Pastina, Mousse, Horseradish

DEAR SOS: The tiny star-shaped pasta dish with chicken served at La Veranda in Beverly Hills is really very good. Can you get the recipe?

--CHERYL

DEAR CHERYL: David Slay, the chef-owner of La Veranda, explains: “Pastina is a star-shaped pasta that is cooked much like risotto. It’s used more with soups and stews than as a pasta dish.”

LA VERANDA PASTINA 4 (16-ounce) whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced Salt, pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 4 cups pastina 7 to 8 cups chicken broth 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut julienne 4 cups cooked broccoli florets 1 cup unsalted butter, sliced 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Lightly season chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in very large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add and saute chicken until rare. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add garlic to drippings in skillet. Cook until golden. Add pastina and 3/4 of broth, stirring occasionally. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and cook few minutes. Return chicken to skillet and cook over medium-low heat 6 minutes or until chicken and pasta are just tender, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli, butter and remaining chicken broth if needed. Remove from heat and stir in some Parmesan cheese. Serve hot, sprinkled with remaining Parmesan cheese. Makes 12 servings.

Note: Recipe may be cut in half, if desired.

Each serving contains about: 588 calories; 820 mg sodium; 65 mg cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 0.83 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: I’d like to have a recipe for Orange Mousse for the holidays. Can you help?

--SHELLY

DEAR SHELLY: You can serve this mousse in meringue shells (store-bought or homemade) or plain in parfait glasses.

ORANGE MOUSSE 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1 cup cold water 1 cup sugar 1 cup orange juice Grated zest of 1 orange 1 cup heavy whipping cream 6 meringue shells, optional

Sprinkle gelatin in cold water in saucepan. Add sugar and heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and add orange juice and zest. Chill until mixture is consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Whip cream and fold into gelatin mixture. Turn into meringue shells or parfait glasses. Chill at least 3 hours. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 289 calories; 16 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: On the last evening of a Royal Caribbean Viking cruise in July we enjoyed a prime rib dinner with the usual cup of creamed horseradish sauce. It brought back memories of my grandfather grating horseradish in the back yard in Pennsylvania, making sure he had the wind going the right way. As an adult I’ve canned horseradish, but now I can’t find recipe instructions for creamed horseradish. The stuff in the store is so watered down. Can you help?

--MRS. A.V.

DEAR MRS. A.V.: Let us introduce you to a recipe for creamed horseradish shared by Lawry’s Prime Rib restaurant in Los Angeles.

LAWRY’S CREAMED HORSERADISH 1 cup whipping cream 1 ounce horseradish root, peeled and grated or ground 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 2 or 3 drops hot pepper sauce

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add horseradish, seasoned salt and hot pepper sauce to taste. Continue whipping until stiff. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 2 cups.

Each tablespoon contains about: 27 calories; 46 mg sodium; 10 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.02 gram fiber.