European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Mumm Mew a Boumy by Pierre Franey new York times fresh domestically raised Rabbit was no widely available in the United states until recently. At the same time americans had Little taste for Rabbit or experience cooking it. Today fresh Rabbit is being sold in supermarkets and Butcher shops All Over the country. Restaurants feature it frequently too. Rabbit meat is Well suited to Quick Home cooking. It has slightly More flavor than Chicken and the texture is firmer. Otherwise the two meats May be used interchangeably in Many recipes. Nutritionally Rabbit is comparable to Chicken. It is relatively Low in calories 245 in a 4-ounce serving versus 215 in skinless Chicken and roughly equal in protein about 33 Grams in 4 ounces. Rabbit however is lower in cholesterol and sodium than most other meats including Chicken veal beef and Turkey. When buying fresh Rabbit look for meat that is Light Pink and unblemished. It is usually sold cleaned and on the Bone. Ask your Butcher to Cut it into serving pieces for recipes like the one that follows. Younger rabbits which weigh about 2 pounds Are better for sauteing and roasting older rabbits which weigh up to 4 pounds Are Best stewed or braised. The recipe below is typical of what might be served in a French household at this time of year when fresh tarragon is abundant. For a Side dish i have made a coarse Puree of pars tips and potatoes seasoned with a touch of Nutmeg. I prefer the texture of this dish when it is prepared using a potato Masher rather than pureed. Sauteed Rabbit with wine sauce and mushrooms 1 Rabbit about 2 pounds cleaned Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste 18 Small White onions about 1 Pound 3/4 Pound Button mushrooms 1/4 Pound lean Salt pork Cut into 1/4-Inch strips 2 Tablespoons five Oil 1 Tablespoon finely chopped garlic 1 Tablespoon flour 1 cup dry White wine 1 Viz cups fresh or canned Chicken Broth 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 Teaspoon dried 1 Bay Leaf 2 Ripe Plum tomatoes peeled and Cut into i 2-Inch cubes 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 Teaspoon dried Cut the Rabbit into 10 serving pieces. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Peel the onions. Wash the mushrooms and Drain. Place the strips of Salt pork in a Saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and Blanch for 2 minutes. Drain Well. Heat the Oil in a heavy Skillet and add the Rabbit pieces. Cook stirring until Brown about 5 minutes Over medium heat. Add the Salt pork onions mushrooms and garlic. Cook stirring until Brown about 5 minutes. Drain All the fat from the Skillet. Sprinkle the mixture with flour and Cook stirring Well about 1 minute. Add the wine Chicken Broth thyme Bay Leaf tomatoes and tarragon. Stir and scrape the Bottom of the Skillet with a wooden Spatula. Bring to a boil cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of thyme and the Bay Leaf. Serve very hot. Yield 4 Servings. Pota to and Parsnip Puree country style 4 russet potatoes about 11/2 pounds 2 parsnips about Viz Pound 1 Large onion 2 cloves garlic peeled Salt to taste Viz cup heavy Cream or milk 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 Pinch freshly grated Nutmeg Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste 1/2 cup chopped chives or any Herb of your Choice Peel and Quarter the potatoes. There should be about 31/2 cups. Trim and scrape the parsnips and slice them crosswise. There should be about 2  and slice the onion. There should be about 2 cups. Combine the potatoes parsnips onion and garlic in a Large Saucepan. Add water to cover and Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and Cook about 12 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return the vegetables to the Saucepan. Add the Cream or milk and the butter. Using a potato Masher Mash the ingredients until they Are coarse. Add the Nutmeg Salt Pepper and chives. Blend thoroughly and serve. Yield 4 Servings. The curious shopper by Sonja Heinze in England there is a Margarine product called Flora which is made purely from polyunsaturated fats and i would like to know if America has a Margarine like this. Susan Broxton Apo West Germany As far As i know there is no Margarine product in the United states that is composed entirely of 100 percent polyunsaturated fats. Although i m not familiar with the English product you mention i Don t see How it can be 100 percent polyunsaturated and still be a Margarine. In the process of making it the manufacturers May Start out with 100 percent polyunsaturated fat but then some of that fat has to be hydrogenated in order to turn the liquid Oil into a solid. What you want to look for when buying a Margarine is one that contains at least twice As much polyunsaturated As saturated fatty acids. This is indicated on Many labels Asp a ratio. Look for a is ratio of 2 to 1, or 21/2 2.5 to 1. Don t be fooled by a Label that reads 4 to 2 that s the same As 2 to 1. Fleischmann s mazola old Stone Mill Promise and Hain have Good ratios. Weight watcher s lower calorie spread has 3 to 1, whereas Imperial has 1 to 1. Jane Brody in nutrition Book advises that another clue to selecting a Good Margarine is the ingredients list. The first ingredient should be liquid vegetable Oil says Brody such As Corn safflower or soybean. If the first ingredient is partially hydrogenated or hardened Oil Don t buy it. / would like to Purchase a Crystal Ball and was told that the Only place to buy one is in new York. Can you help e.g., South Jersey . There must be a mail order Catalon somewhere that Sells them but i have never come across this unusual item. Perhaps readers can help us out. Please write if you can furnish a Lead. My 23-year-old grandson a University student needs your help. He wears a size 16 medium or wide shoe which we Are finding increasingly hard hard to locate. I would appreciate any information you have for ordering athletic casual or dress shoes in his size. Marie Allison Madera Calif. Send to the following address for a Catalon for tall and extra tall and big and extra big men the King size co., 6397 King size building Brockton mass. 02402. This company Sells shoes to size 16eee, dress shirts to a 24 neck Slacks to a 72 Waist jackets to a 5xl, casual shirts to a 5xl, jeans to a 72 Waist and outerwear to 5xl. For men with extra wide feet but within the Range of size 5-13, there is a Catalon source for shoes with widths ranging from be to eee eee. Write to Hitchcock shoes inc., dept. 53m, Hingham mass. 02043. Reader feedback pasta and cholesterol Colleen Thompson manager nutrition program american Board thank you for an accurate answer to a question about cholesterol in pasta. I was pleased that you clarified your answer and explained How the  in pasta do not cause a serving to be High in dietary cholesterol. The individual should be More concerned about the fat and saturated fat in his or her diet since excess total fat and saturated fat have a greater Impact on blood cholesterol. The consumer who asked the question needs to be More concerned with what he puts on the pasta rather than the pasta  have a consumer related question please write to Sonja Heinze care of stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces. Years ago when we lived in one of those cookie Cutter houses in the suburbs we used to have a joke about the shrubbery that came with every Home. We All got the Standard six evergreens eight yews two flowering fruit Trees one Maple tree a weeping Willow 36 living Rose hedge plants and an exotica Roba mystery Plant with a card on it that said a Spring Dazzler. Keep moist and keep your camera  the entire landscaping package was delivered to us one night in an 11-by-14-Inch envelope. We planted All the Tittle Brown twigs but most of them had tragic endings. We lost the Maple tree by drowning when our Puppy favored it. The weeping Willow had to be destroyed when its roots Cut off the water Supply to the entire township. Twenty three of the living Rose hedge plants never got planted because one of the kids put a soft drink can on them and crushed them. And the evergreens were the fast growing kind. Within six months they were a foot taller than the town s to Tower. It was Only the exotica Roba mystery Plant that kept us All going. It never really lived and it never really died. The leaves stayed Green All year round. Supposedly it bloomed for 15 minutes and those of us in the neighbourhood had a Pool to see who could record it on their camera. After 15 years we moved from the neighbourhood giving up All Hope of Ever seeing the Plant Bloom. We moved to Arizona where we fell heir to an entirely different landscape. The Nursery Man told me that out by the driveway lamp was a night Blooming Cactus called Echin Opsis. When All the conditions were right the Plant would produce a Flower that would Bloom in the Middle of the night last a few hours and Wilt in the morning Sun. I was intrigued. My husband dated a girl like that once. Daily i monitored the Plant for some sign of a Bud or a Cluster to indicate it was ready to Bloom. Then late one night i heard some dogs around the garbage cans and ran out to break up the party when i saw it. A single Beautiful White Bloom dazzled me with its perfection in the Moonlight. The next emotion was one of frustration. It was like hitting a Hole in one All by yourself or bringing a perfect souffle out of the oven with no one to see it or your baby uttering its first word when your husband is out of town. Fearing for my own safety i wisely decided not to Wake my husband out of a sound sleep and Tell him the Echin Opsis was Blooming so i punched the Cactus with my fist and said Way to go  there s probably something deep and poignant Here somewhere about How something not shared is empty and meaningless but my hand hurts. It has a Thorn in it. C 1988 Erma Bombeck Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday july 6,1988