Olive Oil

Spring officially arrived, thank goodness. We're ready for the bounty of herbs soon to come. Happily, a recent meal at T'afia, an eclectic restaurant in Houston, made our herb-loving hearts beat faster. Chef Monica Pope served a mound of red quinoa with quickly seared scallops and an herb-laden sauce that we nearly licked off the plate. We started garden-planning immediately: flat-leaf parsley for flower-bed borders everywhere. Plenty of pots of tender cilantro near the back door for easy kitchen use. The inspirational sauce, a Moroccan staple known as chermoula, uses lots of parsley and aromatic cilantro.

N o matter how much snow lands on Maryland, one thing's for sure: Katie O'Malley will face it furless. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals surveyed the nation's first ladies on their outerwear habits and trumpeted the results in a news release Wednesday. "[A]fter mentioning that first ladies Michelle Obama of the U.S. and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy of France had issued statements that they are fur-free" - no pressure! - "[PETA] simply asked, 'Do you wear fur?

I f it is January, it must be time for broccoli, broiled cod and pears for dessert. In other words, no more Mr. Fat Guy. Yes, during these dark days, many of us vow to eat lighter. We tell ourselves we are going to make amends for the growth in girth that occurred during the holidays. It is a familiar pattern. While battling the bulge is supposed to be a year-round endeavor, the start of each new year sees a surge in better-person initiatives. I am as porky and guilty as the next January reformer.

Donna Crivello opened the flagship Donna's Coffee Bar in Mount Vernon back in 1993. Today, Donna's is widely credited with having introduced many Baltimoreans to, among other things, salad greens not named iceberg and romaine, the practice of dipping bread in olive oil and the wonderful things that happen to vegetables when you roast them. Back a few years ago, when you couldn't swing a cat in three counties without knocking over a cup of Donna's coffee, a commonplace remark was that the empire had grown too big. Even before the economy started shrinking, Donna's scaled itself back to one weekday caf?

Savor a taste of Italy in only minutes with fish fillets topped with fresh tomato slices and melted parmesan cheese. Penne pasta tossed with fresh spinach completes this colorful dinner. Buy whatever white fish looks best at the market or use flash-frozen fillets, which I've found have a fresh flavor. Measure the thickness of the fish and cook 10 minutes per inch. Wine suggestion: I'd sip a nice Italian chianti. spinach penne pasta Cook: 10 minutes Makes: 2 servings 1/4 pound penne pasta 4 cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach 2 teaspoons olive oil salt and freshly ground pepper Bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta 10 minutes or according to package instructions.

Late-season tomatoes are a difficult sell. They are not gorgeous. Spotty, misshapen, with fissures on their skin, they would be described, if they were children, as having faces that only their mothers could love. Yet in this, the shank of their season, they draw attention from me and the fruit flies. The fruit flies circle the tomatoes that sit on a kitchen counter, looking for soft spots. Only days before, the tomatoes had been on the vine, catching a last bit of sunshine before biting cold and fading daylight shut down production.

Instead of inviting friends for dinner, I sometimes ask them to come for wine and simple appetizers. For me, this is one of the easiest ways to entertain, especially when I'm busy. I prepare one or two nibbles, open a bottle of wine, set out glasses and napkins, and that's it. Several weeks ago, after learning that a dear friend from the Midwest was coming to visit her daughter who was expecting twins (and who happens to live only a few miles from us), I had planned such a get-together.

A person who broke into an East Baltimore company and opened a valve to a tanker holding nearly 6,000 gallons of olive oil caused a spill that marred the harbor's waters and could take days to clean, authorities said yesterday. Baltimore police and state environmental officials believe someone broke into Pompeian Olive Oil Co. in the 4200 block of Pulaski Highway and opened the valve. It's unclear what the intruder's motives were, authorities said. The extra-virgin oil ran from the plastic-lined steel container into a storm drain, flowing for two miles into the harbor near Boston Avenue and Linwood streets in Canton.