A Pan to Roast Your Food - Cooking the Simple Way

A Pan to Roast Your Food --Choosing the best pan can be a difficult choice for you. You have to keep in mind, the size and depth of the pan...

A Pan to Roast Your Food
Cooking the Simple Way

Roasting is a method of cooking that uses dry and arid heat whether you use an oven or an open flame. Roasting actually causes Mallard browning, of the food surface. When the food is caramelized, it creates and enhances food flavor. Most probably, meat is one of the main foods to be roasted in a roasting pan. For roasting your food, a roasting pan is needed to ensure that your food is well heated and preserved. Roasting is the most preferred method of cooking for most lambs and poultries. Some vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower and peppers are roasted as well.
Choosing the best pan can be a difficult choice for you. You have to keep in mind, the size and depth of the pan. First of all, there should be enough for your cooking needs and so food would not touch the sides of the pan while you are cooking it. The pan should be enough big for air to pass and heating purposes. To make sure that your pan would fit in the oven easily, always do your homework first by measuring the angles and internal dimensions of the oven.

Even consider the handles of this type of thing in mind because handles might take a little extra room space. Deepness of the pan should also be well thought-out in mind; a taller roasting pan can even preserve and heat large vegetables, but again keeping the oven size in mind. The handles which are wrapped up on the sizes are the strongest due to their full control when the roasting pan is extremely hot. Riveted handles are secure too.

All Clad roasting pans are one of the largest selling pans in the market due to its extra hot features. Cleaning is the most important point while choosing a roasting pan. This is very easy to clean due to its stainless steel body structure. This includes a stainless steel interior and exterior tough body. It can guarantee you fast and even heating.

Cooking can now be simpler due to its low flared sides. The cook top stays much cooler due to its engrossed handles. You can use this a roasting pan in electric and gas cook tops due to its steel structure. All Clad roasting pan is even worth for your money due to its lifetime warranty. A lifetime warranty can assure you that whenever you feel that your kitchen pan is in trouble, you can get them replaced. Mostly, All Clad roasting pan is made in China but it's always assembled in the USA. It is so beautiful and elegant that you'll love cooking and will love your kitchen.

It even features wide sloped sides to hold generous cuts of meat. But make sure you take a good care of your pan by allowing pan to cool down before washing it away and even make it dishwasher safe.

If you are looking for an all clad double boiler my website has much more valuable info on them.

An all clad roasting pan will also help you out with your efforts in the kitchen.
By Simon Kendal
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Kendal

Cheap, Easy Foil Cooking When Traditional Methods Aren't Available

Cheap, Easy Foil Cooking When Traditional Methods Aren't Available***This can make you a personal meal fairly quickly and easily. The air inside the aluminum will heat up and fairly evenly cook all the food inside.....

Cheap, Easy Foil Cooking When Traditional Methods Aren't Available

When in college or just out on your own, sometimes the normal cooking appliances aren't available. Despite not having these, you can still make some interesting and good tasting oven baked meals with aluminum foil.

The idea is to put all your ingredients into the foil wrapping them up then putting it into a small toaster oven that can normally be purchased for around $20. The same will work for a larger oven as well if you have that but don't have anything to cook in. This can make you a personal meal fairly quickly and easily. The air inside the aluminum will heat up and fairly evenly cook all the food inside.

You aren't limited to a toaster oven. The aluminum foil meals will work on an outdoor grill or even a campfire. If using a campfire, you will need to rotate it because it can burn easily if left in one place and the opposite side will remain cold.

A common aluminum foil meal includes a meat product, a cut up potato, and whatever spices and veggies that you enjoy. Wrap all this up in one piece of foil and cook it for about 40 minutes or until it's done. Anything that is designed to be a casserole will work in foil most of the time.

When you pull it out of the toaster oven, put it on a plate to let it cool for a few minutes. After that the foil will be cool to the touch. You can open up the foil and eat it right there. After you are done, you can throw away the foil and you don't have an oven dish or a plate to clean since it was all in the foil making it easy especially in a dorm room setting where cleaning up dishes might be difficult.

You can make anything using a simple and inexpensive silicone mold set.

Protect your hands with silicone oven mitts.
By Jonathon Martin
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Choosing Durable and High Quality Kitchen Steel Knives

Choosing Durable and High Quality Kitchen Steel Knives---The secret of graceful and fast cutting does not only lie on the well trained hands of professional chefs, good knives also plays a vital role in doing the job....

Choosing Durable and High Quality Kitchen Steel Knives

Cutting and slicing are two things we always do in our kitchens. Often times, we are impressed in how beautiful and fast professional chefs cut tomatoes, onions, and other fruits, meats and vegetables in their cooking shows. And sometimes we tend to mimic their style either to get fancy or just to make our work a little bit faster.
The secret of graceful and fast cutting does not only lie on the well trained hands of professional chefs, good knives also plays a vital role in doing the job. Some people think that purchasing those expensive knife sets to help them in the kitchen.

Honestly, there are no hard rule in choosing which knife to buy, what you really need to know is how are you going to use your knife. This is based on the cooking you usually do in your kitchen, the things you slice and cut often, etc. Then from this, you can choose from this, you can choose which type is best for specific purpose.

Below is the list of some knives for you can use for specific purpose:

If you want a knife that you can use for any purpose, then a universal kitchen knife is perfect for you. Two most popular examples of this type of knife are the Japanese Gyuto knife, and the western Chef's knife. These two are considered as cousin knifes, as their quality and function are almost the same. This type of knife is very convenient, this can be really helpful especially when you are outdoors.

For cutting and slicing vegetables, a Gyuto and Santoku knife are good choice, as both are sharp enough to cut vegetables without bruising its surface. There are also some types of knife dedicated for slicing vegetables, these are Watanabe and Takeda cleaver knives.

Paring and peeling is also what we always do in out kitchen. For this job you can use Tojiro flash paring knife. This knife is perfect for paring because of its damascus clad blade, perfect for edge holding and cutting.

Come visit the author latest websites on Gymnastics Floor Music and Cold Steel Knives
By Daniel Hansen
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Hansen

What to Do After You've Discovered Your Recipe Book is Lying to You

What to Do After You've Discovered Your Recipe Book is Lying to You***Most cookbooks assume a basic knowledge of cooking methods that you just may not know. This is what I want to help you to understand...

What to Do After You've Discovered Your Recipe Book is Lying to You

Let's say that you are depending on a teacher or a mentor...someone you trust. What would happen if you found out that they're not telling the truth, or at least, they aren't telling you the whole truth? If you're depending on a book to teach you a new kitchen culinary skill, you need to know now that the book isn't telling you everything you need to know about cooking meals at home. In fact, it might shake your faith and think, well, I can't even cook water now! I want to help to restore your faith in recipes. I know I often bash recipes, but recipes are useful for trying to duplicate meals that you like, for duplicating restaurant meals, and for getting new ideas on what to cook.

However, the reason I have issues with recipes especially for a home cook that doesn't understand basic cooking method is that there are things that recipes do tell you and there are things that recipes don't tell you. Unfortunately, if you really take a look at the components of a recipe, you can begin to see that they are really a bunch of steps without explaining any nuances. For example, a recipe may say to cook shrimp until pink. But if they are large shrimp, the shrimp are going to turn pink before the inside of the shrimp is completely cooked. The recipe may say nothing about this. The recipe may tell you to add onion and parsley at the same time and cook until the onion is tender. NO! If you do that, the parsley will be obliterated by the time the onion is ready.

Most cookbooks assume a basic knowledge of cooking methods that you just may not know. This is what I want to help you to understand.

Here's another example, in one of my cookbooks it says to cook the chicken for 45 minutes or until done. Until done?

How are you supposed to know if it's done?

The recipe doesn't tell you. What does medium heat mean? Again, the recipe doesn't actually explain this. A lot of times, the cookbooks that are made by a company that contain a lot of name brand products are often the worst offenders of not explaining all that you need to know. That doesn't mean that all cookbooks are like this. I have several books that are very clear and concise about explaining how and why you do something.
Here are a few examples from my collection:

* The Sauce Bible
* On Cooking
* The Flavor Bible
* Professional Baking

All of those are very specific and explain what I need to know to cook food by method and by combining flavors, etc. I also like to get cookbooks that are specific to a region to help me to understand how to create flavors from that region.

Here are just a few examples:

* Celebrate San Antonio
* Tropical Cooking
* The New Orleans Cookbook

So, if you can't completely trust your cookbook, what do you do?

* You have to be smarter than your cookbook.
* You have to know when it's lying to you.
* You have to know when it's pretending that it knows and it really doesn't
* You have to know when it's left something out

Next time, I'll show you ways to be smarter than your recipe book, improve kitchen culinary knowledge, and restore your faith that you can cook water! I'll also explain to you how to use a recipe's shortcomings to your advantage.

Chef Todd Mohr is a classically trained chef, entrepreneur and educator. Chef Todd's simple philosophy - burn your recipes and learn how to really cook - has helped many home cooks and professionals alike finally achieve success in the kitchen. Learn his 1 Secret for Free and discover how online cooking classes can really teach you to cook!

By Todd Mohr
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Mohr

Chimney Starters Make Food Taste Better

Chimney Starters Make Food Taste Better--To start the charcoal chimney, to start with plug the duct with junk paper to ignite...Selecting the right bbq starter can be tough since there are lots choices...

Chimney Starters Make Food Taste Better

A chimney starter is a lengthy tube that has multiple perforations allowing oxygen in the compartment. On the outer surface of the starter there is a holder used for moving the chimney since it will be extremely hot. The carrying handle makes it very easy to transport to the bbq grill. The function of the bbq chimney is to make the coals extremely hot and then inserted into the grill to make a great bbq.

To start the charcoal chimney, to start with plug the duct with junk paper to ignite. Second, add, place, insert, put in charcoal coals in the pipe. The paper outside will light the coals and ensure that the charcoal coals catch fire.

Next, allow the charcoal coals to warm up until their color is a rich deep red color. You will see gray ash on the outer area of the charcoal coals. You are now ready transport the bbq coals to the bbq. Make sure you are careful since the bbq starter will be very hot.

Selecting the right bbq starter can be tough since there are lots choices. Popular starters can be found at bbq specialty shops. When shopping for bbq starters, remember that coals will vary the experience.

If you have difficulty finding the greatest bbq chimney starter, a shop employee can lend a hand. Now that you have purchased a chimney starter, it is time invite buddies over and start your bbq and let the party start! Your new bbq is going to be making food that tastes better than ever!

For more grilling tips and tricks visit chimney starter and learn all about the best charcoal chimney starters.

By Stacey Rice
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stacey_Rice

The Best Bowtie Salad Recipe - Make a Great Salad and Enjoy It

The Best Bowtie Salad Recipe***You can use whatever vegetables you may have on hand, along with leftover deli sandwich meats and any appropriate seasonings you like to create this yummy pasta salad recipe...

The Best Bowtie Salad Recipe - Make a Great Salad and Enjoy It

In my opinion, the very best bowtie pasta salad recipe contains a great number of delicious and nutritious vegetables, meats and cheeses, along with the tender bow tie pasta. You can use whatever vegetables you may have on hand, along with leftover deli sandwich meats and any appropriate seasonings you like to create this yummy pasta salad recipe. I have found that the more ingredients that are included in the recipe, the better it tastes! There is really no limit to what ingredients or how much of anything you can add to a bowtie pasta salad recipe. The amounts listed can be very easily doubled or even tripled in order to make enough for a really big crowd, or you can always use less ingredients to make less if you need to feed a somewhat smaller gathering.

This can really be the perfect side dish to take along to a potluck, a birthday party, a baby shower or a wedding shower, or even to bring to a barbecue to celebrate the big game! You will undoubtedly receive many compliments on this pasta salad. I have had so many people tell me that this is the best bowtie pasta salad recipe they have ever tasted.

You will need the following ingredients:

(remember, you can make as much or as little as you like. The following recipe has more than enough ingredients to serve about 10 people)
1 or 2 packages of tri-colored Farfalle (bowtie) pasta, cooked according to package directions.

1 head of broccoli, washed well, drained and cut into bite sized pieces

1 bunch of celery, washed well, and cut into bite sized pieces

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large yellow bell pepper, diced

1 jar of artichokes, drained and cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup of shredded (not grated) parmesan cheese

1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese

12 slices hard salami, sliced thinly

4 tablespoons minced garlic, more or less depending on your taste

1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 2 to3 teaspoons dried basil

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/2 to 1 cup roasted pine nuts

8 oz Italian dressing or balsamic vinaigrette, more to taste

Cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions, and allow to cool before assembling the rest of the salad. Combine all of the ingredients, including the pasta, in a large serving bowl and mix very well. Place the bowl of pasta salad in the refrigerator and let it chill and marinate for at least an hour for best flavor. Prior to serving to your guests, allow the bowtie pasta salad to come to room temperature, by leaving it covered and out of the refrigerator for about an hour.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about best bowtie pasta salad recipe, please visit Best Pasta for current articles and discussions.

By Wendy Pan
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Traditional Christmas Cooking - Reasons People Still Preserve It

Traditional Christmas Cooking ---A traditional Christmas is what is traditional in your home. It may be a recipe handed down from your great grandmother or it may be something you thought of in a desperate hurry last Christmas Eve....

Traditional Christmas Cooking - Reasons People Still Preserve It

What is traditional Christmas cooking? Well, that depends on you and your family. Tradition is something you make up as you go along. A traditional Christmas is what is traditional in your home. It may be a recipe handed down from your great grandmother or it may be something you thought of in a desperate hurry last Christmas Eve. Anything can become a tradition. What makes something traditional depends on how we feel about it.

That said, once something becomes traditional then you change it at your peril. If your children expect to come home to stir the Christmas pudding and put in the family favors then you had better not change it. They may be away at college or carving out a big career for themselves in the city but they will still expect Christmas to be the Christmas they remember. Christmas cooking is a big part, maybe the biggest part, of the way we remember Christmas.

Every part of Christmas is accompanied by food of one sort or another. The tastes and smells of that food fixes the memory of Christmas in our minds. That smell of cinnamon or hot sugar. If we catch a hint of it anywhere at anytime we are transported instantly back in time to a Christmas kitchen of our childhood. That is the power of traditional Christmas cooking.

I remember how when my mother-in-law was alive and would come to us for Christmas dinner, I had to cook a big traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Turkey seemed a very dry meat to me so I looked through one of my cookery books and found a recipe that involved glazing the turkey with apricot jam for the last 15 minutes of cooking. As a "proper" cook I was appalled, but it seemed to work, so every year I poured a pot of apricot jam over my turkey and, I have to confess, it was delicious.

When my mother-in-law died I saw the opportunity to change our family's traditional Christmas cooking routine. At last my culinary skills would find true expression in a Christmas dinner that would be original and exciting. No more apricot jam for me. I would amaze family and friends with my creations. But no matter what I tried in subsequent years nothing was quite as good as the old turkey recipe with its apricot jam. It had become part of our family's traditional Christmas cooking. So I gave in and everyone was much happier, even me.

However good a cook you are and whatever new recipes you may attempt in the rest of the year Christmas is a time to come back to traditional Christmas cooking whatever that might be for you and your family. There is a profound wisdom in that which cooks too easily forget. When we cook we are engaging in one of the great acts of social ritual. We are not just cooking for ourselves we are cooking for other people. Our Christmas dinner table expresses not just our skill but our human relationships. Traditional Christmas cooking encapsulates all those relationships, gathered over the years, with people still living and people long since dead that go into making us what we are. At Christmas ghosts sit down at out tables. Traditional Christmas cooking makes sure they are happy ones.

Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Pages Ebook, "Cooking Mastery!" from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.
By Abhishek Agarwal
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Authentic Italian Food - Debunking The Myth That It Is Fattening

Authentic Italian Food***Italian food is not just about pasta and it is certainly not just about pizza. It is rich in all those things that are lacking in the diet that most of us eat....

Authentic Italian Food
Debunking The Myth That It Is Fattening

Italian food has got a bad reputation among the health conscious because it is thought to be fattening. In reality Italian food can be the basis of a healthy diet. Italian food is the part of what is often referred to as the Mediterranean diet that has been shown to be good for weight control and heart health.
The food pyramid that is now recommended by doctors is based on carbohydrate food. It contains plenty of fruit and vegetables, oily fish and only small amounts of dairy foods and red meat. That could be a description of the Italian diet.

We often think of pizzas dripping in cheese and loaded with meat, or pasta served in rich cheese sauces when we think of Italian food. But real Italian food is not like that. If we move away from this commercial variations on Italian food and get back to real thing then we have a healthy diet.

Italian food is not just about pasta and it is certainly not just about pizza. It is rich in all those things that are lacking in the diet that most of us eat.

The modern Western diet is typically low in the healthy omega oils that are contained in oily fish such as sardines and anchovies that make up an important part of Italian cooking. Doctors recommend that we eat oily fish at least once a week. There are any number of appetizing Italian dishes that call for oily fish.

Fresh vegetables are an essential part of any Italian meal. They are eaten raw in salads and cooked in a variety of flavor filled ways. The common complaint that vegetables are boring does not apply to Italian food.
Fruit is almost always served at Italian meals. It is an essential part of the sweet course.

Research has shown that eating soup is a good way of controlling weight. There are a wide range of Italian soups that will all make a good first course of simple meal in themselves.

Olive oil and garlic which are essential to Italian food have been shown to have a good effect on the heart. The same is true of red wine.

The carbohydrates in Italian food such as pasta, rice, polenta and bread, have become unpopular as people have turned to the Atkins Diet which avoids all carbohydrates. But the Atkins Diet is far from healthy in the long term. A healthy diet must include some carbohydrates.

Italian food is not just about pasta. italians love bread, polenta and rice too. Polenta is especially good in weight control because it has a low glycemic index. That is to say it releases sugar into the blood slowly. It leaves us feeling fuller for longer. A first course of polenta and tomato sauce is a good way to start a meal.

Rice has a slightly higher glycemic index but eaten in small portions is a healthy food.
Pasta need not be fattening.

Italian bread is typically lower in salt than other bread. The texture of breads such as foccaccia and ciabatta is much denser than most commercial bread so that a small amount will satisfy the appetite. Nor do Italians normally eat butter with their bread.

If you avoid smothering your pasta, rice or polenta in rich sauces and avoid butter on your bread then they are healthy foods that are healthy foods that are low in fat.


Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Page Ebook, "Cooking Mastery!" from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.
By Abhishek Agarwal
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Vegetarian Cooking Fun - Some Simple Ideas

Vegetarian Cooking Fun*** Vegetables such as potatoes can be wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked more slowly at the edge of the grill...Baked carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes are all delicious done in this way...

Vegetarian Cooking Fun
Some Simple Ideas

We all know that vegetarian cooking is healthy but can something that is good for us also be fun? I want to show you that heatlhy vegetarian cooking can be fun to do and fun to eat.

When we are cooking for children it can be important to be able to make food fun. Even if we want to prepare a meal for ourselves or friends it can add lot to meal if we can make it fun.

Perhaps the most obvious way to make a vegetarian meal fun is to barbecue. A cook out will always be fun, even when it rains. But can vegetarian food be barbecued? The answer to that is yes.

Many vegetables can be grilled on the barbecue. Fresh corn cobs barbecue well, as do peppers. These can be laid directly on the bars of the grill. Tomatoes should be pierced with a sharp knife first to prevent them exploding. Vegetables such as potatoes can be wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked more slowly at the edge of the grill. The same technique can be adopted with many other root vegetables.

Baked carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes are all delicious done in this way. You can coat them in oil first, add some thyme and garlic cloves and wrap them up in foil parcel. You may like to add some balsamic vinegar to get a really rich taste. Younger palates may prefer a honey glaze.

Instead of burgers and other meat products you can make burgers out of cooked beans. Simply mash a selection of different coloured beans such as cannellini beans and kidney beans and form them into patties. A little egg may be used to help them hold their shape. They can be seasoned with salt and pepper, fresh herbs, chopped onion, garlic and chilli.

Cook them briefly on either side until they are brown and serve them on a bun with tomato relish and pickles. You may use a bought burger bun, but it also possible to make bread over a barbecue. simply wrap some bread dough around a stick and place it over the grill. It will rise and cook into a sort of curly bread stick. Children love doing this.

Even if the weather is too bad to cook out of doors making bread must rate as one of the most fun ways to cook vegetarian food. An afternoon spent in the kitchen with the smells of new baked bread counts as one of life's great experiences.

Add a simple vegetarian salad or a soup and you have a complete meal. Add a bottle of wine and you have a supper for friends.

What about desert? Always remember that chocolate is a vegetarian food. A fondue of cheese sauce and a selection of fruits, cakes and biscuits to dip into it will make the perfect end to a vegetarian meal.

Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Pages Ebook, "Cooking Mastery!" from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.
By Abhishek Agarwal
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Tuscan Italian Food - Its Amazing Taste Revealed

Tuscan Italian Food...Tuscan food is essentially a variant on the Mediterranean diet. It is rich in olive oil, legumes, fish, fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables....

Tuscan Italian Food
Its Amazing Taste Revealed
By Abhishek Agarwal

Tuscany is famed for its cities, its churches, its great works of art and its food. The countryside of Tuscany, the area centred on Florence is where Italian cooking reaches a high point, blending as it does the ingredients of the North and the South in a happy combination.
Tuscan food is essentially a variant on the Mediterranean diet. It is rich in olive oil, legumes, fish, fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables. The carbohydrates typically eaten in Tuscany, such as bread, pasta, rice and polenta, are low in fat. This diet is good for weight management and heart health.

If you are going to begin cooking in the Tuscan manner you need to stock your store cupboard with a number of ingredients. You will certainly need good quality, extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin oil is produced in the first pressing without the application of any heat. it contains all the minor ingredients that are so important both for taste and health.

You will also need dried pasta preferably made in Italy or according to traditional recipes and methods. Most fresh pasta sold in supermarkets is of poorer quality that good dried pasta and should be avoided.

Legumes, such as cannellini beans, borlotti beans, chick peas and lentils are essential. You will need some medium ground cornmeal for polenta. Avoid the ready made polenta and make your own.

The kind of rice you will need is arborio rice for risotto. You may be able to get hold of carnaroli, vialone or nano rice which are also often used in Tuscany. But they are not so widely available as arborio.

Balsamic vinegar is widely used in Tuscan cuisine, as are anchovies. For seasoning you need capers, dried porcini mushrooms and plenty of herbs.

Parmesan cheese should be bought piece not ready grated. The grated parmesan soons goes off and tastes terrible. Once you have tried the fresh kind you will never go back to grated variety.

Tuscan classic recipes include meat filet in balsamic vinegar sauce. You might use beef or pork for this dish. The steak is simply fried and then the pan is deglazed with a mixture of stock, balsamic vinegar, lemon, pepper and garlic. The resulting sauce can be thickened with a little cornflour but this is not essential.

You might begin your Tuscan meal with a typical Tuscan soup consisting of cannellini beans and vegetables. This soup also makes a good simple meal with a chunk of ciabatta or focaccia bread.

One of the great Tuscan favourites is bruschetta which consists of slices of bread spread with tomato sauce and cooked under a broiler or grill.

A famous Tuscan dessert is Schiacciata alla Fiorentina or Florentine sponge cake, which is a sponge made with olive oil, flavored with organge zest and made a golden color with saffron.

Finally, and most essentially, there is wine. Wine has been made in Tuscany since the time of the Etruscans who first domesticated the grapes that grew wild there. Their tomb paintings record convivial feasts at which the guests drank wine. The most famous Tuscan wine is, of course, Chianti, which is known all over the world. But you will encounter others such as Brunello di Montalcino. There are even some white wines such as Bianco di Bolgheri.

Tuscan food is often referred to as "slow food." That is to say it is produced, cooked and eaten slowly in contrast to the mass produced fast food that makes up such a large part of the modern diet. It preserves local culinary traditions that have been developed in Tuscany over centuries.


Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Pages Ebook, "Cooking Mastery!" from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Showy Bacon and Egg Layered Salad

BACON AND EGG LAYERED SALAD...1 small head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces**6 eggs, hard-cooked and sliced..

Showy Bacon and Egg Layered Salad

Are you looking for a salad recipe that is quick, easy, and impressive as well as delicious? If so, you have come to the right place! This Bacon and Egg Layered Salad is perfect for taking to a work luncheon, church pitch-in, family reunion or holiday meal because it serves twelve. It is also perfect for such occasions as it needs to set for at least 8 hours before serving, making it the perfect make-ahead dish. Prepare it in an oblong glass baking dish for a lovely presentation on the serving table.

BACON AND EGG LAYERED SALAD

1 small head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces

6 eggs, hard-cooked and sliced

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

5-oz pkg fresh baby spinach

10-oz pkg frozen sweet peas, thawed and drained

1 small purple onion, thinly sliced into rings

1 lb bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

1 cup mayonnaise (may use low-fat but not fat-free)

8-oz sour cream

1 tsp Splenda

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Arrange romaine lettuce in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Layer the following atop the lettuce in the following order: sliced eggs, 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, spinach, 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, peas, 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, onion, the remaining Swiss cheese, and the bacon. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and Splenda. Spread mixture over the top of the salad. Seal to the edges of the dish. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. To serve, cut the salad into squares.

Yields: 12 servings

Note: This is the perfect salad for diabetics as it has protein in the form of the bacon, eggs, cheeses, and sour cream.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com
She also shares her vintage recipe collection at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
By Linda Carol Wilson
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Egg Salad Recipe - A Quick, Easy and Versatile Salad Idea

Egg salad is versatile because it can act as a side dish at breakfast or supper...First gather or make sure you have these ingredients (there is only 3 main ones so it might mean a quick stop at the grocery store on your way home):...

Egg Salad Recipe
A Quick, Easy and Versatile Salad Idea

I don't know about you, but egg salad recipe is on my mind tonight. After a busy day at work and then a long (but excellent) work-out at the gym, I am simply looking for something relatively easy, simple and quick.

Egg salad is versatile because it can act as a side dish at breakfast or supper. You can put it between two slices of bread to make a sandwich as well. Another added bonus is that it doesn't require complicated ingredients.

So how do you make egg salad?

Here are some easy instructions.

First gather or make sure you have these ingredients (there is only 3 main ones so it might mean a quick stop at the grocery store on your way home):









6 eggs,
1 stalk of celery,
3/4 cup of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (adjust this amount to your liking).

First, make some hard boiled eggs. It can be tricky but here's how I do it (you can follow your own method if that works best for you). Fill a pot with water up to 3/4 full, then add the eggs to the pot (Note: the eggs have to be fully submerged). Turn up the heat to high setting, then cover the pot. Remove the pot from heat of the stove as soon as boiling temperature is reached while keeping the lid on and allow the eggs to cook for about 10 minutes to obtain hard-boiled eggs.

In the meantime, finely chop the celery. After the 10 minutes are up, dump the water from the pot into the sink and shock the eggs in cold water. Peel and chop the eggs. In a large bowl, mix chopped eggs and celery with the mayonnaise or Miracle Whip.

That's it. Enjoy it as a side dish or if you just want something quick and simple, put it between two slices of toasted bread and taste with some salt and pepper. Happy cooking!

Hai Nguyen is the main author and owner of Easy Recipes Online. His website has a large selection of recipes that come with complete instructions and pictures for every step. Visit his site to see more easy salad recipes.

By Hai D. T. Nguyen
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad

How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad***Greek food is renowned for its simplicity, and the authentic Greek salad is no exception. It is simple to prepare, using simple fresh ingredients....

How to Make an Authentic Greek Salad

The Greek salad is the quintessential Greek lunch enjoyed sitting in the sun at gingham laid tables overlooking the turquoise waters of the warm Mediterranean Sea. It evokes the senses: pleasant memories of warm sunshine, fresh herbs, tasty tomatoes and cheeky but handsome waiters.
Greek food is renowned for its simplicity, and the authentic Greek salad is no exception. It is simple to prepare, using simple fresh ingredients. But how can you recreate the authentic Greek salad when you are back home? It's worth doing, because this simple dish is tasty, healthy, and evokes those memories of vacations by the sea. But it's important to get it right.

So let's do it!

To be as authentic as possible, it is important to try and use the freshest, tastiest ingredients just like the Greeks would do. The problem is, many of the ingredients we have available are forced-grown, and often inorganically grown. This affects the quality and also the taste. Many restaurant owners in the resorts in Greece are farmers too (or their cousin Kostas is.) The ingredients they use would often be picked that day from their own farms, organically grown and nurtured by Nature.

The best we can do in our home country, is try and get fresh local ingredients from local shops who advertise local produce, or genuine farmers' markets -- or grow our own! However, the one thing we must accept is that the prime ingredient, Feta cheese, must come from Greece itself -- because if it doesn't, it isn't Feta.

Ingredients

? red onion

? a long cucumber

1 red and 1 green pepper (capsicums)

1-2 big soft red tomatoes

A big rectangular slab of Feta Cheese

Extra Virgin olive oil

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

Lemon juice (if desired)

Some local variations include capers (Santorini), and a softer, less salty cream cheese instead of feta (Crete).

Method

This is a salad remember, so it's not complicated. But here a few tips.

Take the ingredients (except the feta) out of the fridge about 1 hour before you make up the salad. Salad vegetables always taste better when not fridge cold, especially tomatoes.

Use local, organic produce for the best taste.

Use extra virgin olive oil, again for the taste.

The Greeks generally peel the cucumber, so why not do the same?

Chop the vegetables into fairly decent-sized chunks and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with plenty of olive oil, and a little lemon juice if you want to.

Pop the slab of feta on the top and drizzle with more oil, then sprinkle with oregano.

Have a good chunk of granary bread handy, because there'll be some lovely olive-oily juice at the bottom when you finish.

A soft, light white wine goes well with this authentic Greek Salad!
By Graham Yates
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/