Zucchini Frittata, Mango-Rice Pudding, Pistou Soup

DEAR SOS: Some time ago, a reader, Zelma, asked for a zucchini frittata recipe and you replied with a zucchini patty recipe. I believe this is the recipe she’s looking for. I’ve had it for years and it’s a family favorite.

--MRS. G. W.

DEAR MRS. G. W.: You are so kind. We have several recipes, but yours looks easy and sounds good. We added two more eggs to your recipe for a more eggy frittata.

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ZUCCHINI FRITTATA WITH CHEESE

4 medium zucchini, unpeeled

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, minced

2 tablespoons minced green pepper, optional

Salt

4 eggs

1/2 cup shredded American cheese

Rinse, then thinly slice zucchini. Melt butter in skillet. Add zucchini, onion and green pepper. Season to taste with salt. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Beat eggs, then pour evenly over vegetables. Cover and cook over low heat until eggs are set. Sprinkle with cheese. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, until cheese melts. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

191 calories; 571 mg sodium; 238 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 0.74 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: I recently moved and lost all my clippings. Is there a way you can provide me with the recipe for mango-rice pudding that appeared in The Times?

--LOLITA

DEAR LOLITA: How about this recipe, which can be easily converted to include almost any soft, mashable fruit, such as berries, ripe pears, apricots, peaches, plums or bananas.

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MANGO-RICE PUDDING

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Dash ground ginger

4 cups chilled cooked rice

1 1/2 cups mashed mango pulp or other soft fruit

Sliced fruit or berries for garnish

In bowl whip cream. Fold in powdered sugar and ginger. Fold in rice along with fruit. Heap in serving dishes and decorate with slices of fruit. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

630 calories; 27 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 111 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 0.59 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: I belong to a gourmet group that meets once a month. Plans for 1994 have been completed and I am assigned a French meal for February. I already know that I want to start with a French pistou soup. I’ve checked cookbooks but can’t find a recipe. Can you help?

--LINDA

DEAR LINDA: We turned to Volume 1 of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” (Knopf: 1961) and found the recipe for this wonderfully satisfying French Provencale vegetable soup. The word pistou , Child explains, means a sauce of garlic, basil, tomato and cheese, but the soup always contains potatoes, carrots, leeks, dried beans and a handful of pasta enriched with seasonal vegetables.

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SOUPE AU PISTOU JULIA CHILD

3 quarts water

2 tablespoons salt

2 cups diced carrots

2 cups diced new potatoes

2 cups diced white of leeks or yellow onions

2 cups white beans or 1 cup canned cannellini, navy or kidney beans

2 cups fresh green beans

1/3 cup small pasta or spaghetti, broken into 1/2-inch pieces

1 slice stale white bread, crumbled

Dash saffron

Large dash black pepper

1 to 2 cups mixture of diced zucchini, green peas, sweet red or green peppers.

Pistou Flavoring

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place water, salt, carrots, potatoes, leeks and white beans in 4-quart kettle. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 40 minutes. Set aside until ready to serve.

About 15 minutes before serving, add green beans, pasta, bread crumbs, canned beans (if using), saffron, pepper and zucchini mixture. Add more boiling water if necessary to maintain enough liquid in pot.

Just before serving, drizzle several ladles of hot soup into Pistou Flavoring in tureen or casserole, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in remaining soup. Stir in parsley. Serve with hot French bread, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

544 calories; 2,583 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 5.43 grams fiber.

Pistou Flavoring

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil leaves

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

Prepare Pistou Flavoring while soup is boiling.

Put garlic cloves through press into soup tureen or casserole. Stir in tomato paste, basil and cheese. With wire whip, gradually beat in oil by drop to make thick paste. Set aside until ready to combine with soup and serve.