Chasing the Chills

DEAR SOS: On a trip to Lake Arrowhead, my husband and I fell in love with the cabbage soup served at the Chef’s Inn in Cedar Glen. Could you please acquire the recipe?

--LAURA

DEAR LAURA: The recipe should hit the spot on a chilly night. You can add any cooked, diced leftover beef, pork or poultry to the soup.

THE CHEF’S INN CABBAGE SOUP

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon butter

8 cups beef stock

2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup white or cider vinegar

1 tablespoon beef base or bouillon

2 small heads green cabbage, shredded

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1/2 pound diced leftover meat

Salt, pepper

Cook onion and garlic in butter until transparent. Add beef stock, tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, beef base and shredded cabbage. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour over low heat. Mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into soup gradually and cook and stir until liquid is translucent. Add meat, salt and pepper to taste. Heat through.

6 servings. Each serving:

328 calories; 1674 mg sodium; 40 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 3.06 grams fiber.

Oysters of Largess

DEAR SOS: It’s been a long time since I had Hangtown Fry, and I have lost the recipe. Can you find one for me?

--SYLVIA

DEAR SYLVIA: This is the way “The American Heritage Cookbook” (Simon & Schuster) editors explain this old California dish: “. . . miner from Shirtail Bend hailed into Hangtown with a poke full of nuggets, plunked his fortune down on the counter of Cary House and said he wanted the finest, most expensive meal they had. When he was told that oysters and eggs were the most expensive items on the menu (in those days whiskey was $1,500 a barrel, turnips a dollar each), he told the cook to put them together and serve up the food. The dish was made, originally, with the small Pacific Coast Olympia oysters.”

HANGTOWN FRY

4 oysters

2 tablespoons flour

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Shuck oysters, if fresh. Dry thoroughly. Dredge in flour. Dip in eggs that have been seasoned with salt and pepper, then in cracker crumbs. Saute oysters in butter, no more than one minute on each side. Pour remaining eggs over oysters. Cook over low heat until eggs are set. Turn to brown other side. Serve with bacon, fried onions or fried green peppers, if desired.

2 servings. Each serving:

289 calories; 602 mg sodium; 384 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

Educated Peanut Butter

DEAR SOS: My sisters and I have been craving the peanut butter bread we had while attending grammar school at Malabar Elementary in East Los Angeles. Please help with a recipe.

--JANENNE

DEAR JANENNE: We understand there is a recipe for a yeast bread with peanut butter and jelly folded in, but we weren’t able to find it. Can any of our readers help? In the meantime, we do have a recipe for Peanut Butter Crunch Bars from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH BARS

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups white corn syrup

3 cups peanut butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 (12-ounce) packages corn flakes

Combine sugar and syrup in saucepan. Bring to fast boil, stirring constantly. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Stir until well mixed. Pour over corn flakes. Mix well, working quickly. (Note: It’s best to have some help with this stage of the operation as quickness is essential). Pour into well-greased 15 1/2x10 1/2-inch pan, pressing lightly. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares.

32 bars. Each bar:

286 calories; 131 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.63 gram fiber.

Soothing the Beasts

DEAR SOS: Some years ago, you published a recipe for hush puppies. I haven’t made them in a long time and have lost the recipe. Would you please reprint the recipe?

--ED

DEAR ED: Here’s a bit of history from “American Heritage Cookbook” on hush puppies: “According to one old Southern legend, the hounds that went along on hunting expeditions were a hungry lot and would start yelping as soon as they caught the smell of fish frying for their masters’ dinner. To quiet the hounds, the hunters dropped bits of cornmeal batter into the fish pan and then tossed the tidbits to the dogs with a gentle rebuke, ‘Hush, puppy!’ ” And the pleasure is ours.

HUSH PUPPIES

2 cups white cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper, optional

1 cup milk

1 large onion, minced

Oil or shortening

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in bowl. Add milk and mix well. Stir in onion. Heat 1 inch oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in 1 spoonful of batter to test heat. Batter should brown in 3 to 4 minutes and be cooked through.

Drop in remaining batter by spoonfuls. If too thin, stir in more cornmeal. If too thick, stir in little more milk. Cook Hush Puppies until brown on one side and puffed, turn and brown other side. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot with hot fried fish.

6 servings. Each serving:

220 calories; 639 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.89 gram fiber.