Q: I have what is probably a stupid question, but how do you make Salisbury steak? I buy a frozen TV dinner all the time, but it seems to me I could make it better on my own, even though I'm a widower and not much of a cook.
Sam Hughes, North Miami
A: There is no such thing as a stupid question -- it is only stupid not to question, as my high school government teacher used to say. And your question actually led me to learn something: Salisbury steak is not named after the city in England, as I'd always thought, but after an English doctor who, in 1888, claimed that if you ate cooked ground beef three times a day, followed by copious amounts of hot water, you could cure disease. James H. Salisbury would not recognize the salty, additive-laden steak you find in frozen dinners.The recipe here is for basic Salisbury steak with mushroom sauce. Feel free to vary the season to your taste, adding chopped or granulated garlic, chopped parsley and the like. In a hurry? Simply mix the ground beef with an envelope of dried onion soup mix, skip the gravy-making and stir a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup into the skillet once the mushrooms are browned.
Q: Many years ago I made an apple pie in which you mixed the flour, apple pie filling and spices, and it separated by itself when cooking. It made its own crust, creamy, yet firm filling and a crusty top. Would you be able to find that recipe?
Rhonda
A: You're no doubt describing a variation of Impossible Pie. In the 1960s, Bisquick published a recipe for Impossible Coconut Pie in which you mixed all the ingredients in a pie plate and voilà! -- after baking you magically had a crust beneath the filling.Consumers embraced the fun, easy pies and came up with many variations, both sweet and savory. My only complaint is that it is a misnomer to call them pies, when they are more of a cobbler.
I adapted a recipe from the Cook's Corner files to make an apple variation. The original was made with mangoes or peaches, adds a ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the cream mixture and uses almonds rather than pecans. One caveat: You don't get quite as creamy a filling with apples, probably because they absorb more liquid than peaches.
READER RESPONSES
Bill Graves asked for suggestions on how to use sardines. Frances McPhee sent two ideas: Make a sandwich filling by mashing sardines into a paste and mixing with chopped hard-cooked egg and seasoning to taste with salt, cayenne and lemon juice. Or serve creamed sardines on toast: Melt 4 tablespoons butter; add 4 tablespoons bread crumbs and 1 cup cream. Heat thoroughly. Stir in the sardines and 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped fine. Season to taste with salt and paprika.
Rita Daniels offered two ideas. Make a salad: Place a layer of sliced tomatoes in a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with grated onion, capers, chopped parsley and vinaigrette. Cover with a layer of drained sardines. Repeat. Or make an omelet by frying onion and garlic in olive oil, mixing with drained canned sardines and sprinkling with lemon juice. Sandwich the filling in an omelet.
SLEUTH'S CORNER
Q: Thank you so much for years of wonderful recipes! I have used and saved many of them. The other night, while having dinner with friends, my husband mentioned the Place for Steak restaurant on 79th Street, which closed years ago. We were wondering if you had the recipe for the hot steak sauce that was served in a hot frying pan. It was so thick and delicious.
Michelle Sandler
A: I've been asked dozens of times over the years for the recipe for the steak sauce served at Hy Uchitel's legendary Place for Steak. No one has ever come up with it, so now I'm going to ask readers to help me conjure a reasonable facsimile by suggesting flavors. Sandler offered these thoughts: ''I think that it was thickened with potato flakes, not the usual stuff, there was maybe Worcestershire or A-1, mustard, beef broth and maybe red wine.'' Send me your memories of the taste, and we'll try to duplicate the sauce.
