Lyme Disease In Wisconsin, Food Friday: Italian Cooking

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Rob Ferrett and Veronica Rueckert look at a study of Lyme disease prevalence in Wisconsin and talk Italian cooking on “Food Friday.”

Featured in this Show

  • Music Host Offers Recipe For 'Single Girl Pasta'

    For those concerned that the coming of fall and winter weather also means the return of cold and flu season, Wisconsin Public Radio classical music host Lori Skelton said she might have the recipe to take the worries away.

    Skelton has a recipe for a dish called “Single Girl Pasta” that she believes can ward off illness. The dish got its name because she was single when she first started making it and now that she’s not, she saves it for nights when she’s dining solo.

    She attributes her good health to the ingredients in this recipe.

    Even through Wisconsin winters, I seldom get colds or flu. I attribute my resistance to eating lots of onions and garlic, and this is one of my favorite ways to eat them.” said Skelton.

    The recipe is listed below:

    Single Girl Pasta

    • 1 T. olive oil
    • 1 T. butter
    • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    • 2 medium onions, quartered, then sliced fairly thick
    • at least ¼ C. chopped fresh basil or 1 T. chopped fresh thyme
    • grated Parmesan
    • a single serving of pasta of your choice (Alright, who I am I kidding, a single serving of pasta is never enough!)

    Melt olive oil and butter together in skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and reduce heat to medium. Sauté garlic 2 to 3 minutes, but don’t brown. Add onions and turn heat to medium-low. Sauté 2 to 3 minutes, but again, don’t brown. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and let the garlic and onions cook gently for at least 20 minutes. You want them limp, fragrant and sweet.

    When your alliums are almost at your favorite state of delicious submission, cook your pasta to your desired dente. One minute before you pour that melted oniony goodness over your pasta, add your choice of herbs to the skillet and stir to combine. Garnish with more cheese than is necessary and eat while reading a good book.

  • New Study Shows High Concentration Of Lyme Disease Carrying Ticks

    A new study is raising concerns about the risk of Lyme disease in Wisconsin after researchers found more ticks are carrying and capable of spreading the ailment.

    According to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 35 percent of adult female ticks in the state had the Lyme disease bacterium. Some counties had an even higher prevalence, with 66.7 percent of adult female ticks infected in Chippewa County.

    Lloyd Turtinen, a professor of microbiology at UW-Eau Claire and leader of the study, said that number even surprised him.

    “Wherever you have new growth or fragmented forests, you’re going to have deer and small rodents like mice, and that tends to attract more of the infected ticks,” he said.

    Female ticks are the primary transmitters, — although male ticks can also carry the bacterium — so that is why the study focused on them. They are also easier to locate than nymphs, but all should be a concern, Turtinen said.

    Locating ticks on a person’s own body can be difficult, and Turtinen recommends having another person help with a “tick check: after they’ve been in tick-infested areas.

    He said if someone does find a tick on the body, proper removal is key.

    “You want to get all of the tick out, especially the mouth parts,” he said. “Otherwise, it can still transmit the bacterium.”

  • High Prevalence Of Lyme Carrying Ticks In Wisconsin

    A new stduy from the UW-Eau Claire found that 35% of the adult female ticks around the state of Wisconsin carried the Lyme disease casing bacterium, with ticks in some counties having rates as high as 66%.

  • Food Friday: Pasta and Gelato

    WPR’s own Lori Skelton talks about some delicious take-aways from her time in Italy including homemade pasta and gelato.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • KP Whaley Producer
  • Galen Druke Producer
  • Lloyd Turtinen Guest
  • Lori Skelton Guest

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