Start 1987 the Right Way With Chinese Corn Soup From Golden Lotus

Dear SOS: The Golden Lotus, a new Chinese restaurant on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, has an unusual corn chowder that is served with its lunch specials. I would love to have the recipe.

--KAREN

Dear Karen: Good start for the new year. It’s a robust, healthful soup that’s wonderful with a salad or sandwich.

GOLDEN LOTUS CORN SOUP

1 pound boneless chicken breasts

1 (20-ounce) can cream-style corn (2 1/2 cups)

12 cups chicken broth

5 tablespoons cornstarch

5 tablespoons water

Salt, pepper

2 eggs

Dice chicken. Do not use meat grinder. Combine chicken, corn and chicken broth in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Mix cornstarch with water until smooth and gradually stir into soup until blended. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Stir in salt and pepper. Beat eggs just enough to mix yolks with whites. Drizzle over soup until egg coagulates. Makes 12 1/2 cups.

Dear SOS: I would love to make granola. Do you have a recipe?

--DIANE

Dear Diane: Certainly. The recipe emerged in 1975, when the health food movement was at its peak, and has been going strong since. Soy flour can be found at most health food stores.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

4 cups quick-cooking oats

3 cups whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup soy flour

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup oil

1 cup honey

1/2 cup water, about

Combine and mix oats, whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ, soy flour, coconut, walnuts and salt. Add oil, honey and water. Mix thoroughly. Mixture should be crumbly. More water can be added to make bigger crumbs, if desired.

Place mixture in 2 large, flat baking pans and bake at 250 degrees about 1 1/2 hours. Turn every 20 minutes to prevent granola from becoming too brown around edges. Mixture should be crisp and golden brown when done. Cool and store in airtight container. Eat as cereal with milk or serve plain as snack. Makes 36 snack-size servings.

Dear SOS: In a previous issue you gave a recipe for meatless loaf using peanut butter. I would like to share one of my favorites--one that was given to me by a friend from Portland, Ore., about 20 years ago.

--MRS. B.J.S.

Dear Mrs. B.J.S.: How good of you. A great idea for low-cost meals during the New Year.

PEANUT BUTTER ROAST

1 large onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups tomato juice

2 eggs, beaten lightly

3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs

Chopped parsley, optional

Saute onion and celery in oil until tender. Add peanut butter and tomato juice and simmer until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add beaten eggs and bread crumbs and mix well.

Pack into ungreased 8x4-inch loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Slice and arrange on platter. Garnish with parsley. Loaf may also be served cold or as sandwich filling. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Dear SOS: Do you have a recipe for sweet potato pie using whipping cream instead of evaporated milk?

--AGNES

Dear Agnes: We have a recipe for a sweet potato pie using milk, but you can substitute it with cream, if you want.

ODESSA’S SWEET POTATO PIE

1 1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

4 eggs

1 cup granulated or brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Dash ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

Blend sweet potatoes with butter. Add eggs, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir in milk. Let stand overnight in refrigerator to set slightly.

Turn into pastry shell and bake at 350 degrees 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Dear SOS: I have leftover ham and would like a sauce to serve with it for a change of pace. Any ideas?

--SAM

Dear Sam: You bet. This one has a tropical flair and is easy to make with canned fruit.

TROPICAL SAUCE FOR HAM

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup water

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

1 (1-pound) can sliced peaches

1/2 cup maraschino cherries

1/2 cup pecan halves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Simmer raisins in water about 10 minutes. Stir in orange juice concentrate, pineapple and peaches with syrup, cherries, pecans, cinnamon and cloves. Simmer 10 minutes.

Blend together cornstarch and lemon juice and stir into fruit mixture. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened and smooth. Makes 3 cups.

Only recipes of general interest will be printed. We are unable to answer all requests. Please include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. Send your letter with self-addressed, stamped envelope to Culinary SOS, Food Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.