The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 25

Journal Wednesday, April 4, 1990 A Weekly Publication of The Salina Journal 72 Pages CAR-RT SORT CAR.RT SORT THIRD CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAUNA KANSAS Permit No. 1 47 Minestrone with pistou redefipes a hearty Italian standard with a taste of France. The soup can be served as an appetizer or as a meal on its own. By WALTRINA STOVALL Universal Press ood, like travel, is broadening.

And not just in a physical sense. For instance, in trying to find out how minestrone got its name, I learned that: 1) The Italian word endings of-one or -ona denote bigness, while -ina or -ino endings mean small. 2) Minestra is the Italian word for soup. Put an -one ending on it and you would have minestrone a big soup. (A light soup is called a minestrina).

Minestrone is big not only in the sense that it is one of Italy's national dishes, but also in that it is one of that country's heartiest soups. A mountain of vegetables goes into it, plus pasta or rice, often potatoes and beans. Usually it is sprinkled with Parmesan cheese at the table; sometimes a spoonful of pesto sauce is also added. Though small portions often are served as an appetizer with bread and perhaps a salad, minestrone can stand as a meal on its own. Minestrone can be given a bicultural fillip by substituting pistou, which comes from the south of France, for the similar pesto.

Another popular table addition is olive oil, but it's not needed if you use the pistou. For the soup, use small elbow macaroni plus white beans and potatoes. Though canned beans may be used, the soup is better if they are cooked from the dried state. Add a clove or two of garlic to the water they are soaked in. Minestrone with pistou cup olive oil 5 medium carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 2 small red onions, diced 2 ripe, unpeeled tomatoes, diced 4 zucchini, diced 3 leaves savoy cabbage, chopped The Big Soup Vegetables, pasta yield hearty blend 2 leaves black or purple cabbage, chopped 2 leaves Chinese cabbage, chopped (optional) 1 handful Italian parsley, chopped 6 leaves sweet basil 1 cup chicken broth or stock cup cooked white beans pound uncooked macaroni or cup rice 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed cup tomato puree (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Pistou (recipe follows), or additional olive oil Grated Parmesan cheese Heat oil in a deep kettle or stockpot and saute carrots, celery and onions until lightly browned.

Add tomatoes, zucchini, the cabbages, Italian parsley, sweet basil and chicken stock. Cover pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the cooked beans and pasta pr rice. If more liquid is needed to cover, Universal Press add boiling water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking, covered, about 15 minutes or until the pasta or rice is done.

(Rice and pasta can be precooked separately, but the flavor of the soup will be diminished.) Add the diced potato and continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes or until potato is tender. If you prefer a redder soup broth, thin the tomato puree with hot water and add a few minutes before soup is done. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and float each serving with a dollop of pistou or a little olive oil. Pass the Parmesan so each person may add as much as he wishes, and accompany with croutons or rough country bread.

Serves 6. Pistou: Place 3 cloves garlic, 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil and 4 to 5 branches of Italian parsley in food processor or blender and coarsely puree. Frozen vegetables no better than canned Modified recipes By DR. JEAN MAYER and JEANNE GOLDBERG, Ph.D.,R.D. Washington Post Writers Group Q.

My friend and I are having a friendly argument about whether canned or frozen vegetables are superior. We're both along in years and living on limited incomes. I take the position of buying what's least expensive: canned vegetables. She sticks with frozen whenever possible, because they're richer in vitamins and minerals. Who's correct? Food for thought A.

You are. Price, taste and sometimes special dietary considerations go into the decision about whether to buy canned or frozen vegetables. Also, the practical matter of whether there's room in your freezer can figure in. Nutrients are lost in produce if processed either by freezing or canning. Any differences in vitamin and mineral content between the two are too small to be significant.

You should keep in mind, though, that once you get the product home, you can affect its nutrient content by using proper handling techniques in the kitchen. Chief among these are using only a minimum of water and cooking frozen vegetables just until done. Q. What is the difference bet ween 1 percent and 2 percent fat milk? A. Whether on milk, cheese or any other food, the percent of fat refers to the percent of total weight that is fat.

Thus, in 1 percent fat milk, for every 100 grams ounces), just 1 gram is fat. In the same amount of 2 percent milk, there are 2 grams of fat. Whole milk, with a fat content around 3.5 percent, contains grams of fat per 100 grams of milk. Translated into household terms, a cup of whole milk may have about 8 grams of fat; a cup of 2 percent milk, about 5 grams; and a cup of 1 percent fat milk, just 2.5 grams. Of course, fat and calories are inextricably linked.

But there are differences even within a single level of fat content. Much of the reduced-fat milk has concentrated skim milk, nonfat dry-milk solids, or both, added to it. How many calories this represents depends on how much is added. Milk labeled "protein fortified" has more than that labeled as having' 'nonfat milk solids'' added. For example, a cup of 1 percent fat milk has 100 calories, while the protein-fortified variety contains 120 calories.

Similarly, a cup of 2 percent fat milk contains 120 calories; but when protein fortified, nearly 140 calories. When it comes to fat, the lower you go, the better. But with calories, if we're talking about a difference of just 20 per cup, we're really hairsplitting, unless you drink huge amounts of milk. 1 If you drink reasonable quantities, you can probably let taste preference guide your choice. Q.

Our family agrees on very few vegetables besides broccoli, which we all love. I know it's rich in beta carotene and contains other compounds linked to decreased risk of cancer. These are great features, but does it provide other nutrients as well? A. Your family picked a winner, because broccoli is a nutritionally potent vegetable, and a tasty one, too. As you point out, it does contain considerable beta carotene, whose bright orange color is masked by the chlorophyll.

In fact, a medium stalk provides nearly enough to meet the day's requirement for vitamin A. While we don't tend to think of vegetables as sources of protein, the same stalk has nearly 6 grams, nearly as much as an ounce of meat, making it one of the strongest vegetable sources. True, the quality is not equivalent to that in meat, but if eaten as part of a mixed meal, other foods can provide the amino acids it lacks, allowing the body to use it efficiently. Broccoli has still other assets. It's an exceptionally good source of vitamin it provides a number of vitamins; and it's one of the best nondairy sources of calcium.

All that, and a single stalk has just 50 calories! Original Potato salad 5 pounds potatoes, boiled and diced 6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 cup sweet pickle relish 2 cups salad dressing, mayonnaise-type cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper Mix potatoes (while warm) with other ingredients. Chill thoroughly. Makes 15 servings. Delores Odle Glade Nutrition data per serving: 382 calories, 8 protein, 16 total fat (3.2 saturated fat, 7 polyunsaturated fat), 117 mg cholesterol, 475 mg sodium. Modified Potato salad 5 pounds potatoes, boiled and diced 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped 4 hard-cooked egg whites, chopped 1 small onion; finely chopped 1 cup sweet pickle relish 1 cup reduced-calorie salad dressing, lite mayonnaise-type cup powdered sugar teaspoon salt V4 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (optional) Mix potatoes (while warm) with other ingredients.

Chill thoroughly. Makes 15 servings. Nutrition data per serving: 251 calories, 7 protein, 5 total fat (1.3 saturated fat, 2 polyunsaturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 203 mg sodium. Send recipes for modification These recipes have been nutritionally analyzed, modified with healthier ingredients and tested by Sherrie Mahoney, Saline County extension agent- home economist, 827-3651. Readers may send their printed or typed family recipes for modification to Modified Recipes, in care of the Salina Journal, Box 740, Salina, Kan.

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