FALT IRON STEAK

FLAT IRON STEAK is a new cut of beef that no butcher had thought of over the centuries. A collaboration between University of Nebraska and University of Florida food scientists resulted in this new cut in 2002 that combines tenderness and good flavor; an unusual combination.
In most cases a meat cut is very tender but not particularly flavorful (tenderloin) or very flavorful but pretty tough (brisket). Flat iron combines the two. Because it comes from a relatively inexpensive cut, the top blade of a beef chuck, flat iron is not high-priced.
Ordinarily chuck has a thick, tough connective tissue running through its center and traditionally butcher cut this chunk of meat across the grain, with the connective tissue
included. This makes a chuck steak fairly cheap and fairly tough though flavorful.
These food scientists came up with the idea to cut the meat along the grain cutting out the thick connective tissue, like filleting a fish. The result is to flat iron steak; it is very tender and has a good flavor since chuck is a flavorful, well-used muscle.
You can grill this as is (rubbing with oil to help it brown but prevent sticking), marinate it first, if you like, to add extra flavor or further tender it for a few hours.
You will enjoy both flavor, tenderness and its juicy quality. Try it and let me know what you think.

FOR THE FRESHEST PRODUCE, VISIT A FARMERS’ MARKETS

Any time I visit a new town, I look for a local farmers’ market. I adore these markets, enjoy talking with local growers and am awed by the freshest produce I can find anywhere. These growers pick their produce either the same morning or the night before.
I live in a small rural county where farmers’ markets are alive and well four times a week at different locations. Most fruits and vegetables are fresh and wholesome, and nearly fully ripe. Prices are fairly high, a lot more than at the supermarket’s produce section, but we are comparing apples and oranges.
Growers from an agricultural basket 50 miles away also regularly sell at our local markets. A large farm that sells produce at farmers’ markets both in the big city markets and in our markets has two sets of price tags: the selling price here is nearly twice the price of the big city markets for the same produce. Traveling is costly and we have to pay for it.
Farmers’ markets are not without pitfalls. A grower short-weighed me twice last year. I do have an accurate portion control scale, and I found the pound of green beans several ounces below the 16 it should have been. I complained to the market manager, and she promised to talk to the grower. If you report such a grower to the County’s Weights and Measures, the fine is severe. However, this rarely happens—most vendors give you generous amounts.
And watch out for what merchandisers call “distressed produce.” These are usually sold at larger farmers’ markets with heavy buyer traffic.
Distributors know when the produce is on its last legs. The flat of strawberries may look and taste great, but they know its shelf life is down to one or two days and must be sold quickly—the poor strawberries are distressed. The grower drops the price, and if you are planning to use it for canning or freezing, you get a bargain. Otherwise you may add a lot to your compost pile. Be carefully when prices appear to be surprisingly low.
Our markets are much more than markets—they provide a social gathering, too, where you are likely to chat far more than select produce, breads and pastries. In fact, many people come for the chat and free samples, and stop at the supermarket on the way home to buy some prepared food.

Are Your Eggs Fresh?

· How fresh is that egg? There are a number of ways to tell. When laid, egg is virtually without air pockets and warm as the hen, 105⁰F (41⁰C). When it cools, it develops a small air pocket in the large, flat end, and as it ages, this air pocket becomes larger. If the egg is getting on in age, the air pocket becomes large enough that it floats in water. You can still use this in baking and cooking but not for breakfast eggs.

· A second test of freshness is how it behaves on a plate when cracked. The way the white behaves gives its age away. The runnier and more watery the white, the older the egg. The yolk also changes over time but not quite so obviously. It flattens, and the color becomes mottled. If the egg white runs out on the plate as a thin pancake syrup with a flat yolk in the middle, discard the whole thing (even better, feed it to any of your pets).

Croutons

Commercial package croutons are not particularly good. Make your own: start with one unsliced loaf of stale, firm French or Italian bread, cut off the crust and cut bread into crouton-sized cubes. Let the cubes stand on a baking sheet for several hours to dry. Toss cubes with half cup vegetable or olive oil mixed with two cloves of finely minced garlic and sprinkle with half teaspoon salt. Bake in medium oven for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring a few times, until crisp.

A loaf of bread yields enough croutons for 30 to 35 salads. Keep croutons in a tight container. For longer storage, keep in refrigerator.

TOO MANY ZUCCHINIS

Now matter where your garden is, chances are the summer squash plants growing, possibly blooming and even having fruits. In no time at all, there will be way to many squash for anyone's kitchen. And if you are not a gardener, someone is likely to unload a large bagful of zucchinis on you. By midsummer you are sick and tired of preparing them--after all there are so many other good produce out there and you are not a rabbit.
Here is a recipe that uses up plenty of zucchini by reducing the volume and concentrating the flavor.







Sautéed Grated Summer Squash Concentrate

This dish is particularly welcome in the summer for both gardeners who are

being inundated by the prolific summer squash crop and those nongardeners

who are recipients of endless bagfuls of them. This recipe concentrates

flavors by drastically reducing the water the squash contains. This is the

French technique called dégorger.

Ingredients

2 lb (900 g) summer squash, unpeeled, coarsely grated

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil, olive oil, butter or mixture

How to Prepare

1. Toss the grated squash with salt in a large bowl and let it sit on the counter for at least an hour. Transfer to a sieve and drain the accumulated liquid, then thoroughly rinse excess salt from the squash under running water. Dump onto a thin kitchen towel, twist and squeeze as much liquid from the vegetables as you can. You will end up with a little more than half

of the original weight of the squash.

2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add half of the oil or butter and the drained vegetables. Spread evenly in pan and press down with a spatula. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered until nicely browned on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Place a flat platter over the pan and, wearing a pair of oven mitts, flip vegetables as a single patty onto the platter. Return pan to heat, add rest of oil or butter and slip unbrowned side of the patty of squash back into the sauté pan. Continue cooking until bottom side browns, five to 10 minutes.

Serve as is for a side vegetable, or flavor with fresh herbs, spices, lightly browned garlic or caramelized onion.

Serves four.

EDIBLE FLOWERS

Eating pretty flowers feels like sin. Yet sprinkling in just three or four into each serving of a salad hardly deprives the plant and adds elegance and a great visual impact into your salad. There are many edible flowers, some common, and if you are a gardener, you may have a few of these in your plot.
You can only use edible flowers if you have not sprayed your plants with any chemical in the last several weeks.


Here is a list of edible flowers:

Bachelor button

Carnation

Chrysanthemum

Dandelion

Day lily bud

Elderberry

Flowers of edible herbs

Forget-me-not

Guava flower

Hibiscus

Honeysuckle

Impatiens

Yucca

Lilac

Nasturtium

Pansy

Petunia

Pink

Portulaca

Rose

Squash

Snapdragon

Viola

Violet

Cheeseburger anywhere

Do you like cheeseburger? A good one is very good but where do you find one? They are as rare as a good soufflé. However, read below. Now you can take your cheeseburger anywhere: picnics, canoe trips, hikes, airline meals or you can give one as a gift to your favorite date. Are they any good? I doubt it, never tasted one and I don't believe I ever intend to.

This is from a Canadian website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/fortunehunters/index.php

Cheeseburger in a Can

From Switzerland - Cheeseburger in a Can! A Swiss company has created this easy eating solution. It's an all-beef patty, lettuce, tomato and cheese on a sesame seed bun - sold in a can that retails for about 5 bucks and can stay fresh for up to a year!

ROASTED DOMINO POTATOES

A starch side dish is almost compulsory next to the entrée in nearly every cuisine. Not only starchy food complements the entrée, it also helps the digestion process (if you can believe what my mother taught me). In western cuisines potato is the king of the starch dishes. Many, if not most, Americans and Canadians have them daily with the occasional rice or pasta for a change, sometimes grain. Potato is fortunately extremely versatile to prepare and can be very good no matter what you do with it short of murdering it with terrible cooking techniques. Besides, potato is very inexpensive—a serving of potato costs less than the price of two chewing gums.

Most of us have many potato recipes and try to vary this pleasing side dish yet many stick to easy and quick potato cooking methods: boiled, mashed or baked, sometimes pan-fried. Here is a recipe for a change: easy but not fast. It takes close to an hour roasting time. Don't even think of using the microwave for this; it will fail to produce the rich roasting flavor, no matter how good your microwave oven is.

Ingredients

2 lb (900 g) russet or other baking potatoes, washed, peel may be left on

2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

salt

How to Prepare

1. Preheat oven to 400⁰F (200⁰C).
2. Cut each potato lengthwise into two halves. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices, leaving slices in place.
   
3. Carefully pick up the slices in their original half-potato shape and place them into a lightly oiled baking pan. Press gently on the end potato slice so slices slide past each other as if dominoes were beginning to fall over.
   
4. Heat oil and garlic in a small pan for a minute, drizzle over potatoes and sprinkle with salt.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven until nicely brown, 50 to 55 minutes.
   

Serves four to five as side dish.