Talking turkey

Turkey has become more popular as a lunch meat, but have you looked at the nutrition label on that pack of "deli sliced" processed meat? The sodium is way high, and even if you don't have high blood pressure, it can't be that good for you, especially for something you eat every day.

But what can a busy worker do? Well, the next time you see a whole (not boneless) frozen turkey breast on sale, buy it. I found them for 99 cents a pound last week, and cooked it yesterday for dinner. I will have sliced turkey for the week with minimal sodium, and it'll taste like real turkey, too.

Turkey breast is easy to cook. Thaw it in the fridge a day or two before you want to cook it. Turn on your oven to 500 degrees. Drain the turkey, wash it and dry it well. Flatten out the ribs as much as you can. If you like garlic, poke a couple of holes in the thickest part, cut the garlic cloves in half and put them in. Rub the underside and top with your favorite spice mixture. I always add a little paprika or smoked paprika to give the skin a good color, and spray it with olive oil. A 5-pound breast fit snugly in a glass 8x8-inch baking pan, and for added flavor, I set it on top of two onions, each peeled and cut in half.

Put the turkey in the oven and turn it down to 325. Bake for about 20 minutes per pound, or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 160 degrees. My 5-pound breast took about an hour and a half. Remove from oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes for the juices to settle in the meat, then slice. If you're only using it for lunch meat, wrap it as soon as it cools and refrigerate. It will be easier to slice when cold.

Spam tsunami

As Hawaiians prepare for the tsunami from the Chilean earthquake to hit, a sign at one store limited customers to two cases of Spam, CNN reports.

Residents of the state of Hawaii and the territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands consume the most Spam per capita in the United States. Guam, Hawaii, and Saipan have the only McDonald's restaurants that feature Spam on the menu.

The cauliflower-Olympics connection

Ah, the Winter Olympics. At each of the medal ceremonies, the presenters pass out flowers to the Olympians. This year's bouquets look a lot like green cauliflower (see photos).

The bouquets contain flowers that are grown in B.C. and Canada (but not readily available there in February; they had to be imported from Ecuador), and were made by a company that teaches ex-cons and ex-addicts florist skills.

The predominately green bouquets contain eye-catching green hypericum berries, delicate green spider mums and broad leaf greens. The foliage consists of leatherleaf fern, loops of monkey grass and aspidistra leaves. The handles are also wrapped in recycled paper.

Here's a little about green cauliflower from specialtyproduce.com, and a recipe follows for an Indian dish that features it, aloo gobi.

Native to Holland, green cauliflower has been a notable crop in California since the mid-1980’s. Nicknamed "Broccoflower" by Tanimura & Antle Farm, this descriptive name has been trademarked by the grower. Grown in many regions of the country, it especially thrives in Southern California and along California's central coast.

The same common shape as its white counterpart, the flavor is milder and has a pleasantly nutty aftertaste. The texture is just a little softer and less crumbly than familiar white cauliflower. Green cauliflower is actually common white cauliflower that has been bred with the chlorophyll compound from broccoli.

A very nutritional cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower's nutrients help to fight cancer. Low in calories, fat-free and 92 percent water, cauliflower is an excellent source of folate, fiber and Vitamin B and Vitamin C.

Note: Cauliflower block iodine absorption and should be avoided for those who have a medical thyroid condition. Studies reveal that this vegetable helps metabolize toxins from smoke and lowers risk of tobacco related cancers.

It is delicious raw with dip. Roast curds with truffle oil and a sprinkle of sea salt until caramelized; serve as a tasty and unusual side dish. Make creamy green cauliflower soup; top with fresh micro greens and chive oil. Mash cooked cauliflower; add wasabi to taste for a spunky and healthy dip. Sauté curds in olive oil until soft; add anchovies, garlic and red chilies; cook until tender; serve with meat entrées. Fry curds in olive oil until just tender; sprinkle with favorite spicy seasonings; dip in aioli.

To prepare, do not wash until ready to use. Soak in water a few minutes to remove any debris. Handle with care as cauliflower bruises and discolors easily. One average size head yields about 4 cups. The edible leaves may be prepared like cabbage. To store, refrigerate in plastic bag. Do not store near apples, bananas or melons as these fruits contain ethylene gas and are harmful to cauliflower.

Now for the recipe, adapted from the One Life To Eat blog:

Aloo gobi

Ingredients
3/4 head of a cauliflower, green or regular – separate and wash the florets
Vegetable oil
3-4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 green chilies, sliced in half, seeds removed
1 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon each ginger paste and garlic paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon each powdered cumin and coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves separated and chopped

Instructions
Fill a medium sized pot half with water and put to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil, add the florets and cook for exactly 8 minutes. Drain, plunge the florets in cold water and drain again.
While the cauliflower boils, heat about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan. When hot but not smoking, fry the potatoes until they are crispy and light golden in color.
Place the fried potatoes on a kitchen towel to absorb any extra oil.
In a large pan, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil and add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
As soon as they begin to crackle, throw in the chopped garlic and slit green chilies.
After a few seconds, add in the chopped onion.
Allow the onion to fry on medium heat until it browns a little.
Now add in the ginger and garlic pastes and the rest of the dry spices.
Mix well and allow the spices to temper for about 30 seconds.
Finally, add in the fried potatoes and the boiled cauliflower.
Mix well and allow the veggies to fry in the pot for another minute or so.
Turn off heat, and garnish with a handful of fresh chopped cilantro leaves.

Touch pad for great steak

With just a touch, you can judge if a piece of meat is done to your liking.

Using your left hand, touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger and make a circle. While holding the left hand in that position, take your right index finger and touch the pad of your left hand, the soft fleshy part that is at the base of your left thumb. Feel how soft that is?

Now go back to the left hand and replace the tip of the index finger with the tip of the middle finger. Again, with your right hand touch the spot. It will be firmer.

Repeat these same movements but next bring the ring finger to the left thumb, and then the left little finger to the thumb. As you replace each finger tip, continue to touch the pad and you'll feel it change, becoming firmer.

Here's how this translates to your steak on the grill:

• When you touch the index finger to the thumb, and the pad of the hand is the softest, this is what rare meat feels like.
• Moving to the middle finger changes the pad to feel like medium rare.
• Moving to the ring finger gives you the feeling of a medium-well done steak.
• When you touch the little finger to your thumb, the pad will feel like a well done steak.

Simple? Yes. Now all we need is some grilling weather!

Nothing like Nutella

Nutella, that lovely Italian spread of nuts and cocoa, raises even graham crackers to the level of treat. I really wanted some on a waffle this morning, but alas, there was no jar of Nutella in my pantry. But I did have a dark chocolate bar and some blanched hazelnuts, and I was quite pleased with the result. It was chunkier than Nutella, which has the consistency of chocolate frosting out of a can. I suppose if I wasn't in such a hurry, more processing would have made it smoother.

Choconutty spread

1 large dark chocolate bar, 4.2 ounces

1 cup whole raw hazelnuts

2 tablespoons canola oil

Break up the chocolate bar into the food processor and add the hazelnuts. Process until the mixture starts forming into a ball. Add canola oil slowly until the ball relaxes back into a smooth mixture. Makes about 1 cup of spread.

Tangy Tuscan chicken

Toward the end of October last year, I published a method for easy preserved lemons (if you missed it, click on the orange words and you'll be taken to that post with the recipe). Now that your lemons are quite soft and ready to use, you may be wondering what else can benefit from this tangy condiment.

This week's Washington Post food section has a yummy recipe for Tuscany chicken, cooked on a Tuscan grill in the fireplace. If you don't have one, you can still make this chicken on the stove in a large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, weighting the chicken with foil-covered bricks or even a slightly smaller skillet; or on your grill, if you haven't stored it away for the winter. Just be careful and keep the heat rather low, so that the chicken cooks through before its outside is charred.

Tuscan Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

If you would like to make an aioli dipping sauce for the chicken, remove 2 tablespoons of the marinade before mixing it with the chicken and combine it with 3/4 cup mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE AHEAD: The lemon-garlic paste can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. The chicken should marinate for at least an hour or as long as overnight.

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 preserved lemon wedges
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles removed from the stem, stem discarded
• 4 medium garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3- to 4-pound chicken, butterflied
• 1 tablespoon crushed red chili pepper
• Coarse salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

To prepare the marinade for the chicken, place the lemon wedges, garlic, rosemary and olive oil in a blender. (A food processor may be used, but the blender makes a more pastelike mixture.) Blend on low speed, just until coarsely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Butterfly the chicken by cutting along the backbone on both sides and removing the bone. Place the chicken breast side up on a stable surface; press down on both sides of the breast and pull out the legs to flatten the chicken. Place the chicken on a shallow platter, skin side down. Rub the cavity of the chicken with one-third of the marinade and season with half of the crushed chili pepper, salt and pepper. Turn the chicken over and rub the remaining two-thirds of the marinade over the chicken to coat the skin. Season with the remaining half of the crushed chili pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and as long as overnight.

Meanwhile, prepare a fire in the fireplace. It should be hot, but allow the flames to subside before you begin cooking. Have ready a Tuscan grill (see headnote).

Place the flattened chicken on the Tuscan grill, skin side up. Place the grill in the fire in an area where there is the least amount of heat, so the chicken won't burn before it is thoroughly cooked. Place 2 bricks covered in aluminum foil (or other heavy weight) on top of the chicken to keep it flat. Cook for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove the bricks, turn the chicken over and put the bricks back on top of the chicken. Watch the fire carefully. As the embers burn down, move the grill around or adjust the grill's height to allow the chicken to cook evenly. You will also need to watch for flare-ups and move the grill if the heat is too high. Cook, turning the chicken over every 10 minutes or so and adjusting the grill as needed, until the the skin is lightly charred, the chicken is flattened and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in the thigh area reads 170 degrees. Cooking times will vary, but it should take 30 to 45 minutes.

From Alisa Barry, owner of Bella Cucina Artful Food (www.bellacucina.com).

Tested by Bonny Wolf for The Washington Post.

McD's turns other chic in Europe

I might consider going to McDonald's again if their Eurostyle jumps the pond. The photo shows the remodel, top, and the original, below. Which would you rather eat at? The story also noted the local foods that McDonald's provides on its menus abroad. For the full Forbes story, click here.