ltali n min trone, oup di h to complement nyone' table year-round. S up today truly reflect the in- enui ty of the everyday cook, using a wealth of vegetable available year-round. Also, soups can be mad in large quantities and frozen for later e. And they are an economi­ cal way to feed a large group or today' working person who till wants to avor a home-cooked meal. Making good soup i notdifficult. The trick is determining which in­ redients work well together. The oup pot should never be a hap­ hazard catchall for whatever one has around. Each vegetable' character should be respected. A g od stock is a cook' best friend. It makes a new cook a good ne, and a good cook, a great one. H \ ever, while a homemade stock doc produce a more full-bodied up, great re ults can be achieved with a doctored commercial broth or a b uil1on-cube broth, as long as the Deliciou vegetable are very fres h. Fre h produ i the mo t important in­ gredient. Fortunately, we h ve ac- to the b ic ingredien of many wonderful oup nd toc : 11- e on vegetables uch as carrots, onions, celery and potatoes. Here a recipe for one of the season' be t from "Perla Meyers' Seasonal Kitchen". Root V getabl Soup 2 large lee wbite rt only 4 tabl poon un lted butter 2 1/2 t bl poon II-p rpose Door 6 cup bomem de chicken tock 3 medium carro peeled and cubed ' teak ao Poivre T-oday' cooks want delicious -bcef meals that are cos t -c ffect ive and con­ venient. That's reflected by by the excit-' ing new prize struc­ ture of the 1993- Na­ tional Beef Cook-Off, which fea­ t u res 39,000 in prize money and three recipe categories attuned to what amateur contemporary cooks need: beef recipes for entertain­ ing, peedy meal and cost-con- cious cookery. An example of a delicious recipe that won big at a recent Cook-Off is Steak au Poivre with Dijon Sauce, a compelling com­ bination of boneles beef sirloin steak, Dijon-style mustard, red wine and herb . This convenient, tasty recipe ubmitted by a Maine cook received honorable mention at the 1990 COOk-Off, as a atis­ fying beef meal that recognized . key elements of popular contem­ porary cui ine. Steak au Polvre With DIJon Sauce Preparation time: 15 minute Cooking time: 36 to 42 minutes 3-pound bonel beef lr- loin teak,cut 2 Incbe tblck ,I to 3 table poon pepper- corns I tabl poon v etable 011 I te poon alt 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 table poon e ch honey nd Oijon- tyle mu tard Pa ley prl Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Trim excess fat from b n Ie beef sirloin teak. Crush pepper­ corn . li htly in mortar with pestle; pre s pepper firmly into top surface of steak to coat even­ ly. Heat oil in cast-iron frying pan over high heat until very hot; sprinkle salt in bottom of pan. (Oil is hot enough when a drop of water "dances" in the pan.) Place steak in pan, peppered side down; sear 30 seconds to 1 minute. Tum steak over and sear econd side 30 seconds to 1 minute. Cover pan, leaving steak with peppered side up. Place in oven and cook 30 to 35 minute for medium-rare or to desired donenes . Place steak on platter. Add wine, honey and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until auce i slightly thickened. Carve about 1/4 of the steak into thi� slices; poon some auce over the steak. Garnish with parsley. Serve teak with remaining auee. 12 ervings. Nutrient data per serving of teak and 1 tablespoon of sauce: 180 calorie ; 6 g fat; 276 mg odium; 69mg chole terol. The 1993 National B88fCook­ Off, will be held Sept. 11-13 In Cheyenne, Wyo. For more Information or an entry form, contact your stste beef council, write to National Beef Cook-Off Entries, P.O Box 3240, Chicago. ILL 60654. I , pepper to 112 cup be vy Garnish: 2 t ble poon finely minced chive and p ley 1. Cut lee in h If lengthwi e and then c wi e into thin slic . Run under w rm water in colander to remov all tra e f nd. Drain nd t id. 2. In larg erole, melt butter over low h 1. Add flour and coo tirring constantly for one minute without browning. Add chicken stock and whisk until well-blended. 3. Add re erved leeks, carrots, turnip , parsnips and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetable are almo t tender. 4. Add lettuce and spinach leaves, and sea on with alt and pepper. let­ tuce hould just wilt, but still remain cri p. Do not overcook. Before erving, add heavy cream and heat oup through without bring­ ing to a boil. Sprinkle with chives and parsley and erve hot with thin slices of black bread. I • 0 ., ''':'7V t • '''' •• \\1 Today there' a new focus on cooking and eating: healthy fast and flavorful. That flavorful mealtime mainstay-beef-fitseasily into this new eating lifestyle with the help of recipes like Mexican Beef Stir-Fry. One cooking method which i ideal for today's cook-it-quick meal plans is stir-frying. This method uses small, uniform pieces of meat and vegetables which are rapidly stirred in a small amount of oil over high heat. While this method originated in the Far East, the flavor combinations needn't be limited to this region of the world. MEXICAN BEEF STIR-FIty is one flavorful example. It uses thin lices of lean flank steak which are cooked in oil seasoned with cumin, garlic alt and oregano. Then add favorite Mexican vegetables like peppers and onions. For an added south-of-the-border flair serve this stir-fried meal over a lettuce raft, in aco shells or on tostada shells. For more contemporary and streamlined beef recipes (all under 300 calorie ) you may order a single, free copy of the recipe brochure "Eat Light With Beef II." The booklet provides the latest nutrient data on lean beef along with healthy cooking tip to avoid adding extra calories, as well as fat, cholesterol and sodium. For a copy send a self-ad­ dressed, stamped, busine s-size en­ velope to Meat Board, Dept. TKBII, 444 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago. IL 60611. Allow six to eight weeks for processing. I e t 10 f doe n't ve to be ordinary. This ve ion, Pinwh I e t Lo f, 100 nd t ex- traordi ry. Spice up your dinner t bl by din rlic, pepper, g nd Lipton Rice S uce - Cajun- tyle to your round beef. The p c ed rice nd auce h the hot and picy fl voring nd bold color th t make thi di h pecial, Chopped pinach adds another circle of color. Thi all-in-one meat and vegetable di h needs very little else to upport it for a complete m a1. A few greens with a light dre ing and pern p a roll or croi nt is all you need. Best of all; thi di h can be prepared in advance. Then imply ba e and erve. You'll have all the in­ gredients for a declicious meal - . and for a great party! Plnwh eat Loaf 112 cup milk 1-1/2 cup cru tie Italian or French bread cube 1-1/2 pounds ground beef 1/2 pound weer italian usage, removed from in nd crumbled 2 ligbtly beaten 2 tabl poon ftnely chopped garlic 1 te poon It 1/2 tea poon pepper 2 cups water 1 tabl poon butter or mar­ garine 1 package Lipton Rice & Sauce - Cajun-Style Delicious "Steak au Poivre with Dijon Sauce" i a convenient, favorite family meal - and a winning recipe for succe from the National Beef Coo �f d d Mexican Beef Stir-Fry Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes Mexican Beef Stir-Fry 1 pound beef flank steak 2 tablespoon vegetable 011 1 tea poon each ground 'cutnln and dried oregano leave 1 clove garlic, minced 1 red bell pepper, cut Into thin trips 1 medium onion, cut Into thin .wedge 1 to 2jalapeno peppers, cut into silvers 3 cup llced romaine lettuce, cut 1/4 inch Cut beef flank teak into liB-inch thick strip. Combine oil, cumin, oregano and garlic; reserve half. Heat half the sea oned oilin large nonstick frying pan over medium­ high heat until hot. Add red pepper, onion and jalapeno pepper; tir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and reserve. In same pan stir-dry beef trip (112 at a tim ) in re erved oil 1 to 2 minutes. Return A k Betty Crocker Dear Betty Crocker Q. What causes the top of my fruucake to be crusty and crumble? S.M .• Jackson, MI A. If a recipe has a high proportion of sugar of flour, the xcess sugar may eparate and rise to the top, leaving a crystallized layer. Fruitcake may become crubmly if it' baked in unlined pans or in too hot an oven. We recommend lining pans with aluminum foil and baking in a 300 degree oven .. Finally, a too fresh fruitcake is more likely to crumble. For best flavor and ea ie t Slicing, store well-wrapped fruit­ cake for three to four weeks in refrigerator before erving. Cut chilled fruitcake with a thin, non-serrated knife. I , 2 packa e (10 oz. e .) frozen chopped plnach, th wed and squeezed dry In small bowl, pour milk over bread cubes, th n mash with fork until bread i oaked. In large bowl, thoroughly com­ bine bread mixture, ground beef, sausage, egg , parsley, garlic, alt and pepper. Place on 12 x 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil moi tened with water. Cover with 12 x 14-inch sheet of waxed paper moi tened with water. Using hand or rolling pin, press into into 12 x 12-inch rec­ tangle. Refrigerate 2 hours or until well chilled. In medium heat, bring water, butter and rice and Cajun-style sauce to a boil. Continue boiling over medium heat, stirring oc- ional, 10 minute or until rice is tender. Refrigerate 2 hours or until well chilled. Preheat oven to 350. Remove waxed paper from ground beef mixture. If de ired, ea on pinach with additional all and pepper. Spread spinach over ground beef mixture leaving I-inch bor­ der. Spread rice evenly over spinach. ,Roll, tarting at long end and using foil as a guide, jelly-roll style, removing foil while rolling; seal edges tightly. In 13 x 9-inch baking pan, place meat loaf seam­ side down. Bake 1 hour or until done. Let stand 15 minutes before erving. Cut into L-Inch slices. Makes about 8 servines. vegetables to pan and heat through. Serve neef mixture over I Uuce. Serves 4. ·Remove interior rlbs and seeds if a milder flavor i desired. Do You Have A Recipe Th� You Would Like To Share? Send To: Michigan Citizen 12541 Second - P.O. Box 03560 Highland Park, MI 48203 , I M A· 447 W. 9 Mile Road Ferndale, Michigan 48220 � . SbO� e Fresb, Place to - CHICKEN LEGS 3 ¢LB. TURKEY HAMBURGER 99¢LB Sib. or More *We Honor All Major Food Chains Meat Coupons /