NEW AND NOTEWORTHY.

COOKBOOK: What did Christopher Columbus, Lewis & Clark and the American pioneers have in common? They all cooked in cast iron pots. Now Mara Reid Rogers, who promotes the old-fashioned cookware in ``Cast Iron Cooking'' (HPBooks; $17.95), tells modern-day cooks how to use them.

In her newest book (she's got seven others under her belt), the Georgia author offers 150 recipes for everything from main dishes and side dishes to breads and desserts. And it's not all camping-out cooking, either. Among recipes for Cowboy Beans and Chicken Fried Steak are how- to's for Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan-Ricotta and Lemongrass-Scented Shrimp with Jasmine Rice. (She also throws in recipes for homemade tomato ketchup and her own version of commercial Old Bay Seasoning.)

Proving you can cook just about anything in cast iron: It never stains or chips, it heats evenly and holds the heat, and can go from stove top to oven to campfire. And once it's properly seasoned, it won't rust (if you dry it properly) and food won't stick.

Although new cast iron is available in cookware shops (sale of cast iron cookware rose from $20 million in 1990 to $34 million in 2000), used pots and skillets can often be found at yard sales and thrift stores. Rogers chooses to treat the only real drawback of cast iron - once it's full of food, it's heavy as heck, a real arm-breaker - as an advantage. With all that weight, she points out, it won't tip over.

- Carol Bidwell

NEW ON THE SHELF: StarKist Seafood has launched Lunch To-Go, a mobile individual meal packed in a plastic package containing a 3-ounce vacuum-sealed flavor fresh pouch of tuna, a packet each of low-calorie mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish, crackers, a mini spoon, napkin and striped mint. The packaging also doubles as a mixing tray, which we question from a sanitary standpoint. Perhaps we're paranoid.

Simply mix the tuna (no draining necessary) in the tray with the mayo and relish and serve on the crackers. The worst part of the concept is the mini mixing spoon - it's not even large enough to get the tuna out of the pouch and it's too small for mixing much of anything. We'd suggest including a mini fork with a longer handle. Otherwise, the tuna tasted good, but a little bland. More seasoning such as dill weed would be a good addition. Each container/serving has 310 calories and 13 grams fat.

Available in two varieties - Chunk Light Tuna in water and Albacore Tuna in water - suggested retail is $1.69 and $2.19 respectively. Look for it at supermarkets.

- Natalie Haughton

DINING OUT: One server of it describes boba tea as something like ``gummy beer.''

It's the current, oh-so-trendy, New Age rage beverage of the moment, especially among college students. You can find it at Yogurt Cinema in the West Valley and the Boba Bar in the East Valley.

Kari Ing, owner of Yogurt Cinema, says boba is another name for tapioca and very popular in Asia, particularly Taiwan. ``It's called cha bon-bon in Thailand,'' she says.

Marble-size black pearl-like tapioca balls are boiled for around 20 minutes and then added to a beverage, usually tea, that's iced and creamed. Asian green tea is often used.

The tapioca ``pearls'' settle in the bottom of the glass, giving it the ``gumminess'' described by Billy Ing, who serves it to customers at his sister Kari's yogurt shop.

With tea it costs $2.25 a glass. With a mocha yogurt shake it's $2.95.

Yogurt Cinema in Woodland Hills is open at 11 a.m. daily. It serves boba to 8:30 p.m. Sunday and to 9:30 p.m. the rest of the week.

At the Bubble Tea Lounge of the Boba Bar customers leisurely drink boba beverages through straws, conversing, hanging out, enjoying the tea alternative to Starbucks.

The most popular version here is the regular glass of cold milk tea ($3). A large glass is $4. A milk cooler made with the boba, fruit syrup, nondairy creamer and sugar is $3.25.

The Boba Bar is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Yogurt Cinema is at 21510 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills. Information: [phone]. Boba Bar is at 12044 1/2 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Information [phone].

- Larry Lipson

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Book: ``COOKING IN CAST IRON'')

(2) no caption (Starkist Lunch to Go packages)