Savoring Joe Allen’s Texas Chili

Dear SOS: I would very much appreciate it if you would obtain the recipe from Joe Allen’s restaurant for their chili. It is just delicious.

--ELLEN

Dear Ellen: What a great dish to serve a crowd gathered around the TV set during a miniseries or sports event. Maybe with a tossed salad and good, cold beer? Cut the recipe in half for a family size portion.

JOE ALLEN’S TEXAS CHILI

1/4 cup oil

4 pounds top round, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 cloves garlic, ground or minced

2 large green peppers, chopped

2 large onions, chopped

1 (3/4-ounce) jar cumin

1/4 cup oregano

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons crushed dried red chiles or to taste

3 tablespoons flour

1 quart beef stock

2/3 cup tomato paste

Hot pepper sauce

Salt

Beans

Sour Cream

Shredded cheese

Heat oil over medium heat. Add beef and sear well. Remove meat and put aside. Add garlic, peppers and onions and saute over medium-low heat 10 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, bay leaves and chiles. Stir and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Cook 10 minutes over medium-low heat until smooth paste is golden brown.

Add beef and stir in beef stock, tomato paste and hot pepper sauce to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered 30 to 45 minutes or until meat is done. Season to taste with salt. Serve with beans on side along with sour cream and shredded cheese. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Beans

1 pound beans

Water

3 or 4 strips pork skins or 4- to 6-ounce knuckles

2 green peppers, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon crushed dried red chiles

Hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup tomato paste

Salt

Soak beans overnight in water to cover. Strain and cook beans with pork skins in fresh water until beans are just done, about 45 to 50 minutes. Discard pork skins. Add peppers, onion, garlic, red chiles and hot pepper sauce to taste, stirring to blend. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat until beans are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, mixing well. Season to taste with salt. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Dear SOS: My wife is from the South, but even she can’t duplicate the fluffy biscuits served at McDonald’s. I’m sure McDonald’s won’t--or can’t--part with their recipe, so is there anything that comes close to your knowledge?

--BURT

Dear Burt: The closest we’ve ever come to fluffy biscuits is the recipe from Knotts Berry Farm. Give it a try and see.

KNOTTS BERRY FARM BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon shortening

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Add shortening and blend well. Add soda to buttermilk, then add to flour mixture. Blend thoroughly.

Place dough on generously floured surface and sprinkle with additional flour. Do not overwork dough. Roll out 1/4-inch thick and cut with 2-inch biscuit cutter. Dip biscuits in oil to cover all sides and place immediately on oiled baking sheet with all biscuits touching. (Oil will cling to dough.) Bake at 500 degrees 8 to 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Makes 20 biscuits.

Dear SOS: Quite a few years ago I had a recipe my family adored called Noodles Romanoff. My grown children have requested it, but I have lost the recipe and hope you can dig it up from the archives. Can you accommodate my nostalgic children--and me?

--LUCILLE

Dear Lucille: With pleasure. This nourishing family recipe goes back to the ‘40s when casseroles were popular. It would make a great buffet side dish for a barbecue meal today.

NOODLES ROMANOFF

8 ounces noodles

1 pint cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Few drops hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup soft bread crumbs

Cook noodles and drain. Combine noodles, cottage cheese, sour cream, onion, garlic, Worcestershire and hot pepper sauce and salt in greased 2-quart casserole. Mix Cheddar cheese and crumbs and sprinkle over noodles. Bake at 350 degrees 35 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Dear DOS: My daughter is being married in March and wants to serve a punch made with raspberry sherbet mixed with 7-UP or ginger ale. This seems simple, but I can’t find any guidelines for making such a punch. Can you help?

--MARY

Dear Mary: This sweet and smooth punch is a favorite teetotaler’s wedding punch. You can vary the flavorings by using any flavored concentrate and complementary sherbet.

SHERBET PUNCH

1/2 gallon raspberry sherbet

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

6 (28-ounce) bottles ginger ale or lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled

Turn sherbet into large punch bowl and break into chunks. Dilute concentrate according to label directions and add to sherbet. Pour ginger ale into punch bowl and stir lightly. Garnish with fruit, if desired. Makes about 50 servings.