Granola, Chasing Chili, Ginger Dressing

DEAR SOS: The Post Ranch Inn at Big Sur serves the most wonderful granola at breakfast. Do you think the chefs there would share the recipe?

--BECKY

DEAR BECKY: Crunch (yes), crunch (yes), crunch (yes).

POST RANCH INN GRANOLA

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Dash ground nutmeg

1 cup honey

1 1/3 cups peanut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine oats, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in bowl. Mix and set aside.

Heat honey, peanut oil and vanilla extract in small saucepan to boiling. Remove from heat and stir into dry ingredients.

Spread mixture on baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 quarts.

Each 1-cup serving contains about:

730 calories; 7 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 49 grams fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 1.68 grams fiber.

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DEAR SOS: Please print the recipe for Chasen’s chili again. I bought your new cookbook, “Dear SOS,” but it wasn’t in the book.

--JOYCE

DEAR JOYCE: Unfortunately, the chili recipe was one of hundreds that landed on the cutting room floor because of the book’s space restrictions. We call the dish “Chasing” chili because we have never been able to convince Chasen’s proprietor to share the recipe.

The recipe is from a reader who clipped it, she said, from a publication crediting the source as a friend who knew a waiter who knew a chef, etc. At best, it’s a facsimile (a good one, we hope). See if you agree.

CHASING CHILI

1/2 pound dry pinto beans

5 cups chopped tomatoes

1 pound green peppers, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 pounds onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup butter

2 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably chuck

1 pound lean ground pork

1/3 cup chili powder

2 tablespoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds

In bowl soak beans in water to cover overnight. Drain. Cover with cold water and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour.

Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes longer. Saute green peppers in hot oil until tender. Add onions and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic and parsley.

In another skillet, melt butter and add beef and pork. Cook, stirring, 15 minutes, or until crumbly and brown. Add meat to onion mixture and stir in chili powder. Cook 10 minutes. Add meat mixture to beans along with salt, pepper and cumin seeds.

Simmer, covered, 1 hour. Remove cover and simmer 30 minutes longer. Skim fat from top. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

643 calories; 2,064 mg sodium; 138 mg cholesterol; 41 grams fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 36 grams protein; 4.25 grams fiber.

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DEAR SOS: I would appreciate a recipe for the ginger dressing served at Benihana of Tokyo restaurant in Encino.

--LEONA

DEAR LEONA: The recipe has been a top favorite of Culinary SOS readers since the Benihana restaurants appeared on the West Coast years ago. Most recipes printed in this column delete use of MSG even when called for by chefs. However, because of the nature of this high-flavor dressing, we did not change the original recipe. It’s up to you to use MSG, a flavor-enhancing agent, or not. Anyone who is allergic to MSG should definitely omit it.

GINGER DRESSING BENIHANA

3 (1/2-inch) cubes peeled ginger root, chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

1 large onion, sliced

1 teaspoon MSG, optional

Place ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, onion and MSG in blender. Blend at high speed 2 minutes or until ginger and onion are minced.

Serve with seafood. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Each 1-tablespoon serving contains about:

14 calories; 671 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.09 gram fiber.