LIFE
APRIL 18, 2012 • HILLTOP PRESS • B3
Abundant asparagus inspires spring recipe If someone would ask what my dream job is, I’d have to say I have two in mind. One would be working with Chris Kimball in the Cook’s Country test kitchen. I’d get paid to cook to my heart’s content, with the best kitchen equipment available, and mistakes would occur during paid time. I really enjoy the heirloom recipes that Cook’s Country perfects. The other would be working with Frank Farmer Loomis, our own antique expert who is internationally known. Frank and I did a TV show a long while back and the theme was a tea party. I made tea party treats and teas, and Frank gave his expert opinion on the china and silver service I used.I like things connected with history, and Rita antique Heikenfeld china, RITA’S KITCHEN furniture, and cookbooks all fill the bill. In fact, the recipe I’m sharing today for the Netherland Salad has quite a history. It dates back over 50 years and it’s from the Netherland Plaza, now the Cincinnati Netherland. This is from Fern Storer’s wonderful cookbook “Recipes Remembered.” Fern was the popular food editor of the Post, and my mom used to love reading her column. Fern’s book was published in 1989 and reader Pauline
Promount Museum’s asparagus roll-ups. Bell pepper, diced: I use two kinds for color
Dressing Whisk together: 2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard ½ cup olive oil Honey, agave syrup or sugar to taste – not too much
Rita's asparagus patch has prompted almost daily dishes of the spring vegetable. This one features bell pepper and a vinaigrette. THANKS TO RITA HEIKENFELD. Dunn was one of the people who helped edit and type the recipes.
Netherland/Maurice salad
This is “the one and only original Maurice salad,” sent to Fern from Maurice J. Koch, the insurance agent who sold Peter Mauridon, the onetime maitre d’ of the Netherland Plaza, a policy. The recipe doesn’t say what kind of vinegar or pickles to use. I’d tend to use clear vinegar and dill pickles, but you do what suits you. Serves two. Dressing: Stir together: 3 tablespoons ea: real mayonnaise and olive oil 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Then add: 1 chopped hard boiled egg 1 teaspoon minced chives
Salad: Combine:
3/4 head crisp lettuce, julienned 1/2 cup ea: julienne of chicken and ham 1/3 cup julienne tomatoes, seeds discarded 1 tablespoon chopped pickle Tomato quarters and hard cooked egg slices for garnish
Kentucky reader Janice Wallace. “It had thin spaghetti and tasted like pasta salad.”
duce risk of heart disease and birth defects, and has anti-aging nutrients.
ON MY BLOG
Place asparagus in single layer and sprinkle peppers on top. Drizzle dressing over and let marinate several hours or overnight.
Tip from Rita’s kitchen
Readers want to know
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What are Marcona almonds? These wide, tear drop-shaped nuts from Spain are showing up in trendy recipes. Marcona almonds have a higher fat content than California almonds. This makes them tender, crunchy and moist all at the same time. The flavor is savory and some consider it to be “steaklike.” They are usually fried in olive oil, and then seasoned with salt and/or herbs. So what’s not to love, except the price tag, about twice as much as common almonds.
Earth Day is April 22 Celebrate by planting something edible. It can be as simple as lettuce planted in an old colander, or as artsy as a pizza, salad, soup or edible flower garden. Rita Nader Heikenfeld is an herbalist, educator and author. Email her at columns@communitypress.com with “Rita’s kitchen” in the subject line. Call 513-248-7130, ext. 356.
Can you help?
Asparagus can help detoxify the system, re-
Spaghetti salad. For
Toss salad with dressing. Put on plates and garnish.
Asparagus with rainbow peppers I’ve been making variations of this for a couple of weeks because we are still getting asparagus from our little patch almost daily. If you have a bit of mint, chop that up and add it to the dressing. I’ll either roast the asparagus (toss with a little olive oil) in a 425 degree oven just until it starts to wrinkle or steam it on top of the stove. 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cooked (see above)
Watch out for bill collectors During these tough economic times, debt collectors are targeting consumers in droves. But in some cases federal officials are finding the consumers don’t owe anything at all. However, unless you’re careful, you could end up paying anyway. Gerald Blanchard of Amelia says he was shocked when he got a letter saying his paycheck was being garnished to pay a debt. He recalls getting a letter from a debt collector more than two years ago. “The letter stated that I had a debt that I owed to them, to a company called Tribute MasterCard, for $1,800. I’ve never had a credit card through this company, period,” Blanchard says. Blanchard says the bill collector failed to send him convincing proof he owed that debt, so he called the alleged creditor. “I called Tribute MasterCard Company and the Tribute MasterCard Company said, ‘Gerald Blanchard you have no credit card through our company. You’ve never had a credit card through our company’ … I threw the stuff away because I thought, ‘It’s a scam.’ I get junk mail all the time,” Blanchard said. The bill collector ended up taking Blanchard to court and got a default judgment against him – that’s when judgment is granted for the plaintiff when the defendant fails to show up for the hearing.
Blanchard says he was simply never notified of the hearing so knew nothing about Howard it. Court Ain records HEY HOWARD! show he never received notice he was being sued and should appear in court to defend himself. The debt collector obtained a judgment against Blanchard for more than $1,800 and then tried to garnish his wages. Blanchard had worked for several companies and it took all this time until the current employer was found and contacted. At one point, Blanchard says the debt collector tried to put a lien on his house, but that didn’t work because his house is owned by his father. Now, having found Blanchard’s current employer, the garnishment paperwork was sent there and Blanchard was notified. “This letter basically states, from a court document, that they’re going to garnish my wages. They’re going to take 25 percent of my income per paycheck,” Blanchard says. At this point it’s too late for Blanchard to fight the garnishment. Instead, he needs to get an attorney and fight the judgment against him from 2009. The first thing he needs to do is get a letter from the credit card company stating he never had
a credit card and thus never owed it any money. If he wins the case in court, he’ll get back all his money – and can get reimbursed for his attorney fees and court costs. The bottom line, if you get a letter saying, “This is an attempt to collect a debt,” don’t throw it away. If you believe you don’t owe the debt, tell that to the bill collector – in writing – within 30 days. If the bill collector still insists you owe the money, consult an attorney. Howard Ain answers consumer complaints weekdays on WKRC-TV Local 12. Write to him at 12 WKRC-TV, 1906 Highland Ave., Cincinnati 45219.
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