FOOD TRIVIA: About Wine

The California wine industry was started by a Hungarian immigrant, Count Agaston Haraszthy de Maksa, who planted Tokay, Zinfandel, and Shiraz varieties from his native land.

Pinot, a variety of red and white wine grapes used for making the red Pinot Noir and white Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris wines were named Pinot because the grapes grow in tightly clustered, pine cone-shaped bunches; Pinot means pine cone in French.

 

The country that produces the most wine is Italy.

The name used in England for the red wine from the Bordeaux region of France is Claret.

 

COOKING TIP: VEGETABLES

Cooking Cauliflower in water that has a bit of milk added to it will keep the Cauliflower bright white.

When you must seed big, round tomatoes, cut them across the equator rather than lengthwise and scoop out seeds with your finger or the handle of a small spoon.

 Whole canned tomatoes have more "meat" and flavor than chopped but can be messy to chop. Use kitchen shears to cut them, quickly and cleanly, right in the can.

 Celery should NOT be stored in the refrigerator in the plastic bag in which it came. The plastic bag traps ethylene gas given off by the celery which accelerates deterioration. Celery should be wrapped in aluminum foil before it is placed into the refrigerator. This will allow the ethylene gas to escape and extend the shelf life of the celery.

To get longer life out of spinach, stem, wash, remove wilted leaves and dry thoroughly using a salad spinner or paper towels. Place in plastic bag and lay a couple of wet, wrung out paper towels over the spinach. Seal bag, squeezing out as much air as possible and refrigerating for up to two weeks.

 To prepare thin strips of cabbage for Cole slaw without using a sharp knife, cut the head into quarters. Using a Y shaped vegetable peeler, "Peel" the flat surfaces of each cabbage quarter to create thin slices. When the quarter gets too small for using the peeler, finish the "peeling" using a knife.

FRUIT

The easiest way to peel a Kiwi fruit is to cut it in half and use a spoon to scoop out the ripe fruit.

 Similarly, with an avocado, cut in half all around the large seed. Using the sharp edge of a kitchen or Chefs  knife, strike the pit, gently, but with hard enough to cut a small way into it and twist. The pit should come out whole. You can then use a spoon to separate the flesh from the skin.

 Use a melon baller to scoop out the cores of halved apples and pears. IT S EASY!