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        • At Su Casa: Cincinnati's Hispanic Ministry Center in Carthage has compiled recipes (in English and Spanish) for popular dishes served at its annual Hispanic Festival — arepas (Venezuelan corn cakes) to ropa vieja (Cuban shredded flank steak) and nearly 100 more. Traditional Latin American Cooking costs $12 per copy and is available by calling 761-1588 or writing: Su Casa, 7036 Fairpark Ave., Cincinnati 45216.

        • At Sur la Table: Just when you didn't think there were enough cooking and salad oils to choose from, Pacifica of Newport Beach, Calif., introduces a line of “extra-virgin” avocado oils — high in healthy monounsaturated fats, with a high smoking point (for frying and baking) and infused with blood orange, key lime or lemon flavors. Available at Sur la Table (Rookwood Commons, Norwood) for $17.95 per 375 ml. 351-7444.

Market Scan

        Belgian endive is a small, cigar-shaped head of tightly packed, slightly bitter, cream-colored leaves. Buy crisp, firmly packed heads with pale, yellow-green tips. Wrap in paper towels and refrigerate; use as soon as possible. Serve raw in salads (to prevent leaves from turning dark after cutting, toss with lemon juice) or braise slowly for side dish.

        Badger Brewery Dorset Best ($6 per 4-pack): Here's a full flavored English “best bitter” with more hop flavor than most. The convenience of the can led me to take this along on a camping trip, where it was the hit of the weekend. No nitrogen widget in these cans, so they don't have to be kept super cold. Look for the tall green cans.

        The politics, pressure and power of New York's trendy restaurants, and the importance of food in Cuban culture, at 9 p.m. Friday on Life 360, on WCET-TV, Channel 48.

Hot Date

        Chef Ron Wise of the Iron Horse Inn hosts a cheese tasting 7-8:30 p.m., next Wednesda at the Great Indoors (11925 Commons Drive) in Springdale. $25. To register: 346-1506.

A new crop of cookbooks
Books cooks can't part with
Smart mouth
Take Lyons Grille fare home for dinner
You won't believe this recipe's butter-free
CAC pieces more mental exercise than art
Character's death revealed more about Bartlet
Emmy show may be held at military base
'West Wing' spokeswoman can talk the talk
Body & mind
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