Curry Soup, Short Ribs, Sweet and Sour Sauce

DEAR SOS: One of the best gourmet resources in the San Fernando Valley is the Pasta Place in Studio City. They make a spectacular curry soup. I would love to have the recipe.

--GAYLE

DEAR GAYLE: Pasta Place owner Roberto Loiederman says: “At the Pasta Place we often joke with customers that if they can guess all of the vegetables that go into the curry soup, their meal is free. I suppose now that our recipe is public, we’ll have to forgo that offer.�

PASTA PLACE CURRY SOUP

2 1/2 cups half and half

2 cups water or chicken stock

2 cloves garlic

1/2 medium onion

1/2 green pepper, cored and cut up

1/2 sweet yellow pepper, cored and cut up

1/2 sweet red pepper, cored and cut up

1 zucchini, cut up

1/2 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup mushrooms

1/2 baking potato, peeled

1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper

Combine cream and water in stock pot. Add garlic, onion, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and potato. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and cool few minutes. Puree in blender until smooth. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

248 calories; 957 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.03 grams fiber.

DEAR SOS: I’ve lost my recipe for braised short ribs from the Grill in Beverly Hills. Would you print it again?

--BILL

DEAR BILL: Gladly.

GRILL BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Oil

2 1/2 pounds kosher-cut short ribs

1 cup combined cubed onion, celery, carrots

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup brandy

2 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon arrowroot

Salt, pepper

1 onion, cut into 3-inch julienne pieces

1 turnip, peeled and cut into 3-inch julienne pieces

Bunch parsley, chopped

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet. Add short ribs and saute 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Set aside.

Add another 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and heat. Add cubed vegetables and bay leaf and saute 5 minutes or until browned.

Place vegetables and short ribs in roasting pan. Bake at 450 degrees 15 to 20 minutes. Add brandy and beef stock. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and bake, covered, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until meat falls away from bone. Remove short ribs from pan and set aside. Discard cubed vegetables.

Strain liquid in which meat cooked. Melt 1 tablespoon oil in small skillet. Stir in arrowroot until smooth. Cook and stir until golden brown. Stir in 1/2 cup strained liquid until well blended. Cook, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Gradually add remaining strained liquid and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Strain again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Add julienned onion and turnip and saute until lightly browned. Place julienned vegetables on short ribs and pour sauce over vegetables. Garnish with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

505 calories; 528 mg sodium; 92 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 34 grams protein; 0.87 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: Several years ago you published a recipe for sweet and sour cranberry sauce. An encore, please?

--MARY

DEAR MARY: We no longer have the recipe you requested, but we have attempted to duplicate a sauce that can be served with poultry or meat roasts.

SWEET AND SOUR

CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1 cup whole cranberry sauce

In skillet saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Combine ketchup and vinegar and stir into onion. Blend cornstarch with strained cranberry liquid.

Cook and stir until clear and thickened. Add whole cranberry sauce and heat through. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Each 1 tablespoon serving contains about:

25 calories; 65 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; trace fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; trace protein; 0.06 gram fiber.