Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

Grilling season offers the perfect opportunity to lighten up. The Star’s Asian Beef Skewers With Rice Noodle Vegetable Salad is a healthy yet satisfying summer meal.

Shopping tips: Rice sticks are flat rice noodles, similar in shape to linguine. They cook quickly and can become mushy if overcooked. If other shapes or sizes of rice noodles are used, prepare according to package directions. If desired, substitute linguine for rice sticks. For testing, we used Sun Luck Phad Thai Rice Sticks and Annie Chun’s Pad Thai Rice Noodles, as well as A Taste of Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Cooking tips: Beef will slice more easily if very cold; freeze beef for about 30 minutes before slicing. Soaking the skewers in water helps prevent the skewers from charring or burning while grilling.

Unpeeled cucumber adds color and fiber.

Serving tip: Beef skewers also make a great appetizer. Prepare as directed, but omit noodle-vegetable salad. Drizzle with any remaining broth-soy mixture just before serving.

ASIAN BEEF SKEWERS WITH RICE NOODLE-VEGETABLE SALAD

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds lean boneless sirloin steak, cut about 3/4-inch thick

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon minced gingerroot

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

8 ounces uncooked rice sticks

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil

Place 18 (8-inch) wooden skewers in water and allow to soak about 30 minutes.

Slice beef into very thin strips, about \-by-3-inches. Place beef strips in a small bowl.

Combine beef broth, soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic; stir to blend well.

Pour 1/4 cup of sauce over the beef. Toss to coat meat evenly, cover and refrigerate 15 minutes. Set remaining broth-soy mixture aside.

Combine carrot, cucumber, pepper, red onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Heat a pan of water to boiling. Add rice sticks and boil 2 to 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and add to vegetables. Measure out 1/4 cup of reserved broth-soy mixture and combine it with lime juice and oil; drizzle over vegetables and noodles; toss well.

Preheat grill to medium-high or allow coals to burn down to white ash. Drain beef and discard marinade. Thread strips of beef evenly onto skewers. Cook beef skewers over direct, medium-high heat, in an uncovered grill, about 2 minutes per side or until browned and cooked to medium doneness. Brush with remaining broth-soy mixture frequently while cooking. (Do not overcook beef.)

Arrange rice noodle-vegetable salad in a deep platter. Arrange hot beef skewers over salad.

Per (1 cup noodle salad, 3 ounces cooked beef or about 3 skewers) serving: 357 calories (24 percent from fat), 9 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 59 milligrams cholesterol, 41 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams protein, 271 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.

Each region of the nation has its own cooking traditions and is known for certain foods. Joan Aller explores the tastes and traditions of the southern Appalachia in “Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $27.99).

There are more than 150 recipes, including everything from breakfast to beverages, so that you can try these Appalachian traditions in your own home. Try making old-fashioned root beer (p. 179) or making a meat loaf (p. 114) that your children will actually eat.

If meatloaf and root beer aren’t for you, perhaps you should give Mammy William’s Dandelion Wine (p. 181) and mountain molasses stack cake (p. 142) a shot.

The author submerges readers in Appalachian culture by providing a history of the region with accompanying photographs. Aller includes a short summary with each recipe about how she found it.

The cookbook is available in stores now and some of the recipes are online. Here’s one recipe from the book to give you a sneak peek of Appalachian food!

CORN RELISH SALAD

Salad, you say? This isn’t your typical salad made from lettuce; it’s a new kind of salad. Try using other fresh vegetables to add your own touch to it.

3 cups cooked fresh corn kernels cut off the cob

1/3 cup sugar

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup vinegar

1 cup shredded Colby cheese

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir gently. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Stir well before serving.

Serves 8.

Shrimp pie may have been considered poor man’s fare in the 1930s, but judging from the reader responses to Anne’s plea for a recipe like her grandmother’s, it’s rich and delicious comfort food.

Anne said the pie was made with stale bread and shrimp that she and her sister “would pull from the sea grass at low tide when there was nothing else for supper.”

An anonymous reader sent a recipe from the Jan. 19, 1934, Miami Daily News in which stale bread is soaked in a can of tomatoes, blended with sauteed bell pepper and onion, cooked shrimp and hard-boiled eggs, topped with buttered bread crumbs and baked.

Several readers sent the recipe here, from the classic Junior League cookbook “Charleston Receipts,” in which the bread is soaked in milk laced with sherry. A similar recipe from “200 Years of Charleston Cooking” by Blanche Rhett (University of South Carolina Press) adds mace and nutmeg.

Though all the recipes call for cooked shrimp, I think that’s because everything was overcooked back then. There’s no reason not to use cleaned and peeled raw shrimp; the casserole is baked long enough to cook them to modern tastes.

EDISTO SHRIMP PIE

2 cups fresh bread crumbs (from about 3 large slices)

1 cup milk

2 cups peeled, cooked shrimp (or raw shrimp; see column)

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon chopped celery or parsley

2 tablespoons sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of nutmeg or mace (optional)

Soak bread in milk; add remaining ingredients. Place in buttered 1-quart baking dish and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 518 calories (36 percent from fat), 20.3 g fat (10.5 g saturated, 4.7 g monounsaturated), 330 mg cholesterol, 46 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g fiber, 1,322 mg sodium.

GRAVY MAKING

Several readers offer tips for making a brown gravy look richer in response to our recipe for a homemade dried onion soup mix.

“I always add just a splash of Coke to my pot roasts and gravies,” said Rita L. “The carbonation doesn’t matter, it goes away, but you get just a little touch of sweet and a deeper color.”

An anonymous reader chooses another soda: “You just add Dr. Pepper when your gravy seems too sissy, and you get some nice flavor and better color.”

Ibby writes: “My own cheap trick is to put in a little bit of leftover coffee.”

Ibby also sent the recipe, adapted here, from “Charleston Receipts” for Dah’s Browning, which produces the caramel coloring and flavor you get from commercial products such as Kitchen Bouquet without the additives.

DAH’S BROWNING

1 cup white sugar

1 cup boiling water

Heat iron skillet on high until very hot, about 3 minutes. Have boiling water ready. Pour sugar in skillet and stir constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon until dark brown – this will happen very quickly. Pour in the water very slowly to avoid splashing or foam-over. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature before pouring into a sterilized pint jar. Cover and store in refrigerator indefinitely. Makes about 2 cups. Use to taste to flavor and color gravies. (1 tablespoon per cup gravy is the ratio I tried.)

Per serving: 24 calories (0 percent from fat), 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 0 protein, 6.3 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 0 sodium.

SECRET RECIPES

Kohl’s Cares for Kids program, which donates 100 percent of the profits from the sale of select $5 toys and books each year to children’s health and education initiatives, has expanded its offerings this year to include a book for adults, “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes” by Todd Wilbur (Plume, $5 for the Kohl’s edition).

Wilbur is known for his “copycat” versions of popular recipes from restaurants, and his cookbooks usually sell for a lot more. While I might quibble with some of his ingredients, such as the processed cheese in the chicken pasta here, the recipes are easy to follow and do a good job of reproducing dishes not normally shared by the restaurants.

KNOCK-OFF RUBY TUESDAY SONORA CHICKEN PASTA

1 pound Velveeta cheese spread (or 16 ounces Cheez Whiz)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced red chile pepper

4 tablespoons minced green chile pepper, divided

4 tablespoons minced onion, divided

1 garlic clove, minced, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained

Dash paprika

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Vegetable oil

Dash dried thyme

Dash dried summer savory

1 (15- or 16-ounce) box penne pasta

1 tablespoon butter

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 to 4 green onions, chopped

Prepare the grill or heat stovetop grill.

Combine the cheese spread and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often until melted and smooth.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and saute the red chile and 2 tablespoons of the green, 2 tablespoons onion and half the garlic a few minutes until fragrant. Add 2 tablespoons water to the pan so the peppers do not scorch. Simmer until water has cooked off. Stir in the melted cheese, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, the sugar, vinegar and cumin. Leave on very low heat, stirring occasionally, until other ingredients are ready.

In a third pan, heat the beans and their liquid, the remaining green pepper, onion, garlic, salt and a dash of paprika over high heat just until boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, while you grill chicken.

Rub the chicken breasts lightly with oil and season with salt, thyme and savory. Cook on hot grill for 5 minutes per side until done.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.

When the chicken is done, cut breast into 1/2-inch slices.

Drain the pasta and toss with the butter.

Divide the pasta among 4 plates. Top each with 1/4 of the cheese sauce, a sliced chicken breast and 1/4 of the black beans, tomatoes and green onion. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 1,162 calories (35 percent from fat), 44.4 g fat (25.9 g saturated, 6.2 g monounsaturated), 206.4 mg cholesterol, 68.2 g protein, 120.5 g carbohydrates, 11.9 g fiber, 2,498 mg sodium.

SLEUTH’S CORNER

Q: I’d like to know how to make the spicy green sauce you get with kebabs and flat bread sandwiches in Afghanistan. I know the main ingredient is green chiles, but there are other flavors. I became addicted to the stuff when I was deployed there.

- D.A., Huntsville, Ala.

(Contact Linda Cicero: lcicero(AT)MiamiHerald.com)

Lemons are indispensable. Without them there would be no hollandaise sauce, no Greek avgolemono soup, no lemon meringue pie.

A spritz of lemon juice on cut fruit prevents browning. And if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, reach for a lemon wedge rather than the salt shaker.

When adding lemon juice to a recipe, I squeeze the lemon half in one hand, letting the juice flow through my fingers while the seeds stay behind. (It takes about four lemons to make a cup of juice.)

Before cutting that lemon in half, I rinse it well and remove the aromatic zest, reserving it in a plastic bag in the freezer for later use. The easiest way is with a Microplane grater, available in cookware stores. The rasp-like tool shaves away the zest in hair-thin strips, leaving the bitter pith behind.

If I need zest but not juice for a recipe, I squeeze the lemon anyway, knowing that it will deteriorate once zested, and freeze the juice into ice cubes that I pop into a freezer bag.

The most common lemon variety is the Eureka, grown from the seed of an Italian lemon, which has few seeds, juicy pulp and a high acid content. The most popular home-garden variety is the Meyer, which originated in China. It’s a cross between a regular lemon and a tangerine. Meyers are rounder than lemons and have thin, soft, smooth rinds. The pulp is deep yellow with a mild flavor.

Choose big, plump, firm lemons that are heavy for their size. Meyer lemons should be shiny with richly colored orange-yellow rind, indicating that the fruit was picked when fully ripe. Refrigerate lemons in a plastic bag for up to 2 weeks (one week for Meyers).

Lemons have an affinity for fish, fennel and capers – as showcased in today’s recipe – as well as poultry, shellfish, artichokes, garlic, mint, and cumin and thyme.

RED SNAPPER WITH LEMON PIPERADE

A piperade is a tomato- and bell-pepper-based dish from the Basque region of France. This one-dish Sunday Supper needs only crusty French bread to sop up the juices and a glass of wine such as a well-balanced 2008 J Vineyards Pinot Gris from California’s Russian River Valley ($18).

2 lemons, sliced thin, seeds removed

2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin (fronds chopped and reserved for garnish)

2 red bell peppers, sliced thin

1 Spanish onion, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon sugar

4 (4-ounce) red snapper fillets

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 to 4 cups hot cooked rice

1 tablespoon capers, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Layer the lemon, tomato, fennel, pepper and onion slices and garlic in a casserole dish large enough to hold the fish. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and sugar.

Season the snapper with salt and place atop the vegetables. Add the wine and dot the top of the fish with butter. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Divide the rice among 4 deep plates. Top each with a piece of snapper and spoon on the lemon-vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with capers and fennel fronds. Makes 4 servings.

Source: Adapted from a Jeff O’Neill, executive chef of Gibraltar restaurant in Coconut Grove.

Per serving: 545 calories (16 percent from fat), 9.5 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 2.2 g monounsaturated), 95.9 mg cholesterol, 50.8 g protein, 53.3 g carbohydrates, 6.2 g fiber, 244 mg sodium.

(Contact Carole Kotkin: ckotkin(AT)MiamiHerald.com)

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves 6 to 8

New York Times food writer Kim Severson adapted this recipe from one provided by Rachael Ray. The recipe appears in Severson’s book, “Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life.”

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cubanelle pepper (long, green Italian pepper), seeded and diced

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup black kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1 jar capers (3 ounces), drained

1/2 cup golden raisins (a couple of handfuls)

1 medium firm eggplant, diced

Salt

One 32-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (a handful)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat a deep pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, about three turns of the pan, garlic and crushed pepper.

Chop the vegetables (peppers, onion and celery), adding them to the pot as you go.

Once vegetables are all in, in crease heat to medium-high. Stir in olives, capers and raisins. Salt the diced eggplant and stir into the pot.

Add the tomatoes, both diced and crushed, and stir well to combine. Cover pot and cook caponata 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley and remove pan from heat. Let stand a few minutes or chill before serving.

For a main dish, you can also toss this with pasta, a little more oil and pecorino cheese.

Per serving based on 8 servings: 201 cal.; 4 g pro.; 30 g carb.; 8 g fat (1 sat., 6 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 979 mg sod.; 5 g fiber; 19 g sugar; 35 percent calories from fat.

Q: The Healthy Choice honey ginger chicken frozen dinner has a delicious sauce. I’ve tried many recipes, but none of them come up with a similar sweet and spicy taste.

-Rosalind, Huntsville, Ala.

A: I’m a fan of this line for both its ethnic flavor choices and nutritional value, but it obviously is not an economical way to feed a family. I fiddled with my old recipe for honey garlic chicken to come up with a sauce/marinade recipe I think you’ll like. The bite comes from using fresh ginger liberally; ground dried ginger just doesn’t cut it.

HONEY GINGER CHICKEN STIR-FRY

MARINADE

2/3 cup honey

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup peeled, minced fresh ginger

3 tablespoons lemon juice or rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (optional)

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken, sliced into \-inch strips

FOR THE STIR-FRY

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

1 cup shelled raw edamame

1 bell pepper cut in thin strips

2 carrots cut in thin strips

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

TO SERVE

4 cups cooked brown rice

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

2 green onions, green parts only, sliced into thin rings

Combine honey, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and zest in a gallon-size plastic bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag and shake to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight, turning bag occasionally to redistribute the marinade.

Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil and tilt skillet to coat. Add chicken and stir-fry until opaque, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add the edamame, bell pepper and carrots. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Transfer to the plate.

Add the reserved marinade to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook until thick, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more soy sauce if needed. Serve over hot brown rice, garnished as desired with sesame seeds, cilantro and green onion. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 481 calories (18 percent from fat), 9.9 g fat (1.7 g saturated, 3.7 g monounsaturated), 54.8 mg cholesterol, 29.3 g protein, 70.9 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 705.4 mg sodium.

Q: When I retired to Florida I gave away a lot of cookbooks and recipe cards, but I’ve realized I like to cook and bake now that I don’t have to! I’m hoping you can help me replace a recipe I used a lot about 20 years ago for a very good whole wheat bread made with carrots. As I recall, I clipped it from a magazine advertisement.

-G. M., Miami Shores, Fla.

A: I look forward to the day when I can cook because I want to and not because I have to! I believe I’ve unearthed just the recipe you describe, in “Quick & Fancy Breads,” a recipe booklet published by Land O Lakes in 1993. I agree that this whole wheat bread is worth the effort taste-wise, though the proportion of white to whole wheat disqualifies it as a whole grain bread.

WHOLE WHEAT

CARROT BREAD

2 cups milk

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter plus more for brushing

1 ( 1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups (about 3 medium) cooked carrots, mashed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

In a 1-quart saucepan heat milk until it just comes to a boil; stir in the butter until melted. Cool to warm (105 to 115 degrees).

In a large mixer bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add the milk mixture, 2 cups all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, carrots and salt. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

By hand, stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to make dough easy to handle, not sticky. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it doubles, about 1 hour. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Punch down dough; divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place, seam side down, in 2 greased 8-by-5-inch loaf pans. Cover; let rise until double, about 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread 35 to 45 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately. Brush tops with butter. Makes 2 loaves, 12 slices each (24 total).

Per slice: 182 calories (16 percent from fat), 3.2 g fat (1.7 g saturated, 0.8 g monounsaturated), 7.1 mg cholesterol, 5.1 g protein, 33.3 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g fiber, 198 mg sodium.

Q: Do you have a good recipe for hot fudge sauce? We are serving sundaes at a PTA function and it would be expensive to buy enough.

-Pat Barclay

A: My recipe is not only good and easy but versatile. This makes a good quantity, but can be halved. Vary the flavor by switching chips – butterscotch, chocolate mint, milk chocolate or even white chocolate. You can use a liqueur rather than the vanilla. The sauce keeps well and is simply to reheat in a microwave.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2/3 cup whole milk

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Measure the chips and butter into a large, heavy saucepan and cook over low heat until melted. Very gradually whisk in the milk, then the sugar. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly, for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftover sauce. Makes about 5 cups or 40 (2-tablespoon) servings.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 130 calories (47 percent from fat), 7.3 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 2.1 g monounsaturated), 12.6 mg cholesterol, 0.5 g protein, 17.5 g carbohydrates, 0.5 g fiber, 42.6 mg sodium.

SLEUTH’S CORNER

Q: I am looking for a recipe for an Italian lamb sausage made with parsley, cheese, salt and pepper called (phonetically spelled) chivelat. We used to get it from Brooklyn, but the butcher retired. There is no fennel or garlic in it.

-Dee

(Contact Linda Cicero: lcicero(AT)MiamiHerald.com)