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Table Talk, May 14

By Marty Meitus, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 13, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Beauty and bonbons

Sandra Lee, Food Network's queen of the semi-homemade meal, can put another diamond in the ol' tiara: She's one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful this year. Champagne and chocolates are part of her pampering routine, she says. So that's what we've been missing. Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Grilling 2 was published this month, a follow-up to her grilling best-seller of 2006.

Produce pick

Baby artichokes are just that - babies. The smaller artichokes are picked from low on the plant and are fully developed, only without that nasty choke in the middle. You have to pull off all the outer green leaves before cooking, leaving the yellow center, but that's simple enough. You can then steam, microwave or cook like you would the big boys. The whole artichoke is edible - bet you can't eat just one.

Not your basic dorm food

Billy Kardys, lead chef for the University of Colorado's Piazanos cafe, won the National Association of College and University Food Services' regional challenge. He'll compete at the national conference in Washington, D.C., in July.

Participating chefs had to create a dish in an hour using sea bass; Kardys prepared a gremolata - a condiment made of garlic, parsley and lemon peel - over saffron seafood risotto. Piazanos is an Italian-style eatery that opened in 2006 in the Cheyenne Arapahoe Residence Hall.

Coming soon

* The entries are tallied; the judging is complete. The Rockies Fan Fare Challenge winners will be featured in Flavor on May 21. You'll also be able to watch a video on the search for the next great ballpark food at RockyMountainNews.com.

* With Father's Day on the way, tell us about your memories of cooking - or eating - with Dad. Send your favorite story to John Lenhdorff, lehndorffj@Rocky Mountain News.com.

Salad days

May is National Salad Month. But before you pass the lettuce, check out what vegetables make the healthiest salad. According to Adam Drewnowski, director of the nutritional sciences program at the University of Washington, here's what has the most nutritional bang for the fewest calories:

* Romaine: potassium, folic acid, beta carotene and vitamin C

* Bell peppers: loaded with vitamins A and C and folic acid

* Spinach: rich in vitamin K, with vitamins A, B6, C and E, beta carotene, fiber, calcium and iron

* Tomatoes: lycopene, an antioxidant, as well as vitamin C and some B vitamins

* Broccoli: phytochemicals and nutrients including vitamins A, C and K, calcium, folic acid and fiber

The Association for Dressings & Sauces

And to top that salad . . .

Wish-Bone Bountifuls are dressings chock-full of stuff. The Berry Delight has raspberries, blueberries and cherries in a raspberry vinaigrette; the Tuscan Romano Basil has chunks of tomatoes and Romano cheese. As soon as we make that healthy salad, we'll drown it in these cool new dressings.

A dilly of a holiday

International Pickle Week is so big it can't even fit into one week, running from May 16 to 26. The promotion was begun in 1948 by the Pickle Packers International trade group.

Peter Piper picks way more than a peck of pickles - he has to pick something after peppers - at 20 billion pickles a year. Each day during pickle week, you'll find trivia, activities and recipes at pickleweek.com.