Carbonara Alla Franco From Little Joe’s Includes Special Ingredients

Dear SOS: I would like to request the recipe for spaghetti carbonara from Little Joe’s on Broadway in San Francisco. I am sure your readers, who are lovers of Italian food, would love this dish as it has unusual ingredients, such as mushrooms, black olives and other things which a carbonara usually does not.

--DAWN

Dear Dawn: You’re right. It is unusual and our Food Section tasting panel loved it.

LITTLE JOE’S ON BROADWAY CARBONARA ALLA FRANCO

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup ground or finely diced prosciutto

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Pepper

1 egg

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked

Heat oil in large skillet. Add prosciutto, mushrooms, garlic and olives. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add wine and broth. Bring to boil. Simmer over high heat until liquid is reduced by half. Add parsley and season to taste with pepper. (Do not add salt.) Break egg into mushroom mixture and stir until egg is cooked. Add Parmesan cheese and mix well. Pour over cooked spaghetti and toss until mixed. Serve at once. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Dear SOS: A few weeks ago we enjoyed the rice pudding with whipped cream at Clifton’s Cafeteria in West Covina. Would you please try to get the recipe for me?

--E.M.

Dear E.M.: The recipe, which was reduced to family size from a quantity-size recipe from Clifton’s goes back some, but it’s still great. CLIFTON’S RICE CUSTARD

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 teaspoon mace

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups cooked rice

Blend eggs, sugar, mace and salt. Add milk to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in vanilla. Place cooked rice in 8-inch square pan. Pour milk mixture over rice, filling pan to within 1/2 inch of top.

Place pan in larger pan and pour in hot water to come about halfway up pan of pudding. Bake at 400 degrees 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cut into squares to serve. Makes 9 servings.

Dear SOS: Would you assist me in finding a recipe for hot Buffalo Chicken Wings?

--JUNE

Dear June: Certainly. This one is from Janice Okun, the food editor of the Buffalo News in Buffalo, N.Y., where, it is said, the recipe originated. JANICE OKUN’S BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

24 (about 4 pounds) chicken wings

Salt, optional

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups peanut, vegetable or corn oil

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 to 5 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Blue Cheese Dressing

Celery sticks

Cut off and discard small tip of each wing. Cut main wing bone and second wing bone at joint. Season wings to taste with salt and pepper. Heat oil in deep fat fryer or large heavy metal pot. When it is quite hot, add half the wings and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When wings are golden brown and crisp, remove them and drain well.

Add remaining wings and cook about 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Drain well. Melt butter in saucepan and add hot sauce and vinegar. Place wings on warm serving platter and pour butter mixture over them. Serve with Blue Cheese Dressing and celery sticks. Blue Cheese Dressing

1 cup homemade mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Salt, optional

Freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne

Combine mayonnaise, onion, garlic, parsley, sour cream, lemon juice, white vinegar, cheese and salt, pepper and cayenne to taste in mixing bowl. Mix and chill for 1 hour or longer. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Dear SOS: I would be ever so grateful if you would find a recipe for amaretto cake.

--ELIZABETH

Dear Elizabeth: It’s an easy cake to make and good, too. AMARETTO CUSTARD CAKE

1 (18 1/2-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1/1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup amaretto or amaretto and Cognac

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Glaze

Grease and flour 12-cup bundt cake pan. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, milk, amaretto and nutmeg in large bowl and beat at low speed, scraping bowl constantly, 1 minute. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, 2 minutes.

Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 45 minutes, until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from pan. Drizzle with Glaze.

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto or amaretto and Cognac

2 tablespoons milk or half and half

Dash nutmeg

Dash salt

Mix sugar, amaretto, milk, nutmeg and salt until glaze is smooth and of drizzling consistency.

Dear SOS: Since the price of chow chow has doubled in the market, I would like to find a recipe that is similar. Can you help?

--Mrs. L.S.

Dear Mrs. L.S.: Here’s a Chow Chow Relish that’s quite similar to the commercial brand. CHOW CHOW RELISH

4 cups chopped cabbage

3 cups chopped cauliflower

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped green tomatoes

2 cups chopped green peppers

3 tablespoons salt

2 1/2 cups vinegar

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons celery seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Combine cabbage, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes and peppers. Sprinkle with salt. Let mixture stand 4 to 6 hours in cool place. Drain well.

Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard, turmeric, ginger, celery and mustard seeds in large saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes. Add vegetable mixture and simmer 10 minutes more. Bring to boil. Pack, boiling hot, into jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust lids and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes 4 pints.