European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                My Sourini by Pierre Franey new York times dried salted cod has been associate with Spanish portuguese and French cooking for  was especially valuable before refrigeration because of its Long shelf life. The cod some of which measure up to six feet Long were usually salted aboard fishing vessels in Large wooden barrels. Before cooking the files were soaked in water to remove the Salt and reconstitute the flesh. Today when fresh fish can Cost up to $10 a Pound or More Salt cod is still a relative bargain. In my local fish Market Boneless skinless Salt cod costs $6.25 a Pound. Once they Are desalted these cod files can be prepared in myriad ways cold in a potato salad with a Vinaigrette style sauce with a sauce Gri Biche an oily sauce made with egg Yolk and vinegar hot in soups or stews in warm salads with dried Beans with spicy Tomato based sauces baked with tomatoes onions and Saffron even florentine with spinach and Mornay sauce. One of my favorite recipes is from the Languedoc and Provence regions of France. It is called bran Dade. A Puree of salted cod. When i was chef at be Pavilion in the 1940s, i often put bran Dade on the Winter lunch menu enhancing it with Black truffles. With the return to Homey Bistro food in recent years it has begun to reappear on menus in new York City and around the nation. The recipe for bran Dade has several variations depending on the Region of France in which it is prepared. Mine Calls for blending boiled potatoes and garlic with the blanched cod files along with some milk Nutmeg Olive Oil and Cayenne. You should have a coarse Puree. I like to serve it topped with Croutons Flavoured with Olive Oil and crushed Black Pepper. A simple Green salad makes a Fine Side dish. Bran Dade 1 Pound salted cod preferably Boneless and skinless % Pound potatoes Idaho or Washington russet peeled and Cut into 2-Inch cubes 11/4 cups milk 1 Small onion stuck with 2 whole cloves 1 Bay Leaf 2 Parsley sprigs 1/2 cup heavy Cream 1/z cup Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon minced garlic a Teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg Pinch Cayenne Pepper or to taste Salt and freshly ground White Pepper to taste 1 Black truffle minced optional Croutons see recipe. Put the cod in a Large bowl and cover it with cold the curious Many Cereal boxes state that but is used in the packaging material to preserve  i be read that but is a dangerous chemical. If this is so Why do the Powers that be allow but to be used c.j.a., port Orange Fla. But butyl Ted hydroxy toluene is a preservative. It acts As an antioxidant that is it tries to Stop the damage done to food by oxygen. But is particularly effective in inhibiting oils from becoming rancid. Its main function then is to extend the shelf life of food. A package of Cereal potato chips bread or what have you can state and often does that there Are no preservatives added to the product. However in Little print somewhere you might read to help preserve the freshness but is added to the packaging  but according to an article in the february i985 Issue of food processing when added to the packaging material the antioxidant but vaporizes from the package and diffuses throughout the Cereal  so even though the but is not added directly to the product it ends up in the product indirectly. I would not Call but a dangerous chemical but its safety is a matter of controversy since it s added to so Many foods and it does accumulate in body fat. Peter Phelps of Kellogg s consumer affairs department when asked Why but is permitted in cereals and other food products responded because scientists at the Fra have evaluated the scientific Erma Bombeck Erma Bombeck is on vacation. This Best of Bombeck column originally appeared 1985. I agree with miss manners. Social kissing is getting out of hand in this country. What started out As an emotional embrace Between families who had not seen one another in 20 years now has All the tenderness of a farsighted Eagle feeding her Young. Everyone puckers and pecks these Days. Starlets from the Green room present their Cheek to the talk show Host whom they have just seen five minutes before. People at lunch hurriedly wipe crumbs from their Mouths and Bury their faces in your hair. Visitors to the sick in hospitals lean Over Long White lifeless forms in Short dresses and god knows what they re embracing. From sheer habit the other Day i nearly bussed a Man who came to change the thermostat in my oven. Shopper gyy4.j%rvi,h water. Let it soak for 24 hours changing the water often. Put the potatoes in a Saucepan cover with water and simmer about 20 minutes or until the potatoes Are soft. Drain and keep warm. Meanwhile Drain the soaked cod and place in a Saucepan. Cover with water and add 1/4 cup of the milk the onion Bay Leaf and Parsley sprigs. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Drain Well. Carefully remove the Bones and skin if necessary. In another Saucepan blend the remaining 1 cup milk and the Cream. Warm it Over Low heat. In another Saucepan warm the Oil. Combine the potatoes and garlic in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at Low Speed. Add the flaked cod and beat at a High Speed. Alternately add the milk mixture and warm Oil until All Are used. Beat in the Nutmeg Cayenne Salt Only if necessary and Pepper. Stir in the truffles and serve with Croutons. Yield 6 Servings. Croutons 1 loaf French bread 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil freshly ground Black Pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the bread into a Inch slices and Sprinkle one Side with the Olive Oil. Then grind some Black Pepper Over them. Place the bread slices on a baking Sheet in the on and bake until Golden Brown. Yield 6 Servings. By Sonja Heinze evidence for safety of this compound and concluded that it is Safe and useful in this application. We believe that the Fra scientists Are among the most expert in the world in this regard and we Trust their judgment in these  conversely Michael Jacobson in eater s digest feels that but and its ally Bra have not been adequately tested and cannot be generally recognized As Safe. Purchase your food carefully he advises and reduce your consumption of these  some of Kellogg s products do not contain but. These Are Raisin bran All bran bran buds Cracklin oat bran Honey smacks fruitful bran bran flakes and nutria Grain. Where can i find steel Cut Oatmeal for years i bought Elam s from the grocery Chain stores but they stopped. The general nutrition Center stores have also stopped. I would appreciate it if any one of your readers could help me. Mary Arndt Michigan City ind. I asked the Quaker Oats company what they could Tell me about the Oats you seek and Susan Plantz a the problem of kissing hello is twofold first either we All do it or no one does it. Second if we decide to do it there have to be some rules. There is a bloc of diehard kissers who refuse to Exchange lips with anyone but their Mother and their dog. My husband is one of these. If someone wanted to give him Mouth to Mouth resuscitation he would refuse until he had been formally introduced. He regards kissing As a Clearinghouse for germs and wants no part of it. When he is confronted by a social Kisser he stands with his arms hanging limply to his Side and his body erect. It s like making a pass at a food blender. There Are a lot of people like my husband who must be converted if kissing is to continue. I am shocked that kissing has continued so Long without rules. This has created a lot of problems such As stepping on feet bumping noses getting hair caught in braces having consumer specialist responded steel Cut Oats Are oat groats Cut into pieces by steel Blades. A Groat is a hulled Grain. The word grits evolved from the old English word groats rolled Oats Are steamed and rolled in Large steel rollers. Several years ago we did manufacture steel Cut Oats for the retail trades. Frankly sales were very Low so the product was withdrawn. It was a step we took reluctantly because we know that some of our customers enjoyed the texture of this product As an occasional change of Pace from the rolled Oats. It is no longer available in retail  i would suggest that you try scotch Irish Oatmeal which is described in the Vermont country store Catalon As a course Cut Oatmeal and a Rich Cereal with High  write for their free Catalon to . Box 3000, Manchester Center it 05255. A 4-Pound bag of this Oatmeal is $5.20. Reader feedback Mold on syrup Mary Bixler Clarence Iowa in regard to a question from one of your readers about Mold growing on her syrup i have a solution for her. If it is stored upside Down once it has been opened it should keep indefinitely in the cupboard or pantry. I Learned this from an old Friend years ago and have saved Many bottles of unused syrup Ever  have a consumer related question write to Sonja Heinze in care of the stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces. Glasses lock lipstick in strange places and general confusion. There is no need for this. If ships can pass in the night without radar people can kiss without hurting each other. When you approach the Kissee give a Quick appraisal of things that puncture pens credit cards with Sharp edges key rings packages Etc. And mumble you look  then stepping Forward with your right foot to maintain balance firmly grasp each other s hand and aim for the left Side of the face. Left that is important. Pucker the lips close the eyes to avoid foreign objects striking you Blind and whisper we must get together  this is your Standard greeting for someone you be never met before and probably will never see again. If the Kissee is someone you really care about you la know what to do. C 1989 Erma Bombeck Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday january 18,1989