Nutritious Dog Biscuits Made With Vegetables

Dear SOS: I now have a Saint Bernard puppy and would like to make some dog biscuits. I believe you printed a recipe for making your own.

--COLLEEN Dear Colleen: We were in the dog house until we unearthed this nutritious biscuit made with vegetables, nonfat milk and grain.

DOGGIE BISCUITS 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup rye flour

2 cups bulgur

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk

4 teaspoons salt

1 envelope dry yeast

1/4 cup very warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

2 to 3 cups chicken broth

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

In large bowl, mix all-purpose, whole-wheat and rye flours, bulgur, cornmeal, dry milk and salt. Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir to dissolve. Add yeast mixture and 2 cups of broth to flour mixture. Mix well with hands. (Dough will be very stiff.) If necessary, add a little more broth.

On floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place on ungreased baking sheets. Beat egg and milk together. Brush biscuits lightly with egg-milk mixture. Bake at 300 degrees 45 minutes. Turn oven off and let biscuits remain in closed oven overnight. Makes 1 1/2 dozen biscuits.

Dear SOS: My husband loves Chicken Piccata, but I’ve been unable to find a decent recipe for it. Can you help?

--SHARON Dear Sharon: You can use turkey breast slices or veal scaloppine too.

CHICKEN PICCATA 3 whole chicken breasts

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried leaf tarragon

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 thin lemon slices, halved

1 teaspoon minced parsley

Bone and skin chicken breasts, then cut into halves. Cut each piece of chicken into 10 to 12 strips. Melt butter in large skillet. Add chicken, sprinkle with flour, salt and tarragon. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and lemon slices. Stir chicken to loosen any browned particles. Cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes over low heat. Serve over rice, if desired. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dear SOS: About six years ago, you printed a recipe for a super-rich Yorkshire pudding. It was very buttery and required two resting periods before baking.

--MARGIE Dear Margie: Is this the one you mean?

A.B.’S YORKSHIRE PUDDING 3 eggs, well beaten

1/3 cup flour

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

Beat together eggs, flour, milk and salt. Let rest 30 minutes. Spoon 1 tablespoon butter into each of 6 individual souffle dishes or custard cups or 3 tablespoons butter in each of 2 (4-inch) souffle dishes. Heat at 450 degrees until butter becomes almost brown.

Beat pudding mixture again and turn into dishes. Bake at 450 degrees 10 to 18 minutes or longer for larger pans, until puddings are puffy and golden. Do not open oven door until puddings have risen and are golden brown. Serve at once. Makes 6 servings.

Dear SOS: My grandmother made a one-crust lemon pie that was tart and had a light, airy spongecake-like filling and no topping of any kind. I would love to have this recipe for remembered pleasures of long ago.

--DOROTHY Dear Dorothy: Lemon Sponge Pie is certainly a classic. The cake-like mixture will be on top with sauce on the bottom, similar to cake-top pudding.

LEMON SPONGE PIE 1 (8-inch) unbaked pie shell

1 tablespoon soft butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon flour

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 eggs, separated

1 cup milk

Bake pie shell at 425 degrees 10 minutes. Cool. Cream butter and sugar. Add salt, flour, lemon juice and peel. Beat egg yolks and add milk. Blend well with sugar mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into filling. Pour filling into partially baked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes or until golden brown. (Cake-like mixture will be on top with sauce on bottom.) Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dear SOS: I would very much like to have a recipe for tortilla soup that you previously printed. It was mostly beans blended with tortillas.

-NORMA Dear Norma: Beans? We did not find a tortilla soup with beans. (Generally, the soup contains chicken, vegetables and sometimes a cheese topping.) May we give a substitute recipe from Salmagundi in San Francisco?

SOPA DE TORTILLA 1 (3-pound) chicken, cut up

4 quarts water

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 whole cloves garlic

1 (1-pound) can whole peeled tomatoes, broken up

1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 onion, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 sprigs cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut corn

4 green onions, diced

Salt

1 cup cooked rice

4 sprigs parsley, minced

Tortilla chips

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Place chicken, water, celery seeds, peppercorns and whole garlic cloves in large heavy saucepan. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth. Cool, bone and cut into 1-inch pieces. Set aside.

Strain broth and return to pot. Add tomatoes, green pepper, onion, cilantro, minced garlic, cumin, cayenne and white pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add corn and green onions. Cook 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Stir in reserved chicken, rice and parsley. To serve, spoon soup into tureen. Top with tortilla chips, then cheese. Place under broiler just until cheese melts. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Only recipes of general interest will be printed. We are unable to answer all requests. Please include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. Send your letter with self-addressed, stamped envelope to Culinary SOS, Food Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.