A Marine to the Rescue

DEAR SOS: We laughed at the recipe for S.O.S. (the Navy chipped beef recipe). There would be mutiny at our house if I added Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice or anything but pepper. The March/April 1998 issue of the “CVE Piper,” the newsletter of the Escort Carriers Sailors and Airmen Assn., contained the actual recipe for S.O.S. to serve 100.

BESS CHRISTENSEN

LOMPOC

DEAR BESS: Many other readers, including Major Ed Condon, US Marine Corps (retired), wrote telling us we were all wet. “That was an awful S.O.S. recipe you published. You must have gotten it from some draft dodger.” For these and other readers, we happily accept your S.O.S., which we broke down to serve 4 to 6.

NAVY S.O.S.

1/2 pound dried sliced beef

3 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter, softened

6 tablespoons flour

Freshly ground pepper

6 to 8 slices bread, toasted

Cut beef into small pieces. Heat milk to boiling. Blend together butter and flour to make smooth paste. Stir into milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Stir in beef. Simmer about 10 minutes. Serve on toast.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings contains:

296 calories; 206 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

Enchilada Celebration

DEAR SOS:The Acapulco Restaurant in Arcadia had a crab-avocado enchilada with sour cream sauce that was delicious. It’s no longer on the menu, and I need your help. I would like to surprise my husband on our anniversary.

ANNE M.

FALLBROOK

DEAR ANNE: Happy anniversary. It so happens we had the recipe in our files.

ACAPULCO CRAB ENCHILADAS

SALSA CON TOMATILLOS

2 dozen tomatillos

Oil

2 jalapeno chiles, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 corn tortillas

SOUR CREAM SAUCE

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Dash sugar

ENCHILADAS

6 corn tortillas

Oil or lard

1 1/2 cups crab meat

6 tablespoons minced onion

Shredded Jack cheese

Pitted black olives

Avocado slices

Sliced peeled tomatoes

SALSA

Remove papery husks from tomatillos, cover with water and boil until tender. Drain off half of liquid. Turn into blender and blend until smooth.

Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil in saucepan. Add chiles and onion and cook until tender but not browned. Puree garlic with salt and add to sauce. Add cilantro. Cook 5 minutes. Add tomatillos. Fry tortillas in additional oil and place in blender with a little water and blend until smooth. Add to sauce and cook 5 minutes.

SOUR CREAM SAUCE Puree garlic with salt. Combine sour cream, onion, cilantro and sugar. Add garlic mixture and stir gently to blend well.

ENCHILADAS

Heat tortillas, 1 at a time, in oil until soft. Place 1/4 cup crab meat in center of each tortilla, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon onion. Spread a little Salsa Con Tomatillos on top. Roll enchiladas, and place, seam-side down, in shallow baking dish. Cover with remaining Salsa Con Tomatillos. Sprinkle generously with cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees about 10 minutes, or until hot and cheese melts. Serve with dollop of Sour Cream Sauce and garnish with olives, avocado and tomato slices.

6 enchiladas. Each enchilada contains:

458 calories; 997 mg sodium; 84 mg cholesterol; 30 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 0.31 gram fiber.

All Jumbled Up

DEAR SOS: Please help me find a recipe for sour cream jumbles. In 1965 they were my son’s favorite cookie.

BEULAH

DEAR BEULAH: Would this two-tone version do?

TWO-TONE JUMBLES

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or peanuts

2 3/4 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 (1-ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, melted

Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla. Add eggs and continue to beat until fluffy. Stir in 1 cup nuts. Sift flour with baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.

Drop half of cookie dough in small mounds, 2 inches apart, on greased baking sheets. Stir melted chocolate into remaining dough. Drop chocolate mound of equal size onto pan, touching each plain mound (they will bake together as 1 cookie). Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake at 375 degrees until cookies are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

2 to 3 dozen cookies. Each of 3 dozen cookies contains:

145 calories; 75 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.28 gram fiber.