Village Squire, 1976-08, Page 26Squire's Chef
Some hints on keeping your cool with summer meals
BY RON RUDD
In summer periodicals one finds myriads of
articles about quick dishes to provide
tantalizing taste treats to tired appetites.
These dishes are also claimed as savers of
energy (not the cook's), and to prevent
overheated kitchens. Most of these claims are
rubbish since the energy expended by the
cook more than offsets that saved.
Here are some hints for offering relief to
summer cooks.
Hint one:have obtained a gigantic fridge
thirty years ago when no one else wanted it
because it will hold sixteen quarts of milk end
about three cases of beer, along with
provisions for a gang for a week.
My point really is that quantity cooking is
the answer.
Here is a delicious summer dish that should
be made in enormous quantities because it
improves with age and saves wear and tear on
the conk.
Look .or some ripe mangoes. If you don't
know a mango, ask. They are -the size of a
Targe beefsteak tomato, roughly beanshaped,
vary in colour from yellow through green to
red and a -en purple. The skin is tough, the
flesh orange, soft, very' juicy and tastes
vaguely of 1P4 (yes that's jet fuel), Kerosene
or old gasoline. Don't panic, these fruits
grow on you and in this mixture are
indispensable.
Fresh pineapple is the next ingredient. Try
to get a very ripe one (Hint, for all these look
on the reduced for quick sale counter). Very
ripe honey dew melon, strawberries,
raspberries, cantaloupe (not watermelon)
peaches, are all acceptable. Don't use apples.
Now cut all these fruits into bite sized
pieces and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle
over the mixture a generous amount of dark
brown sugar, a bit of lemon juice and as much
white rum as you can spare. I say spare
because at today's prices a compromise
between a frugal attitude and a desire for
flavour should result in about a tablespoon of
rum per cup of fruit.
Let this glorious mixture marinate
fulminate, ruminate or any other "ate" you
wish in the fridge (covered). Serve it for
breakfast with hot toast, rolls, biscuits or just
by itself. Serve it for lunch with cottage
cheese. It is just great on ice cream. Make a
gallon and relax for a week. Hint:serve it
Books are our business and our pleasure
far40ru3 Books
AND TEAROOM
30 WATERLOO STREET
STRATFORD, ONTARIO.
273-1010
24, VILLAGE SQUIRE/AUGUST 1976
J
early and let it warm a little. Any fresh fruit. is
better not straight from the refrigerator.
Some months ago I gave a recipe for a quick
chicken dish. Variations of this are great for
summer. Legs and thighs can be the basis for
a quick, delicious meal. Put three pieces (leg,
and thigh) skin side down in a heavy frying
pan with a good dollop of butter. With the lid
on, cook until the skin is brown (about 5
min.). During the 5 minutes, ,cut two red
onions into eighths, cut two Targe tomatoes
skinned into eighths and when the chicken is
done remove it and add the vegetables to the
pan. Shake the vegetables for about a minute
or until warmed through then return the
chicken Skin Side Up, on top of the
vegetables. Add about 1/2 cup of medium red
wine, a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Replace
the lid, and cook at medium heat for 30
minutes. At the end of the cooking time,
uncover, add a slice of processed swiss
cheese on top of each piece of chicken, return
the lid for one minute. The chicken will be
tender, delicious and lightly glazed with
cheese. The sauce is thick, nutty -flavoured
and a magnificent complement to the chicken
(it's pink too)