Fare Exchange: Spicy version of red beans and rice requested

By Jane Henegar

Today’s requests include the 1960s version of Shapiro’s potato salad, red beans and rice, and grilled scallops.

“Lew” of Signal Mountain wrote: “I loved the potato salad, circa 1965, served by Shapiro’s Deli. Didn’t have many ingredients, but it was very good. The current incarnation does not seem as good. Can anybody out there help?”

The next two requests came from “Hungry Husband,” an expert at cooking a package of red beans and rice. He has found none so satisfactory as the Mahatma brand, but he can’t find it anywhere in town. He’d also love a good recipe for a really spicy version of red beans and rice, as well as directions for grilling scallops as they are prepared at Hiroshi’s on the Southside.

This just in from “Barbara,” who said: “I make a big Japanese stir-fry quite often at home, and this is our favorite sauce to eat with it.”

White Sauce for Japanese Stir-Fry

1 cup mayonnaise (low-fat is fine)

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons melted butter

3/4 teaspoon paprika

3/8 teaspoon garlic powder

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate.

We know we can trust recipes that are recommended by the makers of ingredients, because of course they always put their own product in the most favorable context. Here is one that came, according to Elaine Powell of Lookout Mountain, from Betty Crocker. She wrote that “there are lots of recipes for lemon cookies on their Web site; this one is from the cake mix category. These are really easy and very tasty.”

Lemon Krisps

1 box lemon cake mix

1 cup Rice Krispies cereal

1 egg

1 stick butter, melted

Confectioners sugar

Stir together cake mix, cereal, egg and butter in a mixing bowl. Drop by half-tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 9 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. Immediately remove from oven and roll in confectioners sugar. Cool on rack.

Daisy Mae Stapleton of Morristown, Tenn., gets the credit for this special-occasion cake topped with coconut and almonds, and Ruth Clem is the sender.

Orange Chiffon Cake

21/4 cups flour

11/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup salad oil

5 unbeaten egg yolks

Juice of 2 oranges plus water to make 3/4 cup

Grated rind of 2 oranges

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1 cup egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

In large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add, in order, salad oil, egg yolks, orange juice and water, grated orange rind and orange extract.

Measure into large mixing bowl egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip until whites form very stiff peaks. Make them much stiffer than for an angel food cake. Do not underbeat.

Pour egg yolk mixture gradually over whipped egg whites, folding over gently just until blended. Do not stir. Pour into ungreased tube pan (10 inches) and bake about 70 minutes in a 325 F oven. When done, turn pan immediately over neck of a bottle until cake is cold.

Orange Fluff Topping

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1/2 cup chopped almonds or 1/2 cup coconut

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together thoroughly in top of a double boiler the egg yolks, sugar and orange juice. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in orange rind. Cool the mixture, then add, folding in, the whipped heavy cream, almonds or coconut and vanilla extract. Serve on wedges of cake.