Good morning, good readers. To whet your appetite, here are today's requests: Congo bars, ice cream recipes of any flavor for an old-fashioned ice cream freezer that makes at least a half-gallon, cream cheese ice cream, shrimp-stuffed deviled eggs and recipes using sun-dried tomatoes. The first requester described himself or herself "a longtime reader of your column." The second requester shall go unnamed. And the final request is a repeat.
First came two recipes from the generous last-name-less Barbara. She has had the broccoli salad recipe for "about 40 years; it came from a dear friend in Abingdon, Va."
Fresh Broccoli Salad
1 bunch fresh broccoli, chopped, stems peeled
1/2 cup chopped green salad olives
1/2 cup halved black olives
Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
Mix broccoli and olives in a bowl. In another bowl, whip dressing with a wire whisk, and add to broccoli-olive mixture. This tastes better if made at least 2 hours ahead so the green olives flavor the salad well.
The original recipe calls for hard-boiled eggs, so they may be added if the cook chooses.
The next recipe answers a request for a Green Goddess salad dressing that contains fresh dill; Barbara discovered it in her recipe file.
Green Goddess Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon firmly packed fresh dill leaves
1 tablespoon firmly packed fresh tarragon leaves
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Garnish: fresh dill sprig
Process first 11 ingredients in a food processor or blender 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape sides as needed. Cover and chill 1 hour before serving. Garnish, if desired, with dill sprig. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Rose Secrest supplied the sought-after bruschetta topping, and what a timely one it is for those with a garden.
Bruschetta Topping
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup basil, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
Aleppo, to taste (optional)
Combine and serve on favorite bread.
And what is Aleppo, you ask? It is a spice, Aleppo pepper, also known as Halaby pepper.
One of our favorite male cooks, a cousin, prepares his pulled-pork barbecue by cooking it in beer. An anonymous Exchanger sent this similar version, suitable for a slow cooker, clipped from a Southern Living magazine in 2006. The testers wrote that "this super-simple recipe delivers big flavor. Serve on buns with slaw or over hot toasted cornbread. Reduce the fat but not the flavor in this juicy cut of pork by preparing a day ahead. Cool the barbecue and refrigerate overnight. Remove and discard any solidified fat before reheating."
Slow-Cooker Barbecued Pork
1 (3- to 4-pound) shoulder pork roast
1 (18-ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
1 (12-ounce) can cola soft drink
Place pork roast in a 6-quart slow cooker; pour barbecue sauce and cola over roast. Cover and cook on high 8 hours or until meat is tender and spreads easily.
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.
• Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.
• E-mail: janehenegar@gmail.com.
• Fax: 423-668-5092.