Antioxidant Onions by Ruth Paget

Antioxidant Onions by Ruth Paget 

Mark Kurlansky writes about everything onion in his book The Core of an Onion. Kurlansky begins by writing that though onions do not have as much protein, which builds and repairs muscles and bones, as other vegetables they do have some. 

They also contain significant amounts of other nutrients such as the following; 

-Vitamin C – an antioxidant that helps remove free radicals that may cause can cancer from the body 

-calcium- a mineral associated with healthy bones and teeth 

-iron – makes hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the brain

(Additional information obtained from Betterhealth Victoria – Australia, Harvard Medical School, and the National Institutes of Health) 

Kurlansky also writes that as late as World War II, onions were used to dress wounds to prevent infection by the Russian army. 

The fun part of Kurlansky’s book are the 100 historical recipes that he has put together. 

Two of the onion soups he writes about should be in everyone’s culinary repertoire. 

The first soup is Missouri-Kansas-Texas Onion Soup – a railroad classic. This soup contains diced onions, which are sautéed in butter until brown and added to boiling chicken broth. The chicken broth is seasoned with parsley, garlic, bay leaves, and Worcestershire Sauce.The soup is poured over croutons and topped off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This soup is an American pantry classic. 

The second soup is a French Vichyssoise, a chilled leek and potato soup that is puréed with milk and cream. I made this soup often in Stuttgart, Germany when I lived there. When it was 30 below outside in winter and windy, all soups seemed to chill naturally. Sometimes I even made vichyssoise with onions, which gave it a more velvety texture without too much difference in taste. 

Other recipes that Kurlansky write about look especially good including: 

-onion bread 

-Welsh onion and potato tart 

-creamed onions to go with steak or roast pork 

The best thing about cooking with onions is that they are less expensive than most other vegetables, which makes The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlansky a reference cookbook for the budget minded. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Frost-Resistant Potatoes and More by Ruth Paget

Frost-Resistant Potatoes and More by Ruth Paget 

John Reader begins his history of the potato by writing that the potato is an “all-around bundle of nutrition” that is eaten on space missions in Potato: A History of the Propitious Esculent (Yale University Press). 

The nutrients Reader refers to include: 

-carbohydrates for energy 

-protein for tissue building 

-for 100 grams of potato, there is half the minimum daily amount of Vitamin C – Vitamin C is an antioxidant and prevents scurvy, a concern for all navies 

-B complex vitamins, which fight anxiety and depression 

-calcium which builds strong bones and teeth 

-iron which makes hemoglobin in red blood cells that helps carry oxygen to the lungs 

-phosphorous which also aids in the formation of bones and teeth 

-potassium which helps nerves, muscles, and the heart function well. Potatoes contain 18% more potassium than bananas according to Reader 

(Nutrition information compiled from John Reader, Medlineplus.com, Harvard Medical School, and the Washington State Potato Commission) 

The potato's ancestral homeland is found in the Andes Mountains in Latin America, specifically in Peru and Bolivia. One Peruvian variety of potato can grow above 4,000 feet and is the only frost-resistant potato. This frost-resistant potato is named the papa naki and might grow well in colder regions of the United States. 

For information on the history and merits of the potato, the book Potato: A History of the Propitious Esculent by John Reader is a great buy. 

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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A Substantial Artichoke Dinner by Ruth Paget

Artichoke Dinner by Ruth Paget 

One artichoke usually contains 60 calories and is full of nutrients, making it a dieter’s delight. I like more substantial meals and like to add yogurt with honey, a little salami, toast with butter, and a few fruit and nut cream filled macaron pastries (available at COSTCO) to my artichoke dinners. This meal is a little more French than Italian, but very American in that I live in Monterey County California which is said to produce 2/3 of the world's artichokes with the artichoke capital being Castroville. 

I usually cover and steam the artichokes whole for 40 minutes, adding water every 10 minutes. Then, I let the artichokes stand for 20 minutes after turning off the heat. You only eat the base ends of the leaves and the heart at the bottom minus the leaves dunked in vinaigrette. 

I used information from the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the National Institutes of Health, and Harvard Medical School to find the following percentages of nutrients in artichokes and the role these nutrients in the body: 

-fiber (28%) promotes intestinal transit and waste elimination 

-protein (8%) repairs and builds body tissues 

-Vitamin C (25%) protects cells and keeps them healthy

-iron (8%) is a mineral the body needs for growth and development

-potassium (13%) is a mineral that helps muscles and nerves to function 

-Vitamin B6 (5%) is important for normal brain development 

-magnesium (19%) helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function 

-calcium (55) is a mineral most often associated with healthy bones and teeth 

Artichokes are so good for you that you almost forget that they taste great in vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing dip. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Electrical Outage Meals by Ruth Paget

Electrical Outage Meals by Ruth Paget 

Hot summer months, more people using electricity from older electrical grids designed for fewer people, and higher air conditioning usage usually account for at least one electrical outage in California in summer. 

The outage is usually planned and called a rolling blackout, so the amount of time spent without electricity is limited in theory. 

I have noticed, though, that rolling blackouts tend to happen during lunch, so I have items like the following on hand to eat during these times: 

-UHT milk which can be stored at room temperature until it is opened 

-raisin bran cereal 

-Cheerios cereal with sliced bananas 

-fruit to be made into fruit salad 

-sliced radish salad 

-grated carrot salad 

-shredded cabbage salad 

-tortilla chips with salsa 

-sliced tomatoes, goat cheese chunks, and herb salad 

-salami, cheese, crackers, and mustard 

-strawberries and sugar 

-canned black beans, lettuce, sliced radish, shredded cabbage, avocado, and salsa quesadillas 

-peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 

These are all pretty good when the electricity is working, too. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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French Countryside Cooking Review by Ruth Paget

French Countryside Cooking Review by Ruth Paget 

Michelin-star chef Daniel Galmiche writes about the mountain food of his native Haute-Saône region in the French Jura Mountains in his cookbook French Countryside Cooking. 

What stands out in this cookbook are delicious dishes made from root vegetables and offal, variety meat like kidneys and thymus glands. Not all of these items have been Michelin menu items in the past, but the following items in French Countryside Cooking may soon be changing this situation: 

-chicory and radish salad with vinaigrette dressing 

-swede (rutabaga) boulangère made with onions, cloves, and thyme 

-rabbit terrine with onion marmalade 

-lamb sweetbread and wild mushroom vol-au-vent (pastry encased lamb thymus glands with wild mushrooms) 

-heirloom beetroot tagliatelle 

-Jerusalem artichoke velouté with truffle oil and chive cream 

Root vegetables and variety meat are terribly expensive which is an incentive to try making the dishes in French Countryside Cooking by Daniel Galmiche at home for adventurous cooks. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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French Cuisine and Status by Ruth Paget

French Cuisine and Status by Ruth Paget 

Maryann Tebben shows how the French have used their cuisine to establish itself as an elite nation in the world in her book Savoir-Faire: A History of Food in France. 

Tebben begins her book by writing that when King Louis XIV set up a royal printing press the first books he had published were cookbooks to be distributed throughout Europe to reflect the splendor of his court at Versailles. 

Reviewing restaurants that ensured travelers, especially businessmen and nobility, good meals promoted competition to provide high quality food that guaranteed a secure livelihood for inn and restaurant owners.  

Many French writers included significant scenes devoted to food in their books. Tebben provides samples of this kind of writing at the end of her chapters. Food becomes more than sustenance in this way be calling up emotion and making cultural references. 

Bourgeois homes in France eventually adopted the food system of the aristocracy and the royalty by planning marketing based on seasonal products. Once food was purchase at the market, bourgeois homes planned meals for the upcoming week and set up pantries or garde mangers Tebben writes. 

Discussing food and wine at the dinner table is a practice the French still keep alive, creating tomorrow’s gastronomes among youth. 

For a well-documented glimpse into the world of French cuisine, Savoir-Faire by Maryann Tebben is an informative and enjoyable read. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Codetta: The Visual Score Analysis Game Created by Ruth Paget

Codetta: The Visual Score Analysis Game Created by Ruth Paget 

Objective: 

Learn the vocabulary or jargon of visual score analysis in Barron’s AP (Advanced Placement) Music Theory test preparation book. Learning the vocabulary first makes learning the concepts and understanding the illustrations in the sixteenth chapter in Barron’s Music Theory easier. 

Some junior colleges and colleges will award college credit for a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Music Theory examination. Having college credit awarded for one class save tuition money. 

Some high schools offer AP test preparation classes. Some businesses like Princeton Review and Kaplan can find tutors for the AP Music Theory examination. 

Skills and Related Jobs: 

Mastering AP Music Theory will allow you to read and write music. 

Related jobs include: composer, musician (if you practice), singer (if you practice), concert organizer, and music industry writer. 

Materials needed: 

-Barron’s AP Music Theory test preparation book 

-index cards 

-markers 

-access to Google pronunciation 

Number of Players: 

1, 2, 4, or a group of single players for a society game 

Method: 

-Create flash cards with the vocabulary word on the front and the definition, symbol, and/or demonstration notes on the back. Look in the AP Music Theory book for this information.

-Learn the words two at a time. 

-When you have learned ten words, test yourself on spelling and meaning. 

-Continue to test yourself ten words at a time till you have learned all the words. 

-Once you have learned the vocabulary words, read the sixteenth chapter two or three times to see if you understand the concepts. 

-Finally, practice doing the exercises on separate sheets of paper first so you can correct answers. 

Play Codetta till you have learned the following words: 

-alberti bass 

-cadence 

-cadential extension 

-canon 

-canonic 

-chorus 

-coda 

-codetta 

-concert pitch 

-contour 

-contour melody 

-fragment 

-instrumentation 

-brass 

-continuo 

-percussion 

-strings 

-woodwinds 

-introduction 

-obbligato 

-ostinato 

-phrase 

-phrase structure 

-antecedent-consequent 

-contrasting 

-double period 

-parallel period 

-period 

-rag -

ragtime 

-range 

-register 

-refrain 

-small forms 

-binary 

-rondo 

-sonata allegro 

-ternary 

-theme and variations 

-through composed 

-texture 

-heterophony 

-heterophonic 

-homophony 

-homophonic 

-chordal homophony 

-chordal accompaniment 

-chordal texture 

-homorhythmic

-melody with accompaniment 

-monophony 

-monophonic

-antiphonal 

-polyphony 

-polyphonic

-contrapuntal 

-counterpoint 

-imitative 

-imitative polyphony 

-nonimitative polyphony 

-fugal imitation 

-solo 

-soli 

-song form 

-stanza 

-strophic 

-tessitura 

-theme 

-timbre 

-transposition 

-tutti 

-variation 

-verse 

-walking bass

Have fun learning the building blocks of music. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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