88-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 7, 2002
If you are looking for a recipe but can’t find it, send
your recipe request to Lou Ann Good, Cook's Question
Corner, in care of Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609,
Ephrata, PA 17522. There’s no need to send a self-ad
dressed stamped envelope. If we receive an answer to
your question, we will publish it as soon as possible.
Check your recipe to make sure you copy the right
amounts and complete instructions for making the reci
pe. Sometimes we receive numerous answers to the
same request, but cannot print each one.
Answers to recipe requests should be sent to the same
address. You may also e-mail questions and answers to
LGOOD.EPH@LNPNEWS.COM
QUESTION Evelyn Smith, Duncannon,
wants a recipe for orange cream side fudge.
She has seen this flavor for sale in stores and
markets but hasn’t been able to track down a
recipe.
QUESTION Pamela Hoy, Lewistown, wants
to know where to purchase hickory salt, which
is often listed as an ingredient in sausage reci
pes.
QUESTION A Leola reader wants a recipe
to make homemade French vanilla coffee
creamer.
QUESTION A Leola reader wants a recipe
to make beef gravy like that served with Salis
bury steak in restaurants.
QUESTION Roxanne Bonifay, Salem, (1.J.,
is looking for a very old recipe called Spanish
bar cake, which is a heavy spice cake with rai
sins.
QUESTION A reader from Lebanon wants a
recipe for pizza sauce that tastes like the Ragu
brand.
QUESTION Penny Haber from Bucks
County writes that for several years she has
used a Victoria Squeeze Strainer to prepare her
tomatoes for canning. She has also tried to use
it to prepare strawberries and raspberries for
jelly making but the proportions have turned
out wrong. She would appreciate if readers who
have successfully prepared fruit this way send
instructions and the proportions of sugar, fruit
pectin, and fruit they used.
QUESTION Karen Ramseur, Williamstown,
N.J., writes that she attended the Kutztown
Pennsylvania German Festival recently. A Penn
sylvania German cooking presentation demon
strated drying corn on a double-walled pan with
a funnel adaptor at one end to add water. She
also attended the country auction featured at
the festival and brought a vegetable dryer. Any
one have recipes to instruct her how to dry veg
etables? Karen also thanks readers who sent in
“wonderful” lemon jelly and cornbread recipes
in answer to her requests.
QUESTION Gail Silveira would like a recipe
for a corn, shrimp soup, which she recalls had
been printed in a previous issue. Anyone have
the recipe to which she is referring?
QUESTION Eva Burrell, Glen Gardner, N.J.,
wants to know how to make filet of beef on the
grill by using wet newspapers and encasing
meat in a paste made with kosher salt and
water. Years ago, the Burrells used this method
but can’t remember exactly how it was done or
the time required to cook per pound. This made
the best filet of beef Eva has ever tasted and
she would like to use it for several cookouts.
QUESTION Dave Wilder, Gladwyne, grows
lingonberries in Berks County. He wants to
know uses for this Old World fruit. The Latin
name, Wilder writes, is Vacciniam vitis-idaea.
Native varieties are sometimes called cowberry.
ANSWER A reader from Greencastle want
ed a recipe for pancakes using corn meal,
which she remembers her grandmother making.
She wanted thin crunchy ones. Thanks to Lee
Laverty, Mount Joy, for sending this recipe. She
writes that the name for this bread came from
the time a pioneer woman was fixing her hun
gry boy a cake of cornbread that would be
Johnny’s cake. Other versions say the bread
was suitable to be carried on a journey, and the
designated name “Johnny” is a corruption of
the word “journey.”
Johnny Cakes
Beat 1 egg well. Stir in 2 cups cornmeal, 1
teaspoon salt, and I'A-IVs cups milk. Drop
spoonfuls of batter onto a well-greased hot
Peppers Add Flavor, Color, Nutrition
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Pennsylvania pep
pers are a favorite flavor enhancing ingredient in many
recipes featuring meats or other vegetables. And because
they come in various shades of red, yellow, orange and
purple besides the basic green, they can also add a rain
bow of color. Best of all, they are a significant source of
vitamin C as well.
Sweet bell peppers are usually sold in the mature green
stage. However, if green peppers are left on the plant to
fully mature, they will turn color. Most varieties will turn
red but some turn brilliant shades of yellow or orange
griddle and fry to a golden brown on each side.
Stir batter occasionally to keep well mixed.
Serve hot with butter. Enjoy.
ANSWER Colleen Lovell, 12-year-old Ly
coming County dairy maid, enjoys making this
recipe, which she recommends eating while
sipping a glass of milk.
Peanut Butter Fudge
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (very fine)
1 Vz cups peanut butter
% cup butter
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Mix together ingredients and spread in a
well-greased 9x13-inch pan. Let set up in re
frigerator.
ANSWER Malinda Renno, Fort Royal, want
ed a recipe for barbecued beans, which ap
peared in the Farm Journal sometime during
the 19605. She lost the recipe, but recalls that
it had meatballs and a very good barbecue
flavor. Thanks to Shirley Wartzenluft, Robeso
nia, for sending this recipe, which she writes
appeared in 1968 in the Farm Journal.
Homebaked Beans
5 cups navy or pea beans
1 pound salt pork
2Vz cups brown sugar
1 pound 13-ounce can tomatoes
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
% teaspoon salt
Vz teaspoon pepper
Wash and pick over beans. Cover well with
water and soak overnight. Next morning, sim
mer beans in salted water until done when
tested. Drain beans. Save liquid. Chop salt pork
and place in bottom of bean pot or large casse
role. Alternate beans with mixture of brown
sugar, tomatoes, onions, mustard, salt and pep
per. Pour on the water in which beans were
cooked and enough hot water to cover beans.
Cover pot with lid or aluminum foil. Bake in
300-degree oven for 6-8 hours.
Shirley also sent this recipe, which is from
the Farm Journal Freezing and Canning Cook
book. Shirley writes that although meatballs are
not included, any good meatball mixture can be
prepared and put into beans before baking.
Barbecued Lima Beans
1 pound dried lima beans
4 cups water
1 Vz cups chopped onion
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
% cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
9 drops Tabasco
Bacon slices
Soak washed beans in water overnight. Do
not drain. Add onions, bring to a boil and sim
mer until beans are almost tender, about 30
minutes.
Combine remaining ingredients. Stir into
beans. Put in baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees.
Place bacon strips on top. Bake uncovered until
beans are bubbly and bacon brown.
ANSWER Wayne Erb, Mount Joy, wanted
to know how to freeze potatoes for French
fries, and how long should they be cooked in oil
so they don’t turn black? Thanks to Shirley
Wartzenluft, Robesonia, for sending the recipe
she uses.
French Fried Potatoes
6 medium potatoes, peeled
Cold water
Salt and pepper
Fat for frying
Cut potatoes lengthwise, then crosswise into
%-inch strip. Rinse in cold water, dry thorough
ly between towels.
Fry small amounts at a time in deep
360-degree fat, about 5 minutes, until tender,
but not brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat
with remaining potatoes. Cool to room temper
ature. Package in containers and freeze. Rec
ommended storage: one month. To serve: ar
range potatoes on baking sheet. Put in 425
degree oven, 10 minutes until brown, turning
once. Season to taste. Serves 6.
while others become purple.
As they turn color, their sugar content increases along
with their vitamin C content. Green peppers have twice
as much vitamin C as citrus fruit by weight while red
peppers have three times as much plus beta carotene. Hot
peppers are also high in vitamin C.
Betty Groff, noted Lancaster County cookbook author
suggests these recipes for enjoying “Simply Delicious”
Pennsylvania peppers:
PEPPER STEAK
1 pound lean beef round steak, cut into '/zx'/i-inch
pieces
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Vi cups beef broth
1 cup green onions, sliced
2 green peppers, cut in strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch
V* cup soy sauce
% cup water
2 large fresh tomatoes or 16 ounces, canned
3 cups hot, cooked rice
Sprinkle meat with paprika and allow to stand while
preparing'other ingredients. Using a large skillet, brown
meat in butter. Add garlic and broth.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, then stir in onions
and green peppers. Cover and cook for five more minutes.
Blend the cornstarch, water and soy sauce together and
stir into the meat mixture.
Cook, stirring until clear and thickened, about 2 min
utes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and stir gently. Serve
over rice.
SWEET AND SOUR
SEAFOOD KABOBS
Marinade:
VA cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared hot mustard
Vs cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
Kabobs;
Vi pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Vi pound scallops
Vi pound any firm fresh fish (salmon, sword, tuna,
snapper, etc.)
2 green or red bell peppers, cubed
1 pint mushrooms, cleaned
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Rice or pasta of your choice
Place seafood and vegetables on skewers in any order
desired, alternating fish and vegetables.
Place kabobs in marinade for several hours or over
night. Lightly season with salt and pepper if desired.
Place on hot grill or bake in 375 F. oven until seafood
turns white, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Serve on a
bed of rice or pasta. Serves four.
PEPPER RELISH
12 large green peppers
12 large red peppers
16 medium onions
2 cups water
6 cups vinegar
3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons coarse (kosher) salt
3 tablespoons mustard seed
Clean and trim the vegetables. Put through a food
grinder on a coarse setting. Put into a five-quart kettle
and cover with boiling water, mixing well. Let stand five
minutes; drain thoroughly. Return to the kettle.
Add the two cups water and the vinegar. Bring to a boil
and immediately remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes,
then drain thoroughly. Return vegetables to the kettle
again. Now add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a
hard boil for three minutes. Pour into hot sterilized jars
and seal.
Makes seven pints.
Pam Poor won first place in the “Simply Delicious”
Vegetable Quick Bread Contest at both the Fulton Coun
ty Fair and the Claysburg Community Farm Products
Show in 2002 with this tasty bread.
PEPPER BREAD
'A cup red pepper, chopped
'A cup green pepper chopped
Vi cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
'A cup milk
'A cup shortening
Va teaspoon salt
2 'A teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
'A cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
'A cup additional cheddar cheese
Saute peppers, onions in butter until tender (do not
brown). Set aside and let cool. Combine egg and milk in
bowl. Sift flour, soda, and salt together.
Cut in shortening. Add the eggs and milk mixture. Stir
just enough to moisten. Stir in cooked onions and pep
pers, Vi cup cheese and parsley.
Spread batter in greased 8” bread pan. Sprinkle with 'A
cup cheese. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until done.