Andrea Leeds' Salad and Cheese Salad Balls

Andrea Leeds' Salad and Cheese Salad Balls

Salad:

3 tablespoons grated cheese
2 cups cooked rice
l teaspoon salt
1 cup peas
3 tablespoons minced celery
4 tablespoons pimento
lettuce and dressing
4 tablespoons relish

Combine ingredients lightly, chill, serve on crisp lettuce with French dressing and cheese salad balls.

Cheese Salad Balls:

1/4 lb. Roquefort cheese
small quantity cream or butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
paprika

Combine cheese with small quantity of cream or butter and seasonings, work until soft, then add chives and parsley, mixing thoroughly. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut, sprinkle with paprika and serve with salad.

Recipes by Ruta Lee: Barbecued Steak with Junky Sauce; Garbage Salad

Ruta Lee's Barbecued Steak with Junky Sauce

For the junky sauce:
1 cup catsup
1/2 cup strained honey
5 tablespoons soy sauce
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 small clove garlic, pressed
5 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup preserves (strawberry, Damson plum, apricot or pineapple)
1/2 cup chutney, chopped

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Set aside. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

For the steak:
Select top grade sirloin, porterhouse or filet. Have butcher cut meat 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Wipe off meat. Trim off excess suet. Brush both sides generously with junky sauce. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour. When coals in barbecue have burned down to a glow, start the steaks. Allow 25 minutes for medium-rare for 1 1/2-inch steaks; 30-35 minutes for 2-inch steaks. Allow slightly longer for filet. Keep turning the steaks, brushing with more sauce as needed. Since "outdoor" appetites tend to be hearty, allow at least 1/2 pound steak per person.

Ruta Lee's Garbage Salad

1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons olive (or vegetable) oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 heads crisp, cleaned romaine (or odds and ends of greens: Bibb, Boston, iceberg or spinach leaves)
1 medium peeled thinly sliced cucumber
Half a box of cherry tomatoes (or 4-5 cleaned, sliced Italian plum tomatoes or one large peeled, ripe, sliced beefsteak tomato)
3 or 4 large scallions, cleaned, chopped (green and white parts)
6 large radishes, cleaned, chopped (or black radish, if available)
10 large fresh mushroom caps
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Handful sunflower seed kernels

Rub garlic over sides of salad bowl. Mix together olive (or vegetable) oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Place greens, cucumber, tomato, scallions and radishes in salad bowl. In another bowl, marinate thinly sliced mushroom caps for a few minutes with a little olive oil and wine vinegar. Add marinated mushrooms to salad bowl. Toss slightly. Add pine nuts and sunflower kernels. Serve at once. Serves 4. 

Recipes by Peggy Lee: Buttermilk Pancakes with Boysenberry Topping; Gazpacho; Jade Salad

Peggy Lee's Buttermilk Pancakes with Boysenberry Topping

2 cups packaged pancake mix
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsps. sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 tbsps. melted butter

Sift together pancake mix, baking soda and sugar. Beat eggs, mix with buttermilk; add to pancake mixture, stirring only barely smooth. Stir in melted butter. Rub griddle (or heavy skillet) with melted butter (or vegetable oil). Heat until a drop of water sizzles when dropped on skillet. Pour pancake batter by spoonfuls on hot griddle. Fry until browned on both sides. Serve at once with boysenberry topping, whipped or melted butter, hot maple or brown-sugar syrup, cold applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon, or molasses. Serve alone or with fried ham, crisp bacon or sausage. Serves 6.

Boysenberry Topping

2 cups fresh boysenberries
Scant cup of sugar
Few drops of fresh lemon juice

Wash, dry, pick over berries. Crush slightly, add sugar and fresh lemon juice. Chill well before serving over hot pancakes.

Thoughts: For convenience, an excellent frozen buttermilk pancake batter is now available in many supermarkets across the country. Boysenberry syrup is available in some food specialty or health food shops. Fresh blueberries, black raspberries or fresh strawberries make tasteful variations.

Peggy Lee's Gazpacho

1 head iceberg lettuce
3 medium-size tomatoes
3 medium-size green peppers
1/4 lb. small fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/3 cup corn oil
1 small clove garlic, pressed
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup water
1/3 cup light tarragon vinegar

Core, rinse and drain lettuce; chill in plastic crisper (or bag). Finely chop tomatoes, catching all liquid. Chop green peppers and slice mushrooms. Saute onion in oil 2 minutes (or until just moist and softened). Stir in remaining ingredients except lettuce. Chill, covered in glass bowl at least 2 hours. Just before serving, cut enough lettuce into bite-size pieces to yield about 4 cups. Ladle 2/3 cup tomato mixture into each of 8 serving dishes; place lettuce chunks in center to garnish. Serves 8.

Thoughts: Gazpacho makes an excellent dieter's soup or salad or an excellent first course to accompany steak and green vegetable dinner menu.

Peggy Lee's Jade Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce
2 bunches green onions
1 1/3 cups olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Wash and thoroughly dry lettuce, cut into julienne strips and place in a large bowl. Chop green onions into 1/4-inch pieces and mix with oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, pepper, sugar, sesame seeds and Parmesan cheese. Pour dressing over lettuce and toss thoroughly to coat. Sprinkle with almonds. Serves 6.

Michele Lee's Veal Scallops in Herbed Tomato Sauce

Michele Lee's Veal Scallops in Herbed Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 pounds veal scallops, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound thinly sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic (left intact)
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped Italian plum tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried sweet basil, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Minced parsley

Dip scallops in seasoned flour. Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Brown scallops quickly on both sides. Lift out meat and place in oven-proof casserole. Melt butter in another skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook over low heat about 5 minutes. Discard garlic. Add tomatoes, oregano, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil and simmer over low heat about 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour sauce into skillet in which meat was cooked. Heat to deglaze pan. Pour sauce over meat in casserole. Cover, bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 20 minutes or until meat is fork tender. Sprinkle with minced parsley. Serve with cooked pasta and green salad. Serves 4-6.

Gypsy Rose Lee's Portuguese Fish Chowder

Gypsy Rose Lee's Portuguese Fish Chowder

To serve six or eight or any number, provide for each person: One potato, one tomato, one onion, all sliced very thin. Place in a pressure cooker about one-fourth inch of olive oil, then add a layer of onions, a layer of tomatoes, and a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped parsley, a little salt, white pepper, one-fourth teaspoon very finely chopped garlic, another tablespoon of olive oil and repeat until pressure
cooker is no more than three-fourths full. Cook at 15 pounds pressure three and one-half minutes. Reduce pressure immediately.

(Gypsy Rose Lee does not mention that this chowder can also be made in a Dutch oven. The cooking is done quickly, takes about 25 minutes. Serve with cooked seafood or add the seafood toward the end of the cooking period.)

Cloris Leachman's Homemade Noodles

Cloris Leachman's Homemade Noodles

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Scant 1 1/3 cups flour
Boiling salted water
Ground pepper to taste
Melted butter or sesame oil

Beat eggs until frothy. Add salt, work in enough flour to form soft mass. Turn out on lightly floured board; knead well with lightly floured hands. Roll dough flat. Cut into 1/4-inch wide strips with noodle cutter or sharp knife. Hang noodles to dry over clean dish towel on towel bar about 1 hour. Gradually add noodles to boiling salted water, cook until tender (8 to 10 minutes). Drain, toss lightly with pepper, butter or sesame oil. Serve as side dish with goulash (add 1/3 cup poppy seeds to noodles), or with roast chicken, fish, beef or pork. Serves 4.

Refrigerator Fix-Ups

Vegetarian:

Chili Noodles: Add 1/2 pound grated sharp Cheddar, 1/2 cup chili sauce, a few drops Tabasco (or fresh lemon juice), and 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento.

Green Noodles: Mix 1/2 cup well-drained, cooked minced spinach with eggs before adding flour. Season with hint of nutmeg and white pepper to taste.

Bohemian-Style Noodles: Toss hot cooked noodles with 1 pint cottage cheese, 1 1/2 cups sour cream, a few drops pressed garlic, 1 small onion sauteed in 1 tablespoon oil or butter, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 cup grated sharp cheese. Combine all ingredients except a few tablespoons grated cheese. Place in well-greased casserole; top with remaining cheese. Set casserole in baking dish filled with hot water. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven 45 minutes (or until cheese is well-browned).

Non-Vegetarian:

Leftover possibilities with homemade noodles are infinite. Cook in soup flavored with chicken or beef, toss in salads with crisp greens, or use in main dish casseroles.

Arrange layers of noodles in greased casserole using about 1 1/2 cups liquid (milk and-or gravy), ground cooked beef, ham (or small can chipped beef), 3/4 cup grated cheese, 1/2 cup each chopped celery, green pepper. Top with butter-browned bread crumbs. Bake in 350 degrees F. oven about 45 minutes.

Variations: Cook noodles in chicken (or turkey) stock, add leftover vegetables (peas or corn), mushrooms, a few chopped water chestnuts; mix with tuna, salmon, crab, ground beef (cooked until crumbly with a few tablespoons minced onion, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste).

Thoughts: The art of making homemade noodles lies in having a soft, kneadable dough. Amount of flour to add varies with size of eggs. A few drops of vegetable oil added to beaten eggs makes dough easier to handle but may require slightly longer "drying" period.

Gertrude Lawrence's Soup

Gertrude Lawrence's Soup

6 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup crushed pineapple
3 cups tomato juice

Blend cheese with flour and pineapple. Gradually add tomato juice. Cook till it thickens, preferably in a double boiler.