Foods to Halt Aging, Saving Cookbooks, Cheese Pairings

Slow Fishing and the Magic of Hearth Cooking

May 24-25, at beautiful Flora Bella Farms, which is nestled below the soaring peaks of the Sierra Nevada, in Three Rivers. James and Bettina Birch, who some of you may know from the Hollywood and Santa Monica Farmers' Markets, will be our hosts for this special tour which will include a lecture and cooking demonstration by William Rubel.

Saturday evening there will be an outdoor family style dinner prepared by Evan Kleiman and William Rubel, featuring wild salmon, local organic goat cheese, wild greens, and fresh organic produce from Flora Bella Farms.

Make your reservation by emailing Evan at mail@angelicaffe.com

Angeli Caffe will celebrate Mother's Day with a special brunch and prix fixe dinner. We will be serving a buffet brunch menu from 11:30 to 2:30 and dinner from 5:30 on.

Mother's Day Brunch

(Includes one glass of Champagne, a Mimosa or juice)

$26 for adults; $15 for children under 10

A large selection of the best of Evan's Cucina Fresca tradition, presented as a buffet so you can make your own selections. Brunch dishes including strawberry risotto, minted zucchini, Mascarpone, Fontina, Parmesan and rich custard and chocolate dipped meringue cups filled with strawberries and cream.

Call 323-936-9086 for reservations.

Cheryl Forberg is the author of Stop the Clock! Cooking: Defy Aging--Eat the Foods You Love.

Moroccan Beet Salad

Makes 8 servings

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon sorghum syrup or dark honey

• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• Salt to taste

Salad:

• 8 medium-large beets (about 2 pounds) with green tops

• 1 cup peeled, halved, seeded, chopped tomatoes

• salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

Prepare dressing:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Makes about 3/4 cup dressing.

Prepare salad:

Wash the beets well, being careful not to break their skins. Cut off the tops, leaving a stalk of about 1 1/2 inches. Reserve green tops and set aside. Place beets in a 3-quart saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until a knife can be easily inserted and removed, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool in cooking water. Slip off the beet skins, trim off the tops, and cut beets into bite-size pieces. Toss beets and tomatoes with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Set aside to marinate.

Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to the leaves, to a large pot over high heat. Cook, stirring until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens and squeeze out excess moisture. Cool slightly. Chop coarsely.

Transfer greens to a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing and toss to coat. Season greens with salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes and beets in the center of a platter and surround with greens. Garnish with cilantro. Pass remaining dressing separately.

Beet Facts:

Beet greens have twice as much potassium as the beets themselves, and they are loaded with the antioxidant beta-carotene. Some studies have shown that they contain a compound that suppresses cravings for nicotine.

Grilled Chicken with Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce

6 servings

Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

• 1/2 tsp saffron or turmeric

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 2 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 1/4 cup pomegranate syrup

• 1 Tablespoon sorghum syrup or dark honey

• Salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Chicken:

• 6 three-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, without stems

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional and if fruit is in season)

Prepare sauce:

Place walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground. Add remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, the pomegranate syrup, and the sorghum syrup. Process until sauce is creamy and smooth. Carefully add the hot broth and onion mixture, and process until smooth.

Return sauce to saute pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture has the consistency of thick cream, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Prepare chicken:

Preheat charcoal grill. Brush chicken lightly with olive oil. Arrange chicken on a rack set about 6 inches over glowing coals. Grill about 4 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. (Alternatively, chicken may be grilled on a hot, ridged grilled pan over medium-high heat.) Season with salt and pepper.

Serve each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons sauce and garnish with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds. Pass extra sauce separately.

Ellen Rose is the owner of The Cook's Library, at 8373 W 3rd St (east of La Cienega) in Los Angeles, (323) 655-3141. To find a complete list of the winners she talked about, go to the James Beard Foundation Awards and International Association of Culinary Professionals Awards.

Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations by Lois Ellen Frank

American Classics (The Best Recipe Series) from Cook's Illustrated Magazine

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

Baking in America by Greg Patton

Thai Food by David Thompson

Glorious French Food by James Peterson

I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown

Italian Classics (The Best Recipe Series) from Cook's Illustrated

The Cheese Plate by Max McCalman

The Flavors of Olive Oil by Debra Krasner

Process This! by Jean Anderson

The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking by William Rubel

1000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra

A Year of Russian Feasts by Catherine Jones

Endangered Treasures: A Celebration of Cookbook Preservation

Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2003

The IACP Foundation will host this fundraising dinner and restoration project at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Join emcees Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Evan Kleiman and others in their effort to preserve historic cookbooks for future generations. Evan Kleiman will be one of the table hosts, if you'd like to sit with her and dine, ask for her table.

The dinner will include dishes from 100 year-old cookbooks including trout baked in paper with almonds, olives, chiles and capers and grilled fish smoked with bay leaves, also scuffled potatoes and ham croquettes.

For information and tickets, call (502) 581-9786 x264 or email tgribbins@hqtrs.com.

Norbert Wabnig is the owner of The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, 419 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills CA 310-278-2855.

Combinations of Cheese and imported gourmet foods

• Fresh ricotta and vin cotto

• Dolce latte (sweet gorgonzola) and date-walnut cake or fig cake

• Fresh goat cheese and Dominick's sun-dried tomatoes or cranberry fool

• Manchego (1-year old) and membrillo

• Bigio and honey

• Etorki and carmelized onions