Cabbage

I'm a longtime reader of The Times and have on many occasions pulled recipes out of your Food section. Last Wednesday you published a recipe with the headline "Swedish Treat" (March 15). Being that I'm Swedish and that I grew up in Sweden, I need to comment. The recipe for Swedish Meatballs with the sauce was correct. The Red Cabbage is also correct. As a matter of fact, many of the individual recipes are correct, it's just that the combination is completely wrong. Dill is never used with any meat; it is exclusively used as a spice with seafood.

DEAR SOS: The best Chinese chicken salad is at Wolfgang Puck's Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. Is it possible to obtain the recipe from Mr. Puck? ALLEN KARDELL Palos Verdes DEAR ALLEN: Anything is possible. Chinois Chicken Salad Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes Chinese mustard can be found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. CHINESE MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE 1 egg yolk 3 teaspoons Chinese mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons light sesame oil 1/2 cup rice vinegar 3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil Salt, pepper Blend together the egg yolk, mustard, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, peanut oil and salt and pepper to taste until smooth.

Chalupas are a traditional Mexican snack. Normally, they're boat-shaped masa shells stuffed with something savory. Sometimes, though, they're made with regular corn tortillas. The convenience more than makes up for the small sacrifice in authenticity. Combine those tortillas with leftover baked or boiled potatoes and chorizo and you've got a dinner that's filling and fast.

I thought, when I heard that the Bohemian cafeteria, Gorky's Cafe, had changed hands some months back, it would never be the same. Would it have the warmth and the proletarian idealism that spurred Judith Markoff, the former owner, to open a restaurant in the desolate outer fringes of the garment district for the "poor people"? Would it have the Russian food that Markoff's grandmother inspired? Would the community spirit that permitted artists and jazz musicians to showcase their works be lost?

In addition to being the world's finest purveyor of unconditional love, my father's mother--we called her "Ma"--was perhaps the world's worst cook. Mixed with my fond memories of Sunday dinners at her house in Birmingham, Ala., are somewhat less fond memories of a menu that seldom varied: oven-forged pot roast, lumpy mashed potatoes, limp green beans and sticky-sweet iced tea. Her way with fried "pepper" eggs was as frightening as it was legendary.

To create an appealing salad, combine flavorful ingredients that contrast in color and texture. Use quality fresh greens and vegetables. Wash and spin-dry them in advance and refrigerate them so they stay crisp. Try to cut all the ingredients in a salad the same size, 1/3-inch dice or slightly larger. Short shreds of ingredients such as cabbage, iceberg lettuce and carrots also work well with diced ingredients. Chopped salads can use up small amounts of leftover meats, poultry and seafood in a tasty way. These salads use six cups of greens as the base for all the other add-ons; it's easy enough to create your own salads with whatever's in the refrigerator.

No wonder children love Hanukkah. There are eight days of giving and receiving gifts. This year candles will be lighted from Dec. 26 through Jan. 2, a new one added each night; some lucky children will also receive a small gift on each day of the holiday.