European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Pierre Franey new York times r recently i took a casual inventory of the various foods that have been prepared Fortis column to determine the one mos commonly used. It turned out to be of course Chicken breast which for a variety of reasons is a great Choice for cooking in less than an hour. Whether sold skinless and Boneless whole or in halves Chicken breasts Are among the easiest foods to prepare. None other adapts so Well to such a wide assortment of flavors. Chicken is also among the least expensive meats and can be substituted for veal which is far More costly. I recently prepared Chicken breast halves with a vermouth and Cream sauce. The vermouth in very Small quantities adds a Subtle flavor to the dish. It is Best to use the dry wine version rather than the Sweet slightly Reddish version which might impart a slightly bitter taste and an off color tint. Begin this very simple dish by cooking the breast halves on one Side about five minutes or until Golden Brown. Turn the pieces and Brown them on the second Side at this Point finely chopped shallots Are added along with the vermouth. The sauce is finished with the addition of a Small amount of Cream and a touch of Dijon style Mustard. The total cooking time is half an hour or less. A Fine accompaniment is a melange of seasonal vegetables in this Case Leeks red peppers carrots and onions. It is imperative that these vegetables be cooked quickly in less than 15 minutes so that they retain some crispness. Chicken breasts with vermouth 2 whole Chicken breasts with skin Bones and wings attached about 1va pounds split Salt to taste if desired freshly ground Pepper to taste 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons finely chopped shallots 2 Tablespoons dry White vermouth 1/2 cup heavy Cream 1 Tablespoon Dijon style Mustard place the breast halves on a Flat surface. Cut away and Reserve the Wing tips and second Wing joints for another use. Leave the main Wing Bones attached. Sprinkle the breast pieces All Over with Salt and Pepper to taste. Heat the Olive Oil in a Large Skillet and add the breast pieces skin Side Down. Cook about 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Turn the Chicken breasts and continue cooking turning the pieces occasionally for about 10 minutes pour off the fat from the pan and scatter the shallots Between the pieces. Cook briefly and add the vermouth. Cook until it has almost evaporated then pour in the Cream. Stir the Mustard into the sauce until Well blended. Bring the sauce to a boil Over High heat and turn the pieces in the sauce. Remove the Skillet from the heat and Transfer the pieces to a warm Platter. Spoon the sauce Over. Yield 4 Servings. Melange of vegetables 1 Small Leek about vie Pound 1 Large Sweet red Pepper about 6 ounces 3 onions about 6 ounces peeled 3 carrots about Viz Pound trimmed and scraped 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 2 Tablespoon butter Salt to taste if desired freshly ground Pepper to taste a cup fresh of canned Chicken Broth trim off the Stem end of the Leek. Rinse and Drain. Cut the Leek crosswise into 2-Inch lengths. Cut the pieces Lengthwise into very thin shreds. There should be about 3 cups. Cut away and discard the Core Stem seeds and veins of the Pepper. Cut the Pepper into thin strips about 2 inches in length. There should be about 11/2 cups. Cut the onions in half Lengthwise. Place the halves Cut Side Down on a Flat surface and Cut into thin slices. There should be about 1 Viz cups. Cut the carrots crosswise into 1/4 Inch thick slices. Stack the slices a few at a time and Cut them into 1/4 Inch thick strips. Cut the strips in half. There should be about 2 cups. Heat the Oil and butter in a Skillet and add the carrots and onions. Cook stirring about 1 minute then add the Leeks. Stir to blend and Cook about 1 minute. Add the Pepper strips Salt and Pepper and stir. Add the Broth. Cover closely and Cook about 8 minutes. Yield 4 Servings. / use wooden cutting boards and to protect knife Blades. Is there a Way to sanitize the boards they have no sealer on their surface. Also could you give me tips on their general care Margaret Teitsworth West Reading a. Some authorities Are recommending that you throw out your wooden cutting boards and replace them with Marble boards because the wooden boards Are Breeding grounds for bacteria due to their porosity. If you prefer the wooden however Rodale s Book hints tips and everyday Wisdom recommends that you keep three cutting boards for Kitchen safety one for poultry and meats one for onions and garlic and one for everything else if you have two boards use one Side for meats and poultry and the other Side for garlic and onions. Every time you Cut raw meat or poultry on the cutting Board you must scrub the Board afterwards with a chlorine and water solution and do the same with All other Kitchen surfaces the food touched. To eliminate doors from cutting boards rub them with a paste of baking soda and water and rinse Well. For really bad doors you May want to leave the paste on for a Short time before rinsing. Another Way to get rid of doors is to slice a Lime and rub it Over the Board. If your Board is All scratched up you can smooth it by using a medium to Fine Grade sandpaper and rinse Erma Bombeck the curious shopper by son a Heinze the Board with cold water. Soaking the Board will cause it to Warp and split. It is also suggested by Rodale that you coat the Board with salad or Mineral Oil to make the Wood More stain resistant and to prevent it from drying out. Allow the Oil to remain on the Wood briefly then wipe it off. Good Low fat yeast dough Rolls May be enhanced with a generous and tasty homemade poppy seed filling. I would like to know if poppy seeds contain a saturated Oil like Coconut a monounsaturated Oil like olives or is the Oil polyunsaturated like safflower ? do poppy seeds contain cholesterol Nancy Adams Cicero Iii. Lori Miller a dietitian with Durkee famous foods informs us that poppy seeds Are digestible and contain 4.87 percent saturated fat 6.34 percent monounsaturated fat and 30.82 percent polyunsaturated fat. Poppy seeds do not contain cholesterol. There is no cholesterol in any Plant products Only animal products such As meat eggs milk and butter. Confusion often arises Over this fact because although plants do not contain cholesterol there Are some such As Palm and Coconut oils which have the potential for causing More damage to the cardiovascular system than animal fat. For instance Palm Kernel Oil contains More than twice the saturated fat found in lard. Reader feedback vegetable oysters Catherine Pyne Lemoore Calif a while ago a Reader wrote asking you to help identify the name of a vegetable her Mother used to Cook which she called vegetable oysters. They were the shape and color of parsnips. She Cut up the vegetables and cooked them like carrots drained most of the water off and added milk butter Salt and Pepper. She said they tasted just like Oyster Stew. In your answer you said the vegetable she was looking for was Salsify also known As Oyster Plant. I thought i would pass on my idea of vegetable oysters. I use the yellow crookneck Squash and follow the same recipe that your Reader gave and i get the same results. It tastes great. Instead of using a lot of water i use just a Small amount and Cook on a very Low Burner. This Way the nutrients Aren t poured Down the  have a consumer related question please write to Sonja Heinze care of stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces. Two Hospital gowns arrived in my mail last week. I know some columnists get baskets of fruit scotch or proposals of marriage. I Tell myself the gowns were sent to me because i stand for All that is decent and clean and keeps America free. Somewhere along the line i be probably written about the infamous Hospital gown that comes with a Moon River recording. I can t remember. But these gowns came with a Clever poem written by Susan Blake Smith and an explanation from designer Sandra n. Price. The poem reads in part can handle the shots for the a rays i m Mellow i Lipop All those pills ill eat Lime Green jello ill even be Friendly to the doctors on their rounds Page 16 the stars and stripes but i cringe at the thought of those Hospital gowns. So let s get the hospitals out of their ruts and demand the new gowns no ifs ands or burs when it comes to wardrobes hospitals have always been the Home of the  there in t one of us who has not become hysterical and screamed to our doctors you be got to give me something for the pain when he asks where Are you feeling discomfort we reply i m talking about something for my humiliation. I just went to the bathroom in front of the  according to Sandra her eclipse gown puts an end to humiliation. It is stitched Down one Side and the shoulders Are held together with velcro. This leaves one Side completely open. Hold that thought. Wednesday August 31,1988 now what is really astounding is the response from doctors when they were sent a prototype for their reaction. One said he liked the idea that there were no knots to be tied in the Back. Another commented he liked it but would suggest a scooped neckline to increase Comfort. Another had a Small concern that it would take time to educate the Public in the use of the  not one doctor mentioned that you could t dial a phone in it without becoming a Centrefold you have to Wear the gown with a Wall. It seems incongruous to me that we can put a Man on the Moon but in the year 1988, we still can t take the Moon out of a Hospital gown. True this one is a giant step for Mankind. Modesty is creeping in. But when one is developed that i can wave Bye Bye in without crouching Send it to me. I la Wear it around the House for a few Days and then Well talk. 0 1988 Erma Bombeck