Welcome to another April of fare, exchanged, beginning as always with requests. Anonymous asked, "Does anyone have a recipe for Shapiro's deli potato salad?"
This correspondent and I are surely among legions who remember Shapiro's, that tucked-away, authentic downtown delicatessen with half-done pickles, well-done potato salad and (at our house) shaved pastrami and Swiss and sturdy pumpernickel bread for making sandwiches at home. The memorable aroma wafts across the screen on which I type today.
Our second topic is dessert sauces. Here's a reminder of the missing chocolate sauce made with an egg, but today let's broaden the saucy request. Would you send your favorite chocolate sauce of any kind? And then, your favorite caramel sauce? And then (this one just arrived this week), a sugar-free version of either of those. Ice cream lovers all over town will be grateful.
CONCERNING CARROTS
A reader took to Google to find a Fare Exchange recipe she remembered and loved from long ago. The search engine failed her, but Mary Ann McInturff did not. The requester remembered the one who shared her carrot cake with all of us, and Ms. McInturff supplied the missing link.
Carrot Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded carrots
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine dry ingredients with carrots. They need to be added into the dry ingredients so that they are coated with flour, which keeps them evenly distributed in the batter.
Add eggs, oil and vanilla extract.
Grease a 13- by 9- inch pan. Spread batter in pan; bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack; spread with frosting.
(For layer cake, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on rack.)
Frosting
Note: This is enough frosting for a layer cake; a half recipe is enough for sheet cake.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
16-ounce package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer, gradually adding sugar. Add vanilla extract.
Spread frosting on cake.
ABOUT APRICOTS
We Fare Exchangers have been thinking about apricots and their nectar for a little while. But where to find the latter? Linda Weeks answered. "I read the request for apricot nectar. I find it at the Food City store in Dalton, Georgia, where I live."
(READ MORE: Fare Exchange: Apricots, spinach and chocolate star in recipe trove)
Ms. Weeks' request was a reminder to check at our nearby Food City for apricot nectar. Nope. But they had peach nectar, probably a most acceptable substitute.
A cake flavored with apricot nectar came from the files of Yeast of the Ridge.
Apricot Nectar Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box lemon Jell-O
2 teaspoons lemon extract
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup apricot nectar
4 eggs
Heat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a tube pan with nonstick spray.
Mix all ingredients well with a spoon, and fold into a prepared tube pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until toothpick in center comes out clean.
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
While cake is baking, mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl to make a glaze.
Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a plate. Then turn onto another plate to place the cake right side up.
Poke holes in the top of the cake, and drizzle the glaze over it.
MEATY MAIN DISH
An anonymous reader shared his or her copy of "Fix, Freeze, Take and Bake," full of "make-ahead meals for people on the go." The following recipe is a crock-pot riff on a popular baked chicken and wild rice dish of not so long ago.
Creamy Crock Pot Chicken and Beef
6 (4- to 5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 bacon strips
1 (2 1/2-ounce) package thinly sliced dried beef
1/4 cup flour
1 (10-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
Fold chicken breasts in half, and wrap a strip of bacon around each, securing with a toothpick. Coarsely chop dried beef. In a medium bowl, stir together dried beef, flour, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and milk. Place chicken in a freezer bag, and cover with soup mixture, mixing well. Freeze up to 3 months.
To prepare: Thaw in refrigerator or microwave. Transfer chicken to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Serve over noodles or rice, if desired.
UNORDINARY SALADS
Your recent requests now have two answers, thanks to A.E., who explained, "Neither one of these is original with me." No need to qualify, Ms. E.; it's well-nigh impossible to be original in the kitchen.
Of the cornbread salad she reported, "This recipe was a hit at a church gathering. It reminds me of Italian panzanella (bread salad)."
1 recipe of your favorite buttermilk cornbread
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1 bunch scallions, tops and bottoms, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 (3-ounce) jar pimientos, drained and diced
2 cups mayonnaise
Salt and coarsely ground pepper
Prepare buttermilk cornbread. Cool and then crumble into a large serving bowl.
Add tomato, scallions, celery, pecans, peppers and pimientos.
Mix mayonnaise with salt and pepper, and stir into salad. Chill at least an hour.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Some recipes make this salad in layers: crumbled cornbread, vegetables and dressing on top.
The second salad, also good for potluck events, came from Mrs. E. as well.
Peas Pizzicato
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen baby peas, thawed well
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons pimiento, optional
2 green onions, chopped
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Thaw peas, and drain. Do not cook. Toss with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate, covered.
This salad is simple but good.
That's it for today, but there will be more to come next week. Please plan on joining us.
REQUESTS
— Shapiro's deli potato salad
— Chocolate sauce (with and without egg)
— Caramel sauce
To Reach Us:
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com.
Jane Henegar