Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/480625
ByAlisonLadman TheAssociatedPress We're not entirely sure what the difference is be- tween a classic open-faced sandwich and the suddenly hip world of toast with top- pings. Then again, maybe it doesn't much matter. A thick slab of lightly toasted good quality bread topped with delicious ingredi- ents is an almost unbeat- able comfort food no mat- ter what you call it. Maybe it's because it reminds us of when we were kids and Mom would make toast for breakfast or to have in bed when we were sick. Or maybe it reminds us of late night snacks in college. Call it what you will, eat it when you will. No matter what, gussied up toast can be a great indulgence. 10ideasforbetter toasttoppings Humble toast doesn't have to be so humble. Here are 10 ways to mix up your toast routine, from super simple to almost a sand- wich. Having a party? Make miniature versions and serve as appetizers. — Blue lime: Spread mul- tigrain toast with lime mar- malade, then sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese and cracked black pepper. — Ricotta-broccoli raab: Sautechoppedbroccoliraab in a little olive oil until ten- der, 2 to 4 minutes. Spread whole-milk ricotta over toasted sourdough bread. Spoon the broccoli raab over the ricotta, then sprin- kle with coarse salt and red pepper flakes. — Cashew-sprouts: Quar- ter a handful of Brussels sprouts and toss with olive oil. Pan-fry in a skillet until just tender. Spread a piece of toasted pumpernickel bread with cashew butter, then top with the warm sprouts and a sprinkle of Romano cheese. — Avocado-walnut: Top toasted herbed bread with slices of avocado. Drizzle with honey, then top with fresh chives and toasted walnuts. — Tomato butter and sa- lami: Stir together 1 table- spoon softened butter with 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 1 teaspoon capers. Spread over ciabatta toast, then top with shredded sa- lami and torn fresh basil. — Pesto chicken: Slice a baguette in half length- wise. Spread each piece with pesto. Top each with shredded rotisserie chicken, lemon zest, and fresh moz- zarella. Broil until golden and melted, 2 to 3 minutes. — Hawaiian: Spread a toasted sweet roll or Eng- lish muffin with pineapple or mango jam. Top with slicedham,roastedredpep- pers and crumbled bacon. —Datesandgoat:Spread softgoatcheeseovertoasted multigrain bread, then driz- zle with toasted pump- kin seed oil and top with chopped dates, black pep- per and orange zest. —Tarragon-beet: Stir 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon and 1 tea- spoon lemon zest into 2 ta- blespoons softened cream cheese. Spread over toasted rye and top with thinly sliced cooked beets. Sprin- kle with toasted caraway seeds. — Anchovy and brie: Lay slices of brie over toasted brioche. Top with anchovy fillets and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and balsamic glaze. FOOD PHOTOSBYMATTHEWMEAD—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Ricotta broccoli raab. 10 fresh ideas for turning toast into something exciting Hawaiian toast. By Caryn Rousseau The Associated Press CHICAGO Baked ham and brightly colored eggs are standard Easter fare for many families. But for some, it's the butter that takes center stage. That is, butter shaped like a lamb. Popular in pockets throughout the country, butter lambs — usually about the size of a stick of butter — are an Easter tra- dition for families of east- ern European descent. They originally were made by hand at home, and later by companies using much the same production method. Today, they mostly are pro- duced by machine at cream- eries like Danish Maid in Chicago, where 155,000 butter lambs were made for this Easter season. Susan Wagner, whose family owns Danish Maid, said that up until the 1970s workers at the creamery would pour the butter into wooden molds, clamp them shut with rubber bands, then submerge them in ice water to set. "They were making just as many by hand as we're making with a machine," she said. "I can't imagine how much time went into it." The butter lambs are common in Easter baskets and at holiday meals for Christians, particularly Ro- man Catholics, though food historians largely draw a blank on specifics of their background. Cathy Kaufman, presi- dent of the Culinary His- torians of New York and a food studies teacher at The New School, said the but- ter lamb is a nod to both Easter symbolism — Jesus often is referred to as the "lamb of God" — and to the tradition of Catholics ab- staining from butter during Lent, the 40 days of atone- ment for sins that Chris- tians mark before Easter. "Easter Sunday would be the time to eat all of the foods that had been miss- ing during Lent," she said. "So the butter lamb sculp- ture makes its appearance on the table." While Wagner and her family still have the wooden molds, they have since up- dated the butter lamb-mak- ing process. Now they dump large boxes of bulk butter into a vat and whip it be- fore using machines to form the butter into lamb shapes. The butter lambs then are packaged in plastic forms that come down conveyors before they're boxed, frozen and shipped to grocers. The Chicago creamery starts work on the butter lambs about two months be- fore Easter and distributes them to grocers in eight states around the Midwest, East Coast and West. It takes about 20 tons of butter every Easter season to make about 100,000 Mal- czewski Easter butter lambs in five different sizes, said Adam Cichocki of Camellia Meats in Buffalo, New York, the company that produces thebutterlambsfirstcreated by Dorothy Malczewski. She started making and selling butter lambs decades ago after she was inspired by a lamb-shaped butter mold her father brought to the U.S. from Poland, Cichocki said. The Malczewski but- ter lambs have a red ribbon around the lamb's neck, pep- percorn eyes and a flag that says "Alleluia." "The flag signifies al- leluia, peace on earth," Cichocki said. "Red rib- bon around the neck is the blood of Christ and the pep- percorn eyes are lighting of the world. It's a religious symbol, a traditional sym- bol for family and bringing everybody together at the table for Easter." The butter lambs remain popular because they are nostalgic for many people, Wagner said. "Everyone says the same thing, we all argued over who cut the head off the lamb or the butt off the lamb," she said. "For me, it's all I've ever known. The lambs have always been a huge part of our Easter. All of our family members, that's what they look for- ward to every year." EASTER Fo r so me , it 's n ot a bo ut t he ham ... It's the butter lamb M. SPENCER GREEN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Manager Susan Wagner displays an Easter Butter Lamb at the Danish Maid Butter Company in Chicago where 155,000butter lambs were produced for this Easter season. By Melissa D'arabian The Associated Press When I was growing up, my family celebrated both Jewish and Christian holi- days. And one of my favor- ites was Passover. Perhaps it was the He- brew singing that made it special for me. Or maybe it was the rich meaning be- hind the foods that were served. One food I remem- ber more than any other — the horseradish that was traditionally served as the "bitter herb" portion of the meal. My mom would scoop a tiny bit of freshly grated horseradish onto a crispy matzo cracker, then hand me a pickled beet as a chaser. I was only a child, but the memory of that fla- vor combination has stayed with me, attached to mem- ories of family dinners and my mom. This recipe celebrates horseradish — not the creamy sauce you find next to the roast beef at an all- you-can-eat buffet, but rather the actual root. Tech- nically, horseradish is a veg- etable and has health ben- efits similar to its root veg- etable cousins. But with its strong flavor, we typically eat very small quantities, using horseradish more as a condiment. Condiments that are low in sugar, fat and calories are an excellent way to infuse a healthy dish with tons of flavor. You can buy horse- radish in root form at well- stocked markets, or keep a jar of grated horseradish in the refrigerator like I do. Mix it into salad dressings, meat rubs and into tangy acidic foods, like freshly- pickled veggies. If raw horseradish is too strong for you, toss veggies or potatoes with it, then roast. This softens the fla- vor considerably. In this rec- ipe, I make a chunky chi- michurri sauce (with beet greens instead of herbs, as a wink to mom) to spoon over roasted fish right as it comes out of the oven. The heat will make the flavors in the sauce sing. Tilapia with horseradish and beet green chimichurri Start to finish: 25minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients 2tablespoons olive oil, divided 11/2 pounds tilapia filets Kosher salt and ground black pepper 1bunch beet greens, washed thoroughly and dried 3tablespoons lemon juice 2tablespoons red wine vinegar 1shallot, roughly chopped 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1to 2tablespoons grated fresh horseradish Preparation Heat the oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. Use 1tablespoon of the oil to brush over both sides of the fish filets, then season with salt and pepper. Place the tilapia on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the tilapia is no longer translu- cent, about 10minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the beet greens (you should have a little over 1cup), and set aside. In a blender, place the remaining 1tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice, vinegar, shallot, Worcester- shire sauce and horseradish. Blend until the shallot is pureed, about 10seconds. Add the beet greens to the blender and pulse a couple times, just to coat the beet greens with vinaigrette. Add 1to 2tablespoons of water if the mixture is too dry. Pour the chimichurri into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Once the fish is cooked, place the filets on serving plates, then spoon the chi- michurri over the hot fish. Nutrition information per serving: 240calories; 90 calories from fat (38per- cent of total calories); 10g fat (2g saturated; 0g trans fats); 85mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 1g fiber; 2g sugar; 35g protein; 420mg sodium. Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, "Supermarket Healthy." http://www. melissadarabian.net PASSOVER He al th y co nd im en ts d el iv er b ig fl av or , fe w ca lor ie s MATTHEW MEAD — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tilapia with horseradish and beet green chimichurri. (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson Street Red Bluff New Monthly Rates $28 to $32 Call for details STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! GreenMountainGrills & Accessories Serving Butte, Glenn & Tehama Counties Peking Chinese Restaurant DineIn,CarryOut&Lounge 860MainStreet 530-527-0523 10%Off yourticketwiththisad. Limit 1 coupon per ticket/table. No other discounts apply. Alcohol, taxes or gratuity are not included. Offer expires 4/30/15 Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICESATLOWERPRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K MembersWelcome 2Bud'sBBQ 592 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff ( In the old Pronto Market) M-F 11am-6pm • Sat. 11am-3pm • Closed Sunday (530) 528-0799 ★ BBQ PORK ★ BEEF ★ CHICKEN How about a 1 1/2lb BBQ's Tri-Tip with 2 large sides? $29.95 for the entire meal Callthismorning,pickitupthisevening *Limitedtoquantityonhand,it'snotmicrowaved WEDNESDAY SPECIAL DidyouknowwehaveGenuineBBQ? Not Microwaved!! FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, March 18, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4