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70 CAPE GAZETTE,'Friday, June;9 -Je 15, 2000 -
FO,:)D & DRINK
Celebrate summer with a picnic
With summer comes an ideal
opportunity for reconnecting
family ties - and what better
way to celebrate than with a re-
union picnic?
Fresh air and warm sunshine
offer a relaxed backdrop for
hosting a large group, and fami-
ly favorites like roast turkey
and potatoes guarantee your
outing is both easy to prepare
and delicious to eat.
By choosing the right ingre-
dients and keeping in mind a
few important safety tips, your
summertime family gathering
will provide memories that last
long after the warm weather
cools.
Start by selecting a menu that
can be prepared in advance.
Succulent turkey and refreshing
potato salad are keystone menu
ingredients, because they are
simple to make and offer a
range of recipe possibilities,
from old-fashioned barbecues
to innovative one-dish meals.
A large, bone-in turkey breast
feeds a crowd and is simple to
prepare - just season and then
transfer the turkey to a grill or
oven and leave it virtually unat-
tended. Purchase a turkey
breast that is equipped with a
Pop-Up Timer, which takes the
guesswork out of cooking by
indicating when your meat is
ready.
As the turkey breast grills and
reaches its optimum doneness
temperature, the buttonhead of
the Timer "pops," indicating
that the turkey breast is cooked
to perfection. Dress up the
turkey with your favorite sea-
sonings and spices, or try Bar-
becued Turkey on Focaccia or
Grilled Turkey Breast With
Sweet and Spicy Basting Sauce.
Remember, it's summer - and
you don't have to limit yourself
to traditional Thanksgiving
preparations !
Potato salad is a picnic essen-
tial and makes a tasty comple-
ment for the turkey. California
new potatoes are the best choice
for the salad, especially right
now as their peak season is
from early May through late Ju-
ly. California new potatoes
have a sweet, just-harvested fla-
vor. Their firm, waxy texture
means they hold their shape af-
ter cooking. And because they
have thin, tender, nutrient-rich
skins, California new potatoes
never need to be peeled.
Finally, to ensure your picnic
feast stays healthy and deli-
cious, make sure you have
enough cooler space and ice to
transport all your dishes safely -
never leave refrigerated or pre-
cooked food sitting in the car.
Bring plenty of paper napkins
and paper towels to wipe off
your hands, soda cans and other
surfaces, as well as to clean up
with at the end of the day.
And don't forget the Frisbee!
CALIFORNIA NEW
POTATO LASAGNA
1-1/2 pounds California New
Potatoes, cut unpeeled in half
lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch
thick
1 container prepared Alfredo
$suce
1 container prepared pesto
1 box (10 ounces) frozen
spinach, defrosted and
squeezed dry
1 pound shredded provolone
or mozzarella cheese, divided
usage
1 container low-fat ricotta
cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
Packing a picnic lunch is simple and easy with the
right ingredients.
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
3 T cornstarch
1/2t salt
112 t ground black pepper
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 jar sun-dried tomatoes in
oil, drained, well and coarsely
chopped
Spray a 9- by 13-inch glass
baking dish with nonstick cook-
ing spray. Layer half of the
sliced new potatoes in bottom
of pan.
In small bowl combine Alfre-
do and pesto sauces. Spread l
cup of the sauce mixture over
potatoes. Distribute dry spinach
over sauce and top with l-l/3
cups provolone or mozzarella
cheese.
In bowl blend ricotta, eggs,
Parmesan, cornstarch, salt, pep-
per and nutmeg. Spread over
spinach.
Top with 1-1/3 cups pro-
volone cheese. Distribute sun-
dried tomatoes over cheese.
Top with remaining sliced pota-
tOgs.
Spread with remaining 1 cup
sauce. Cover with foil and bake
in preheated 350°F oven for 45
minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle with re-
maining 1-1/3 cups cheese and
bake additional 20 to 25 min-
utes until cheese is browned
and lasagna is bubbly.
Let stand for 15 minutes and
serve.
Red zinfandel is
unique, recognizable
I had a request to discuss Zinfandel. I
hope it was the red version because I rarely
drink the other. To me the white is better
than no wine at all. Ah, but the red is often
spectacular.
Zin is the most widely planted grape va-
riety in California. It accounts for about 20
percent of the red grapes planted, about
25,000 acres. Although it is a vinifera,
transplanted from Europe, its true lineage
is not known. Many believe that it is Prim-
itivo from southern Italy. This wine has a
unique and easily recognizable varietal
nose and flavor, usually described as berry-
like, brambly or spicy. It also lends itself to
the broadest range of production, unlike
most of its cousins, from the white Zins to
a late harvest, port type wine. To my mind
though it is at its best when it is rich, ripe,
tannic, intensely flavored, full-nosed and
has the legs for a looong finish. Yum-yum.
Right now, in my opinion, the best pro-
ducers are: Amadors Shenandoah Valley,
the Paso Robles area and my all time fa-
vorite area, Dry Creek Valley near Healds-
burg in the Sonoma Valley. As you know,
I'm a big fan of Sonoma. Especially when
it comes to wines other than "Cabs" or
"Chards." Of all the producers of red Zin, I
look to Dry Creek Vineyard as my bell-
wether. If you're new to this wine, fry to
find a '97 Heritage Clone Zinfandel from
Dry Creek Vineyard. It won every gold and
double gold medal. Dry Creek also pro-
duced an Old Vines Zin '97 that is very re-
Continued on page 71
What do politics and chicken have in common?
Well, the campaign season is
upon us. I have done many a cam-
paign in my time as has a friend
who now lives on the Cape. The
other day we were sharing war
stories. Here in Delaware the
campaigning is rather civilized.
But other places can be different.
My friend told me the story of her
Congressman who had his girl-
friend on the payroll doing ab-
solutely nothing. When the press
found out, he had the perfect solu-
tion. A legend in his own mind.
He told my friend to simply lock
his office door.
Then we laughed about the fact
that when you do a campaign, you
travel so much that when you
wake up in the morning in a hotel,
you look in the phone book to see
..... i ::::: ::i: ....
FOCUS ON FOOD
Anne Graham
where you are. That made me
think of a perfect April Fool's
joke. Take a bunch of phony tele-
phone books. Stick them in every-
one's room. They would wake up,
look and think they were in
Hawaii when in fact they were in
Kankakee.
Now watch how smoothly I
segue into Focus on Food. I
worked for a politician for whom I
went to a fundraiser dinner.
He was wolf'mg down the food
and stopped for a minute and
asked me with a puzzled look on
his face, "Should I be eating all of
this?" I said, very politely, "only if
you like paper."
He was eating the parchment
that was wrapped around his
chicken. Speaking of chicken, I
have a good recipe. And I have a
good potato (Dan Quayle) recipe
that with sliced tomatoes makes a
great summer dinner.
HERBED ROAST CHICKEN
1 roasting chicken (3.5 to 4 lbs.)
salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
and gently crushed
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lemon, cut into wedges, seeded
3 T olive oil
Season the inside of the chicken
with salt and pepper. Place the
garlic, herbs, and lemon wedges
in the cavity. Truss the chicken
and place in a lightly greased
roasting pan. Drizzle with the
olive oil and rub it into the skin of
the chicken. Place the pan in the
center of a preheated 425 F oven.
Baste with the accumulated pan
juices every 10 to 15 minutes until
the chicken is done, about 80 to 90
minutes. Remove the chicken
from the oven and allow to rest 10
minutes before carving.
SMASHED POTATOES
2 C potatoes, mashed
1/2 C sour cream
2 t Dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
2 T scallions
paprika to taste
Prepare potatoes or warm left-
over potatoes. Heat sour cream in
medium saucepan, being careful
not to boil. Add mustard, salt, then
stir to blend. Stir into hot potatoes.
Add scallions and stir to blend.
Spoon into foil baking shells and
sprinkle withpaprika.
Potatoes may be made ahead
Continued on page 71