Good Prosciutto Requires Pig, Patience

Field Report; from The New York Times Magazine
It takes eight to 24 months to transform a pig's hind leg into complex, rich and faintly salty prosciutto. Everything matters, from the breed and weight of the pig to the type of salt used and even the weather.
If salami is the blog of cured meats, then prosciutto is the great novel. ...
... A salami requires anywhere from 20 to 120 days to cure, making it popular with chefs who want to put their house-made stamp on a rustic appetizer. But the best prosciutto requires 8 to 24 months to transform the salt-covered hind leg of a pig into a $35-per-pound luxury, a rosy meat that, when thinly sliced, is a complex, faintly salty delicacy that dissolves into richness on the tongue. ...

Full Story: Aging Gracefully; By CHRISTINE MUHLKE

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Staying Healthy: Eating Well in Rome

You’re motivated. You’re exercising every day. You’re cooking healthy meals at home. You’re watching your portion control. You’re being so good to yourself... Cooking Class: Bring Home a Taste of Rome | DivineCaroline.com

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Cured Meats Linked to Leukemia

Breaking Health News; on NaturalNews.com
New research published in the journal BMC Cancer reveals that children who eat processed meats like bacon, hot dogs and sausage are 74 percent more likely to develop leukemia than children who avoid such processed meats and ...
... eat more vegetables and tofu instead.
This study, carried out in part by Dr. David C. Christiani of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and it's just one of many research studies linking processed meats to leukemia, pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer.
What causes processed meats to promote cancer? Sodium nitrite, ...

Full Story: Processed Meats Linked to 74 Percent Higher Risk of Leukemia; By Mike Adams, on NaturalNews.com

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Super Bowl Snacking: Idiot-Proof Game-Day Recipes.

Food + Dining; from Thrillist.com
Since scoring Super Bowl tickets requires a ridiculous combination of money and luck, you'll probably be watching the game at home with friends. Some local gluttony experts have been consulted accross the country for very interesting idiot-proof game-day recipes. ...
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Atlanta - Don't let your depression over the Falcon-killers' stupefying win streak keep you from maximal Sunday gorging.
Full Story:Super Bowl Snacking Atlanta
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Miami - Because you won't drive five hours and pay two grand for Super Bowl seats, and because your mom wouldn't drive five minutes to cook you Super Bowl snacks even if you paid her two grand, ...
Full Story: Super Bowl Snacking Miami
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Chicago - This Sunday, screw making a real effort in the kitchen: we tapped the reigning Top Chef, ...
Full Story: Super Bowl Snacking Chicago
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San Francisco - To help your party not suck, we hit up three local chefs for sweet snack recipes, none of which require much time or ...
Full Story: Super Bowl Snacking San Francisco
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Los Angeles - Purportedly, the Super Bowl's about football, but as Pat Summerall will gladly tell you, it's really about partying. ...
Full Story: Super Bowl Snacking Los Angeles
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New York - This Sunday, be the big-d'd hostest with the mostest: We talked with talent from Almond, Southern Hospitality, and ...
Full Story: Super Bowl Snacking New York

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Beauty Food! What else...

But looking good is a terrific side effect of healthier eating, and the happy news is that many of the same foods that can help your heart, brain, and other vital parts of the body are also great for your external appearance. To get the lowdown on eating pretty, we asked celebrity dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, the author of numerous best-selling books, ... Top Ten Foods for Beauty and Health | Epicurious.com

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A Bacon Fanatic Pushes the Boundaries

Culinary News: Bacon-and-apple coffeecake and candied bacon are just a few of the ways bacon can be enjoyed. A roasted potato salad also is magic to the taste buds. Bacon has a place at the table morning, noon and night. And venture beyond its natural pairings to the unusual yet sublime, in an apple coffeecake or... Bacon recipes galore! | LATimes.com

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At a German Festival, Potatoes with Green Sauce

Food > Roving Feast
At a festival in Frankfurt, Germany, green sauce is ladled over boiled potatoes, and plates of vinegary potato salad are sold along with salads of red cabbage, cucumber and shredded carrot. A recipe for potatoes with green sauce uses spinach, arugula, tarragon and other ingredients. ...
... Inever thought the Frankfurt Book Fair would change my life. I reluctantly agreed to attend the fair in support of my friends, yet that first visit reconnected me with my Eastern European roots and ignited my love affair with Mittel Europa. I had never been to Germany before, had never thought that this would be a cuisine that would really excite and stimulate me. Yet almost upon landing, I fell in love. ...

Full Story: Falling for Frankfurt and potatoes all over again; by Marlena Spieler, on SFGate.com

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Aphrodisiac Food, Is There Any Truth to These Claims?

Holidays > Valentine's Day
A guide to 12 lust-inducing ingredients, plus a recipe for each. From Pliny the Elder to Casanova, food has long been haloed and hailed as the ultimate portal to venery, a lovely word that has undeservedly fallen into disuse. Oysters, rose petals, chocolate, chile peppers, ...
... licorice, star anise—there is no shortage of ingredients reputed over the centuries to stir ardor. So is there any truth to these claims? Nope. Not if you listen to the FDA, anyway, which in 1989 turned a cold shower on the whole idea of aphrodisiacs, thus dismissing 5,000 years of such truffling as pure folklore. But who needs science? Folklore is way more fun. ...

Full Story: Valentine's Day Aphrodisiacs; By Martin Booe, on Epicurious.com

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Restaurant Discounters Are Getting Bolder

FOOD & DRINK
To Lure Cost-Conscious Consumers, Many Restaurateurs Are Discounting Aggressively. As Americans cut back on restaurant expenditures, discounters are responding by waiving fees and offering additional bargains. Rewards Network eliminated its $49 sign-up fee, and Restaurant.com is giving away $10 certificates. ...
... Bad times are boom times for diners looking for a break on their restaurant bill.
With the economy spiraling south, Americans are cutting back on restaurant visits and spending less when they go out. That's opening the door for restaurant discounters, which are offering more bargains, waiving fees and rolling out technology to tell consumers via cellphone about deals near them. ...

Full Story: Dining Out on Deals; By KATY MCLAUGHLIN, on WSJ.com

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Eggs-perts Sort Through the Terminology

Food > Recipes
Experts explain the difference between brown eggs and white and explain what barn-laid and organic eggs really are. They note that organic eggs are more expensive, but also are more healthful. Organic, premium, vegetarian ...
... the variety of eggs today in the market can baffle you. We ask the experts to show you the sunny side up.
Regular eggs
Standard eggs, or those found at any regular shop are usually procured from hens kept in small cages, where often, there’s not enough room for them to exercise. The hens are fed a high-protein diet containing antibiotics, hormones and ...

Full Story: Eggs-traordinary facts about eggs; on The Times of India

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Grate Carrots for Good Health

Recipes for Health
Recipes that start with grated carrots include one salad with lemon juice, white-wine vinegar and mustard, and another with buttermilk and cumin seeds. Carrots are rich in fiber and nutrients, including carotenoids, which are converted to vitamin A in the liver. Carrots are great to have around ...
... for healthy snacks, especially for children, and many of us buy them to make carrot juice. But how often do you plan dinner, or part of dinner, around this ingredient? It’s a question worth pondering now, in the depths of winter, when our choice of fresh vegetables, especially colorful ones, is limited. Among the nutrients that make carrots such a healthy option are so-called carotenoids, ...

Full Story: Carrots: Perfect for Dark Winter Nights By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN, on the NYTimes.com

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Appetite for Frogs' Legs Harming Wild Populations

Endangered Species
Are frogs being eaten to extinction? We're used to hearing about how disease, climate change, and habitat degradation are endangering amphibians, but conservationists are warning that frogs could be going the same way as the cod. ...
... Gastronomic demand, they report, is depleting regional populations to the point of no return. David Bickford of the National University of Singapore and colleagues have called for more regulation and monitoring in the global frog meat market in order to avoid species being "eaten to extinction".

Full Story: Appetite for frogs' legs harming wild populations; by Catherine Brahic, on NewScientist.com

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Hairy Crab has Roots in Shanghai, China

Food & Drink
Hairy crab, a specialty in Shanghai, China, has become a seasonal fixture among Chinese all over Asia. The crab, named for the hairlike growth on what corresponds to the forearm, can be found in dishes from drunken crab to roe dumplings, though it is most popular steamed. ...
... Outsiders sometimes malign Shanghai's cuisine. Around China it's widely regarded as too sweet, and overseas it has never gained the traction of spicy Sichuan or Guangzhou-style seafood. But one Shanghai-area specialty has become a seasonal fixture among Chinese ...

Full Story: The Dish: Hairy Crab; By DENIS MCMAHON, on WSJ.com

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Italian Potato Salad Needs Fatty Pancetta

Blogs > Appetite
The lean pancetta now available will not work in this recipe for Italian potato salad. The fat in the pancetta is a key component of the recipe's success.
I've noticed an alarming trend. ...
... If it is not bad enough that we must endure fresh fish sold to us without the moisture and flavour giving skin (and bones), pancetta now comes without the fat! Lean pancetta is an oxymoron; at least it used to be. We’ve become so hysterical about fat that we are demanding pancetta that is only half itself. It’s like asking for salt and vinegar chips without the salt.

Full Story: Italian style potato salad with red pepper & pancetta; on CanberraTimes.com.au

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Gluten-Free Pasta Success is All in the Cooking

Recipes for Health
A gluten allergy no longer means giving up pasta. More gluten-free options, such as Asian rice noodles and Papadini pasta, are more readily available, but the key to using them in a tasty pasta recipe is in the preparation. Cook it too long, it falls apart; too little, it gets rubbery. ...
... My sister and a number of my friends are sensitive to gluten, a protein in wheat and other grains, and for them that has meant living without pasta. Now, though, there are a number of gluten-free pastas on the market. I’ve been experimenting with a few of them, including rice sticks ...

Full Story: New Options for Allergy-Free Pastas; By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN, on the NYTimes.com

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A Feast for theVietnamese New Year

Lifestyle › Food, [with Recipe]
Traditional Vietnamese fare, often adapted using local ingredients, a big part of Tet festival.
This weekend, the estimated 6,000 Vietnamese immigrants who call Memphis home will celebrate the beginning of a new lunisolar calendar with Tet Nguyen Dan, or Vietnamese New Year, which officially is Monday. ...
... It's a multiday celebration in Vietnam and while it is more low-key here, it's nonetheless festive.
"Tet is a big celebration, like a birthday party, Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled up into one," ...

Full Story: A feast for the new year; By Andria Lisle, Special to The Commercial Appeal

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Eggs Benedict, New and Improved

Lifestyle › Health and Fitness, [with Recipe]
A revised version of eggs Benedict slashes the fat, cholesterol and calories of the original. The sauce is made with lemon juice, reduced-fat mayonnaise and nonfat yogurt, and the eggs are served on artichoke bottoms instead of buttered English muffins. If you're looking for a special weekend recipe, or ...
... if you enjoy breakfast-inspired foods for dinner, here's a delicious recipe. Typical eggs Benedict consist of poached eggs and ham on a buttered English muffin topped with hollandaise sauce. It's a tasty dish, but it is very high in cholesterol, along with substantial levels of saturated fat. ...

Full Story: Eggs Benedict in spirit, better nutrition; By Megan Murphy, Memphis Commercial Appeal

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Mr. 44th USA President Barak Obama

I Known that this is a blog fully dedicated to Food and Culinary world but, I'd like to express my congratulation to USA and the World, as Italian and European citizen for the new presidency, we hope that finally we have a man with brain and ready to use it! In God we trust!!! ...
... Let's build a better future.

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The Satisfaction of Scones

Sweet News, with Recipes
Out of love for the veddy British treat, we tweak, adjust and cajole the recipe till we come up with airy perfection. The best scones are light, airy, tender and moist. To get them to rise correctly, freeze the dough after cutting and before baking.
Fog raced through the streets, chilling bones and ...
... stirring up an appetite for something warming. Dinner was still several hours away, but the beauty of London is that afternoon tea starts at 3 p.m. After Christmas shopping, it’s the perfect way to relax and refresh — tea, sandwiches and a warm scone. ...

Full Story: Romancing the scone; By DAI HUYNH, on Houston Chronicle

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Cutting Back in the New Year Doesn't Mean Having to Suffer

Food and Cooking
For 2009, the message from the experts is clear. Just follow a few simple guidelines as you go about your three squares each day, get yourself moving and soon enough you'll be that svelte new you . . . for the rest of your life. ...
... If you're like the many Americans who use the month of January to start your annual trek to weight loss, listen up.
Fad diets are so passé. The mantra this year is a total lifestyle change, one that includes healthier eating and exercise. ...

Full Story: Dieting delights; on JSOnline.com

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The Story of the Cow from Four-Legged Co-Worker to Shrink-Wrapped Cutlet.

Food: What to Eat. What Not to Eat.
In War and Peace, Tolstoy's Prince Andrei describes a woman who swoons at the sight of a calf being slaughtered: "She's so kind, she can't bear the sight of blood, but she eats the same calf in sauce with great appetite." This anecdote is really a metaphor for war, but it works just as neatly for, well, meat. ...
... Most of us carnivores are that lady, keeping the steer in the pasture mentally separated from the beef on our forks without too much consideration for how one becomes the other. In the past, this mental distance between the dinner table and ...

Full Story: Well Done, Rare, or Cryovacked; By Sara Dickerman, on Slate.com

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Tips From the World's Best Bakers

Life & Style
Renowned bakers from France, Scotland, Ireland, the U.S., England and other countries share their insights. "Measure precisely," says Jim Lahey of New York's Sullivan Street Bakery, while Robert Winters at the Tapa Bakery in Glasgow, Scotland, recommends using stone-ground flour. All baking has huge costs you can't escape: ...
... fuel to heat the oven, all the time you dedicate, and ingredients that aren't so affordable any more. So I delved into my address book and spoke to some of the great talents out there to see what they advise, and the response was huge; especially from those baker / writers in the US who for years have encouraged people to tackle challenging recipes rather than hide from any complexity and ...

Full Story: The world's greatest baking tips; by Dan Lepard, on the Guardian.co.uk

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The Earthy Appeal of Root Vegetables

* Life & style * Nigel Slater recipes
Jerusalem artichokes are the key ingredient in an inexpensive but velvety and delicious soup. These and other root vegetables might look boring, but they have a simple, honest appeal. One of the rules of good food shopping is that any vegetable sold with a coating of mud usually deserves a closer look. ...
... There is not only the chance that your root vegetables are more likely to be fresh from the field, but in better condition. Vegetables tend to be happier in soil than in plastic. The sacks of sand in which our family kept its home-grown parsnips and turnips saw them in fine fettle through till early spring. ...

Full Story: Coming back down to earth; by Nigel Slater, on the Guardian.co.uk

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Baby-Back Ribs Will Feed a Crowd [updated]

Balsamic Glazed Baby Back Ribs | seriouseats.com

Ribs taste best when cooked at low heat for a long time, and they generally require little hands-on attention. These recipes call for little more than cutting the ribs into servings, dousing them with sauce and popping them in the oven.

The secret to champion baby back ribs: The rub | thenewstribune.com

BBQ Ribs - Step by Step | bbq.about.com

Refreshing Fennel and Celery Salad

The Minimalist
Though fennel and celery have similar textures, their tastes are quite different. Mark Bittman shows how to pair them in a refreshing salad with olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and Parmesan.
THERE was a time when fennel was exotic, like so many ingredients we now take for granted. ...
... I remember my first taste of it, in the late ’50s, at a restaurant on Macdougal Street. To me, the flavor of the celery look-alike was so closely akin to the candy Good & Plenty that it quickly became a special treat. Now, fennel is among my favorite cold-weather staples. ...

Full Story: Fennel and Celery Make a Striking Pair; By MARK BITTMAN, on the

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Quest for Perfect Panna Cotta Ends in Italy

Lifestyle > Food
Giuseppe Barbero, who runs Osteria del Boccondivino in the heart of Italy's "Slow Food" country, perfected his panna cotta recipe 23 years ago and has been gaining a following for it ever since. "It has to taste fresh, to still have a milky flavor," he said. "Then you have to feel the creaminess and softness when you eat it." ...
... Cooked cream may not at first sound that mouth-watering, but when called by its Italian name, panna cotta, it immediately starts to tickle the taste buds. The cold dessert, which is made with little more than cream and sugar, originated in the sprawling hills of the Langhe region of Piedmont in northern Italy, ...

Full Story: Panna Cotta: The Cream of the Crop; by Andrew Roberts, on WWD.com

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Top 10 Food Blogs from Around the World

Food & Drink
Food bloggers are the bane of every restaurant owner’s life — I know, I am one.
Two and a half years ago, when I started my food blog Dos Hermanos with my brother, Robin, we were part of what was a realtively small group of enthusiasts keen to record our cooking and dining habits in words and ...
... blurry pictures. Now, at the opening of any new restaurant you will see tables occupied by diners making detailed notes of each bite while snapping away with their cameras before rushing home to pontificate about their meal online. ...

Full Story: Top 10 food blogs from around the world; by Simon Majumdar, on TimesOnline.co.uk

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