Chicken Campania, Persimmon Cookies, London Strips

DEAR SOS: Would you see if Cricket’s in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, will share their recipe for chicken Campania made with marinara sauce and pasta?

--SHIRLEY

DEAR SHIRLEY: If you’re having company, you can prepare the components--grilled chicken, linguine and marinara sauce--ahead, refrigerate and assemble the dish to bake at the last moment.

CRICKET’S CHICKEN CAMPANIA

6 (3-ounce) chicken breast halves

1 pound linguine

1 tablespoon oil

Marinara Sauce

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Grill or broil chicken until tender and browned on both sides. Set aside.

Cook linguine in boiling salted water to which oil is added to keep pasta from sticking. Drain and set aside.

When ready to assemble, toss linguine with Marinara Sauce in casserole. Slice chicken and place on top of linguine mixture. Cover with mozzarella cheese and bake at 500 degrees until cheese browns and bubbles. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

660 calories; 613 mg sodium; 92 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 36 grams protein; 1.05 grams fiber.

Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

Salt, pepper

2 (1-pound) cans tomatoes in juice

In skillet heat oil. Add fresh garlic. Saute until foam appears. Add granulated garlic, oregano, basil, onion, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Add tomatoes and mix well.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

*

DEAR SOS: I am looking for a recipe for persimmon cookies. My father made them many years ago and the recipe died with him.

--HELEN

DEAR HELEN: Cherished memories never die. Here’s a recipe for persimmon cookies we particularly like.

MRS. JOST’S PERSIMMON COOKIES

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins, optional

1 cup pureed persimmon pulp

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream sugar and butter together. Beat in egg.

In bowl sift flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves together. Stir in nuts and raisins.

Puree persimmon pulp until smooth and stir in baking soda. Add persimmon mixture and dry ingredients alternately to creamed butter and sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition.

Drop batter by heaping teaspoons on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

142 calories; 43 mg sodium; 19 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.33 gram fiber.

*

DEAR SOS: I’d love a cookie recipe from long ago called London strips. They were layered with strawberry jam and meringue.

--NATASHA

DEAR NATASHA: Thanks for asking us to resurrect a very good recipe from our Old-Fashioned Recipe file.

LONDON STRIPS

2 1/2 cups flour

5 eggs, separated

Sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

Strawberry jam

1 tablespoon bourbon or vanilla extract

3 cups walnuts, finely chopped

Powdered sugar

In bowl, mix flour, egg yolks, 6 tablespoons sugar, butter and vanilla, blending thoroughly.

Spread dough on 16x11-inch pan and flatten. Cover liberally with jam. In bowl beat egg whites until stiff, gradually beating in 1 cup sugar and bourbon. Fold in nuts and spread mixture over dough.

Bake at 350 degrees about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then cut into strips when cool. Makes 3 to 4 dozen strips.

Each of 3 dozen strips contains about:

184 calories; 11 mg sodium; 43 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.48 gram fiber.