Pasta in Thai

DEAR SOS: I recently had dinner at Siamese Princess in Los Angeles, and among the entrees I really enjoyed was Thai macaroni with seafood. This was unlike anything I had tasted at a Thai restaurant, and I hope Chef Victor Sodsook will supply the recipe.

--MARK

DEAR MARK: Sodsook came to the rescue with this recipe from his cookbook “I Love Thai Food.” It is a real change of pace for pasta lovers. Sodsook uses penne or other tube pasta, but you can use any pasta.

THAI MACARONI WITH SEAFOOD

5 whole squid

5 mussels

6 shrimp

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated or brown sugar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 head napa cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces

10 ounces penne, macaroni or other tube pasta, cooked and drained

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Rinse squid in cold water and remove backbone, head and skin. Chop and set aside. Rinse mussels and remove flesh from shells. Set aside. Peel and devein shrimp. Rinse in cold water and set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet or wok until hot. Add garlic and pepper and stir-fry until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add squid, mussels and shrimp. Stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, sugar, tomato paste and cabbage. Stir-fry 5 minutes or until cabbage is soft. Remove pan from heat and pour seafood mixture over cooked pasta. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

268 calories; 319 mg sodium; 64 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 0.24 gram fiber.

Coffee Cake Bubbles

DEAR SOS: About 45 years ago Grandma made a layered coffee cake I loved. It had a warm, bubbly brown sugar topping. Can you help?

--BEVERLY

DEAR BEVERLY: Your grandmother’s cake sounds like it might have been Merk’s Coffee Cake. Milli Merk, a wonderful baker, made this coffee cake famous in the 1940s and ‘50s.

MERK’S COFFEE CAKE

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

Cream shortening, granulated sugar and vanilla thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, blending after each addition.

Grease 10-inch tube pan and line bottom with wax paper. Turn half batter into pan.

Mix butter with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add nuts and toss. Place half nut mixture over first layer of batter. Spread with remaining cake batter and top with remaining nut mixture. Bake at 350 degrees until cake springs back when touched lightly, 30 to 40 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

661 calories; 191 mg sodium; 116 mg cholesterol; 38 grams fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 0.24 gram fiber.