March menus

Sunset, March, 1992 by Christine B. Weber

Counter the last chills of winter with these casual, warming meals. Even if you,re not Irish, a little "wearing of the green" is appropriate if you take advantage of mid-March price specials on corned beef to create a Saint Patrick's Day meal. Simple details, at right, add Irish humor to our feature menu.

Low-fat cooking techniques enhance the wholesomeness of the soup and sandwich supper. The results are so satisfying, your family will never notice the lightened touch. On a weekend morning, bake fruit focaccia for a grand brunch.

You can simmer the beef, shred the cabbage, and make the cabbage bowl up to a day ahead. Bake yams while meat reheats. Instead of butter, splash rice vinegar or a berry-flavor vinegar into split yams.

To give dessert a St. Pat's flair, decorate plates with shamrock stencils. First, cut shamrocks from paper (or buy paper shamrocks). Then rub dessert plates very lightly with butter (this keeps shamrocks in place as you work, and makes the cocoa dusting adhere). Lay shamrocks on a plate and sift cocoa over plate. Carefully lift off shamrocks (use tip of sharp knife), taking care not to dislodge cocoa. Shake paper clean and repeat to decorate remaining plates.

For Irish coffee, offer whiskey (Irish or other), softly whipped cream, and sugar to add to hot coffee.

Corned Beef with Sweet-Hot Glaze

1 piece (3 1/2 to 4 lb.)

corned beef round or

center-cut brisket, fat

trimmed

1 cup regular-strength

beef broth 1/4 cup firmly packed

brown sugar

2 tablespoons prepared

horseradish

Dijon mustard

Rinse meat well with cool water. Place in a 6- to 8quart pan with about 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat; drain. Repeat this step until the water no longer tastes salty, 1 or 2 more times. To drained meat, add water (about 2 qt.) to cover it by about 1/2 inch. Bring to boiling on high heat; cover and simmer gently until meat is very tender when pierced, about 3 1/2 hours.

Drain beef; put in a 9- by 13-inch pan. (If made ahead. cool, then chill airtight up until next day. Cover meat tightly with foil; bake in a 350[degrees] oven until hot in center, about 50 minutes; uncover.) In pan used to simmer beef, mix broth, sugar, and horseradish. Boil over high heat until glaze is reduced to 1/2 cup. about 5 minutes; stir often. (If made ahead, pour into a bowl and cover; chill up until next day.)

Bake hot meat, uncovered, in a 350[degrees] oven for 20 minutes, brushing with glaze until all is used. Broil about 6 inches from heat until top browns lightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Put meat on a platter; offer mustard. Makes 10 servings, or dinner for 6 with leftovers for sandwiches.

Per serving: 236 cal.; 16 g protein; 16 g fat (5.4 g sat.); 6.1 g carbo.; 970 mg sodium; 83 mg chol.

Two-tone Slaw in a Cabbage Bowl

1 large head (about 1 3/4

lb.) savoy or green

cabbage, with large

outer leaves attached

(if available)

4 to 6 red savoy kale or

red head cabbage

leaves (optional)

2 cups finely shredded

red cabbage

3 slices bacon (about 1 3/4

oz. total) 1/3 Cup seasoned rice

vinegar (or 1/3 cup rice

vinegar and 1

tablespoon sugar) 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Carefully remove 4 to 6 large outer leaves from head cabbage. Rinse these and red savoy kale leaves; drain. wrap in towels. and enclose in a plastic bag. To crisp, chill at least 30 minutes or up until next day.

Rinse and drain head cabbage. Trim a thin slice from stem end so cabbage sits steadily upright. Slice 1/2 inch horizontally from cabbage top. Using a grapefruit knife, cut out center of cabbage, leaving a wall about 1/2 inch thick. Finely shred trimmed cabbage; discard core.

In a bowl, mix shredded savoy with shredded red cabbage. If made ahead, wrap cabbage shell and shredded cabbage airtight and chill up until next day.

Cook bacon in an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat until brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Crumble and drain on towels. Add vinegar and pepper to warm drippings in pan.

Mix bacon and warm dressing with shredded cabbage. Gently pull cabbage shell to open bowl slightly; set on a platter and surround with reserved green and red leaves. Mound salad into cabbage bowl. Serves 6.

Per serving 83 cal.; 2.6 g protein; 4.9 g fat (1.8 g sat.); 8.7 g carbo.; 81 mg sodium; 5.5 mg chol

A lean, quick soup, ideal for sipping, and sandwiches toasted in a dry pan make a light and satisfying lunch. Buy or make cookies.

Spinach and Buttermilk Soup

1 package (10 oz.) frozen

chopped spinach 4 cups regular-strength

chicken broth 2 tablespoons grated

lemon peel 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 cups buttermilk

Salt and pepper

Combine spinach and 2 cups broth in a 3- to 4-quart pan. Bring to boil on high heat; use a spoon to break spinach apart. As soon as spinach is in chunks, pour into a blender, add 1 tablespoon lemon peel, and puree until smooth.

In pan, mix remaining 2 cups broth with cornstarch until smooth; add spinach mixture. Stir often on high heat until boiling. Mix in buttermilk and pour into bowls or mugs. Sprinkle with remaining peel and add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 114 cal.; 8.5 g protein; 28 g fat (1.1 g sat.); 14 g carbo.; 235 mg sodium; 4.9 mg choL