't answer those questions, don't feel alone. In today's eat-on-the-run world, you're not the only one to flunk holiday etiquette.

"Table manners have become a lost art," says etiquette expert Jill Slatter. "Think back 15 or 20 years ago, families gathered every evening for a proper meal. But these days we're all stretched so thin juggling work, school and home, most folks don't have time to sit down together, so when holidays roll around no one's sure what to do at a formal meal."

Slatter is an etiquette coach at Greensboro, N.C.-based Replacements, Ltd., touted as the world's largest supplier of old and new china, silver, crystal and collectibles. The company is bombarded with questions this time of year from folks looking for a crash course in proper manners and table settings. Based on the most frequently asked questions, Slatter offers this quick holiday etiquette 101 to give you insight that will dazzle your guests.

Set the perfect table

* Forks to the left, knives and spoons to the right. Only set out utensils that will be used for various courses. "If you're not serving soup or salad, you certainly don't want an extra spoon or fork in your place setting," Slatter says. "Not only will those get in the way, the extra utensils may confuse your guests."

* The bread plate goes on the left of the dinner plate, glasses on the right.

* Wait to pour. Water glasses should be the only glasses filled before your guests arrive. Iced tea, wine and other beverages should be poured once everyone is seated. Wine should be filled halfway, not to the rim.

* Salad and bread should be the only food on the table when your guests arrive.

* Courses are generally served in the following order in the United States: appetizer, soup, salad, main course, dessert.

Are you the hostess with the mostest?

* Remember, the hostess always sits last.

* Unscented candles are a great part of holiday decor, but should only be lit during the evening. "Another thing to keep in mind, flickering candles are more than a distraction, those can cause headaches," warns Slatter. "That's why you never want to place burning candles directly in front of your guest, and make sure you situate the flame below eye level."

* Centerpiece too tall? Sure those flowers you spent hours arranging are pretty, but will only get in the way if your guests have to crane their necks to look at each other. Make sure your guests can see over any table adornments.

* Passing isn't just in football. Always pass food around the table counter clockwise to the right and refrain from serving yourself first. Always pass the salt and pepper as a set, even if you're only asked for one.

Be a gracious guest

* Avoid the smear. Female guests should blot their lips before sitting down at the table. This will keep you from getting lipstick stains on linen napkins or glassware.

* Wait for the signal. Your host will let you know when it's okay to begin eating. They may make a prayer or statement or start by passing a dish.

* If you're not sure which utensil to use with each course, start on the outside and work in toward the plate.

* If you need to excuse yourself temporarily, gently place your napkin in your chair.

*Signify you're finished with the meal by placing napkin to the left of the dinner plate, and your fork and knife side by side diagonally across your plate with the sharp side of the knife blade facing inward and the fork tines down.

"One of the most panicked questions we hear concerns what to do if you accidently break a piece of the host's dinnerware," adds Slatter. "You should certainly offer to replace the broken piece especially if it has sentimental value for the host or hostess."

Slatter says don't lose hope if your host doesn't know the name of the pattern or the manufacturer- you can always take advantage of Replacements' free pattern identification service.

If you're still in doubt about holiday etiquette 101, a cheat sheet is just a mouse click away. You can find place setting guides outlining the correct layout for all meals at www.replacements.com, under the site's "neat things" tab. With these tips in mind, you're sure to throw the perfect gathering.






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Slow cooking gets a nutrition-makeover for healthier, delicious, hassle-free meals

Guess which ‘70s fad is back? Nope, not hot pants or lava lamps. It’s the slow cooker, aka the Crock-Pot®, and this time around there’s a delicious twist. Healthy ingredients, like low-sodium broth, fresh veggies, wholesome beans and rich spices replace yesteryear’s high-fat, high-sodium recipes, which often began with canned, calorie-laden, creamed soup. Mix in budget-friendly and timesaving benefits and slow is the way to go this fall.

A Vitamin Bath

Similar to braising, slow cookers produce a low, steady, moist heat for several hours, which roughly translates to 300 degrees for four hours when the electric countertop appliance is set on high and 200 degrees for 10 hours on low. And if you put wholesome food in the pot, that’s what comes out-especially the vitamin-and mineral-packed natural juice.

Sarah Krieger, R.D., MPH, LD/N, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, explains: “Food loses vitamins and minerals through heat, oxygen and water. Since slow cookers require some sort of heated liquid, that’s where a lot of vitamins and minerals go.” And that’s where nutrients stay, since a slow cooker’s tightly sealed lid prevents evaporation. Though best known for beef-and chicken-based recipes, slow cookers are also great for meatless meals. “This is something we should all do at least twice a week-to lower risk of heart disease, certain cancers and to get nutrients only in vegetables,” Krieger stresses.

Perfect Cents

When it comes to money matters, slow cookers give you a twofer. First, they’re ideal for cheaper beef cuts that are generally tasty but tough, such as chuck roasts, shoulder cuts or bottom-round roasts. Why? “The low, slow, moist-heat cooking process breaks down tough muscle fiber and connective tissue in less-expensive cuts,” says Mary Bartz, spokeswoman for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “The result is wonderfully tender-without forfeiting an ounce of convenience.

Time on your Side

The slow cooker has forever been the busy cook’s time saver, since there’s no human intervention after loading it up. In fact, lifting the lid to peek or stir disturbs the cooking process. That means you prepare in the morning, let everything simmer as you go about your day, and come home to a wholesome dinner!

If time permits, newer slow cooker recipes introduce flavor layers with just a little extra effort. For example, browning beef first takes about 10 minutes at the front end but adds rich color, boosts flavor and reduces fat. In addition, certain ingredients fare better when added during the final 30 minutes, including fresh herbs, tender vegetables like tomatoes or zucchini, seafood and fiery spices like cayenne pepper or hot sauce.

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Duck breasts with plum sauce elevate dinner

By Carol Mighton Haddix

Getting tired of chicken breasts? True, the mild white meat lends itself to many quick-cooking dishes. I admit, I find myself cooking them several times a week. But recently I noticed a package of frozen duck breasts near the chicken case at Whole Foods. With duck’s meatier flavor, I thought it would be a great sub for the chicken.

After thawing the duck, I heated my trusty cast iron skillet over high heat and seared the fatty side of the duck until golden, then turned it. While it was cooking, I minced some ginger, shallot and garlic and diced two plums I had in the fridge. With a little white wine, they become a quick sauce to spoon over the sliced, medium-rare duck. A quick entree in just 30 minutes, and no chicken breast in sight.

TIPS

If the plums seem tart, add a pinch or two of sugar to the sauce while cooking.

Substitute peaches for the plums for a change of flavor.

BEVERAGE SUGGESTION

The slight Asian flavors in the sauce suggest a fruity gewurztraminer, but the duck calls for a pinot noir. Either works, your choice.

DUCK BREASTS WITH GINGER PLUM SAUCE

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 15 minutes Makes: 4 servings

2 duck breasts

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 piece (1-inch) ginger root, peeled, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup dry white wine or rice wine or chicken broth

2 ripe red plums, pitted, diced

1. Score the skin of each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern with a knife. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat; add duck, skin side down. Cook until skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn duck; reduce heat to medium. Cook to desired doneness, or about 5 minutes for medium-rare. Remove to a cutting board to rest.

2. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add ginger and shallot; cook stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine; cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add plums; cook to blend flavors, 1-2 minutes. Slice duck thinly on the diagonal; transfer to plates. Top with plum sauce.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 145 calories, 42 percent of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 82 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 342 mg sodium, 1 g fiber





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FLAMING GREAT FOOD

Writer: Suthon Sukphisit

Roasting meat on a grill is one of the oldest methods of preparing it as food. Thais have cooked it this way for many centuries, although it is not known when the practice began. As in the related subject of the production of charcoal for cooking, we have no idea when the technique was introduced in Thailand, or where the idea came from.

Grilling is traditional in the Central and Northern regions, and also in Isan. The notion of frying meat and other foodstuffs came from China, along with the use of woks, or frying pans, and the production of oil. This technique has set root very deeply in Central Thai cuisine. Even curries require that the seasoning ingredients be fried before the curry can be cooked in a pot. But none of this gives any idea as to when these cooking methods arrived in Thailand.

In the North, frying is used to cook pork, pork rinds and the traditional sausage known as sai ua. It is only in Isan that grilling is still the preferred way of cooking.

There are a number of different approaches to roasting. Meats can be cooked directly over a fire, smoked or dried and salted to preserve them. In the central region, with its abundance of water, cooks are expert at grilling and roasting fish. When cattle or water buffalos die, their meat can also be roasted or dried and salted for future use, and presented as gifts to relatives and friends.

Fish is roasted on a grill in two ways. The first method is used around September, when the water from the rains in the north flows down and the rivers and canals are at their highest levels. Fish abound, and when a lot of them are caught, the types that have no scales, like the species known in Thai as pla ma, pla nuea awn and pla daeng, are roasted very slowly until dry over charcoal and stored. They can be used later for making many different kinds of dishes, among them a vegetable soup-like kaeng liang, which is seasoned with pounded shallots and fresh peppercorns and has the grilled fish added to thicken the broth and enhance its flavour. The roasted fish can also be used to make a tom yum (a sourish hot soup) called tom yum pla krawb (sourish hot soup with crispy fish).

Among the fish that do have scales, one of the most famous is the pla chon, or the snakehead fish. It can be salted and stored for future use. Salted pla chon is a key ingredient in many kinds of Thai dishes, among them kaeng pla chon khem kap kathi (a salted fish curry with coconut cream), kaeng som pla chon khem kap phak boong (a sour-sweet-spicy, soup-like curry with shoots of the morning glory-like phak boong vine added), and a dry dish called pla chon khem tam la-iad roy nam tarn, made by pounding the salted fish and sprinkling sugar onto it, and then eaten with rice. Smoking is the other popular way of roasting fish. It is used mostly with fish that have a strong odour. First, the fish is grilled to semi-dryness to firm up the meat, and then it is immediately made into a curry. Strong-smelling fish are usually bottom feeders, but their flesh is firm and flavoursome.

They are hard to find, though, and include types like pla krathing (whose skin has patterns like those on a snake), pla lot (similar to pla krathing but without the designs), and pla kot.

When smoking them, the fuel of choice for the fire is coconut husks. These don't burn with a flame but release great volumes of smoke because they are usually still moist. The fish are set on the grill and covered with fresh banana leaves. When all the liquids in the fish have been released by the smoking process, they are ready for consumption.

The most delicious of the curries made with smoked fish are kaeng phet sai krathi (a spicy one made with coconut cream) and a tom yam variant called tom khloang that contains galangal, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaf as well as mandatory roasted shallots and hand-shredded, fire-roasted chillies. The tom yam broth is also seasoned with the leaves of the aromatic herb called phak chee farang.

In Samut Songkhram, cooks like to smoke fresh pla thoo (a type of mackerel) in this way and serve it with the dip called nam pla mawn, which is made from nam pla (fish sauce), slivered krachai rhizome, chopped garlic, chillies and lime juice.

These are the two most common types of grill roasting used to cook fish in the Thai kitchen, one in or over a naked fire, and the other, utilising smoke.

There is another method that has come to Thailand from the West. Barbecuing impressed people as being easy for both the cook and for the person(s) who ate the result. It was introduced by hotels that prepared new and fashionable dishes, and usually consisted of pieces of pork or beef placed on skewers alternating with pieces of pineapple and small tomatoes, much like shish kebab. Once the idea caught on, barbecuing spread out in every direction, and soon every festival and temple fair had to have at least one inexpensive barbecue stall that offered a choice of meats, squid or imitation crabmeat.

Competing for a place in the barbecue set were frankfurters of various descriptions, also threaded on skewers and grilled. They, too, have remained popular, and are available at any festival, fair or market. They are especially popular with children, and can be seen being cooked in front of schools in the provinces, where they separate youngsters from their money with great efficiency.

Grilled pork on skewers is another dish that has become extremely popular. People on the move looking for something to fend off their hunger are not averse to making do with a couple of skewers accompanied by some glutinous rice, and there are some vendors who have become famous for offering especially toothsome versions. Their success has to do with their choosing the right cut of meat, and the marinade they use. The best pork comes from the neck because it is tender and has plenty of fat marbling the meat.

Sai krawk Isan is made by fermenting ground pork mixed with cooked rice, stuffing that into a thin sheath, and then tying the casing to form a small, round, bite-sized sausage.

When it is set in the sun, the pork and rice react to produce a sour taste. The sausage is grilled until brown and is then eaten with ginger, the small fiery chillies called phrik khee noo and cabbage leaves. It is crunchy and flavourful in a way that has made it a favourite at provincial gathering places like bus stations, especially in Isan. Isan restaurants and food shops in Bangkok offer this delicacy, too, and it goes well with alcoholic drinks.

The above fire-induced items are a few of the grilled dishes that have proven to be popular in Thailand over the years. They have been with us since the beginning, and seem assured of a long future even as new recipes catch on and come into the repertoire.





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Thrifty Cooking: Easy party food

By JIM ROMANOFF

There's a lot to love about chicken drumsticks, including the price. Drumsticks, especially when purchased in bulk, can cost less than 70 cents a pound, which is about as inexpensive as any poultry or meat gets.

These zesty, honey-mustard chicken drumsticks cost about 65 cents per serving to prepare and take just 45 minutes to make.

Double or triple the recipe and you've got a fun dish to serve at a backyard party. If you like, you can mix in some wings, as well.

Honey-Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

4 T. honey

3 T. coarse-grain mustard

1 T. canola oil

1&1/2 t. curry powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Coat a wire rack with cooking spray, then set it on top of the baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, mustard, oil, curry powder, salt and pepper.

Using a brush, coat the drumsticks completely with the honey-mustard glaze.

Arrange the chicken pieces on the prepared rack.

Bake, basting occasionally, until the chicken is golden on the outside and an instant read thermometer registers 165 F when inserted at the center, about 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 4 servings.






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Speed up cooking with these tips

By J.M. HIRSCH

Getting dinner on the table in about 10 minutes can be a workout.
If you plan to cook, rather than just nuke, that sort of speed requires a fair amount of multitasking. Which means your best bet is to stick with simple, one-dish meals.

But that doesn't mean you need to skimp on flavor.

Here are my top tips for speed cooking:

• Make friends with fresh pasta. It's pricier than dry pasta, but it cooks in just minutes and has a wonderful texture. And to save time, the first step of any recipe involving pasta should be to set the water on to boil. This lets you do other things while the water heats.

• Fresh herbs taste best, but dried are faster (shaking a bottle vs. washing and snipping). In this recipe, garlic powder does a respectable job standing in for fresh garlic.

• Opt for veggies that need little or no prep. Most grocers offer plenty of washed and chopped varieties. In this case, prewashed arugula needs nothing more than being tossed into the pan. Baby spinach is another good choice.

• Meat that cooks quickly — or is already cooked — saves time and can add tons of flavor. Cooked chicken sausages, prosciutto and chorizo need little work or time, but add serious flavor.

• If the cheese will be melted or tossed with other ingredients, get the shredded or crumbled varieties. Not only is it faster, you also won't need to wash up the grater.
FRESH PASTA WITH ARUGULA AND CHORIZO

Start to finish: 10 minutes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 to 9 ounces chopped or crumbled chorizo, casings removed
12-ounce package fresh linguini
3 cups arugula
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over high, heat the oil. Add the garlic powder and red pepper flakes, then heat for 30 seconds. Add the chorizo and saute until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the water and cook until just al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, then add it to the skillet with the chorizo. Toss well, then add the arugula and cheese. Toss again until the arugula is wilted and the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 818 calories; 375 calories from fat; 42 g fat (14 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 76 mg cholesterol; 67 g carbohydrate; 41 g protein; 3 g fiber; 1,439 mg sodium.






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