Indonesian cooks nearly venerate the peanut. Should we take it more seriously? - includes recipes

Sunset, Sept, 1988

Indonesian cooks nearly

venerate the peanut,

Should we take it more seriously?

The New World's most significant contributions to the world's food supply-peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes-are widely respected as such. The humble peanut, on the other hand, though rich in protein and calories, has always been the object of mild derision. A minor distraction at baseball games, an accompaniment to beverages of dubious nutritional value and social status, a child's lunch box sandwich staple (likely as not debased with grape or some other jelly), the peanut gets no respect. After all, how can you call anything a goober and take it seriously? Such is not the case in Indonesia, where the peanut is a nearly indispensable element of the cuisine. In vegetable sauces and salad dressings, it is often combined with hot chilies, ginger, and some of the less common herbs and seasonings of the Far East. Stephen Estvanik uses such an Indonesian-inspired marinade and baste for his spareribs.

Indonesian Spareribs

4 cloves garlic, quartered

1 piece fresh ginger (1 in.), peeled

and quartered

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 medium-size onion, quartered

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup dry sherry

1/4 cup orange-flavor liqueur

3 tablespoons each prepared taco

sauce or salsa, and lemon juice

1 section pork spareribs, about 4

pounds

In a blender, combine garlic, ginger, peanut butter, onion, soy sauce, sherry, liqueur, taco sauce, and lemon juice. Whirl until smoothly pureed. Place spareribs in a 10- by 15-inch rimmed pan; pour soy mixture over ribs. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.

To barbecue ribs, mound 40 to 50 charcoal briquets on firegrate in a barbecue with a lid, Ignite and let burn until charcoal is covered with gray ash, about 30 minutes. Then bank half the charcoal on each side of the grate and place a drip pan in the center of the coals. Position grill 4 to 6 inches above coals. Add 10 briquets, half to each mound of coals now, and also every 30 minutes during cooking to maintain heat.

Lift ribs from marinade and shake gently to remove excess. Place ribs, meatiest side up, on grill directly above drip pan. Cover barbecue and open dampers. Cook until ribs are well browned all over and meat at bone in a thick section is no longer pink (cut to test), about 1 1/4 hours. Turn several times and baste ribs with marinade occasionally as they cook. Pour remaining marinade into a 2- to 4-cup pan and place over direct heat until boiling; stir to prevent scorching. Serve ribs with sauce to add to taste. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Per serving of ribs:588cal; 42g protein;2.6 g carbo.; 44 g fat,- 171 mg chol.; 496 mg sodium. Per tablespoon sauce: 24 cal; 1 g protein; 2.5 g carbo.; 1.3 g fat; 0 mg chol.; 342 mg sodium.

Bologna, the center of Italy's rich Emilia Romagna farming district and the site of an ancient and famous university, is known as la grassa (fat or abundant) and la dottata (learned).

Being well fed and learned, it seems natural that the Bolognese should select tortellini in brodo (tortellini in broth) as tbe city's favorite first course. They use an extra-strength but otherwise plain chicken broth as a bath for this filled pasta (which is sometimes referred to locally as Venus's navel). Paul Brooks complicates his broth with chicken breast, mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, rice, and (for the flavor surprise) tarragon. The results are worth emulating.

If you enjoy doing so and have all the time in the world, you might even try making your own tortellini. Chef Brooks prefers to buy his, and he favors green tortellini stuffed with cheese. You may, of course, experiment with other forms and flavors of pasta in the soup.

Tortellini Soup

About 3/4 pound spinach

4 1/2 quarts or 3 cans (49 1/2 oz. each)

regular-strength chicken broth

1 package (8 oz.) fresh cheese-filled

spinach tortellini

1 whole chicken breast (about 1 lb.),

boned, skinned, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 medium-size red bell pepper,

stemmed, seeded, and diced

1 cup cooked rice

2 teaspoons dry tarragon leaves

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt

Discard tough spinach stems and yellowed leaves; rinse green leaves well, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Meanwhile, in an 8- to IO-quart pan, bring broth to boiling, covered, on high heat. Add tortellini and boil gently, uncovered, just untit tender to bite, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add spinach, chicken, mushrooms, bell pepper, rice, and tarragon to broth; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmering, cover, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in center (cut to test), about 2 minutes. Ladle soup into large bowls. Offer pepper, cheese, and salt to add to taste. Makes about 5 quarts, 10 to 12 main-disb servings.

Per serving:159cal; 13g protein; 17g carbo.; 3. 9 g fat, 28 mg chol.; 123 mg sodium.

In casting about for an alternative to the ubiquitous green salad, Edward Tuit worked up this green, red, and yellow salad. Many of its elements reflect persistent tinkering, but his boldest contribution is the dill vinaigrette, which reverses the usual proportions of oil and vinegar. The result is a light dressing with a pronounced flavor.