Peanut Sauce

DEAR SOS: I've lost my recipe for zucchini muffins that was printed in The Times about 6 years ago. It came from a cafe in Redondo Beach. Any chance? --JUDY DEAR JUDY: We've probably lost that recipe too, but how about a substitute we rated a "10."

Any cook with an interest in Asian food will love this book from the Slanted Door 's Charles Phan. I've had my copy of "Vietnamese Home Cooking" only a few weeks, but it's already well-thumbed. I've been on a real binge, making his green papaya salad with rau ram , peanuts and crispy shallots numerous times. That goes for pork and shrimp spring rolls with velvety peanut sauce (the secret is a little glutinous rice and red miso) too. For the Hollywood Bowl, we made bánh mi filled with lemongrass pork roast, which Phan describes as a "cheater's version of porchetta.

A cold and spicy peanut sauce adds Southeast Asian flavor to this pasta salad. Any seasonal vegetable--asparagus, Chinese pea pods, green beans, broccoli--can be tossed in with mushrooms. Sprinkle with sliced green onions just before serving. This spicy pasta salad can be served with a family meal, or dressed up with garnishes for a festive party treat.

DEAR SOS: Trattoria Tre Venezie in Pasadena serves halibut with garlic and vinegar sauce over a bed of polenta that is absolutely the best fish dish I've ever had. Any chance of the recipe? JULIE CARLSON Pasadena DEAR JULIE: The secret behind this dish is the use of 40 pieces of garlic, often found in classical dishes of Italy and France. Don't be alarmed. The bite of the garlic disappears in the vinegar sauce, leaving an incredibly good flavor. Polenta is an ideal accompaniment for this dish.

To anyone raised on peanut butter sandwiches, the taste of Asian peanut sauces can be pleasantly familiar. Recently, the sauces--blended with coconut milk, chiles and pungent curry spices--have become so popular that they've started appearing in non-Asian supermarkets either bottled, canned or as dry mixes. Most people first encounter the sauces in Thai restaurants, where satays (grilled meat) with peanut dip are part of the standard repertoire.

Any cook with an interest in Asian food will love this book from the Slanted Door 's Charles Phan. I've had my copy of "Vietnamese Home Cooking" only a few weeks, but it's already well-thumbed. I've been on a real binge, making his green papaya salad with rau ram , peanuts and crispy shallots numerous times. That goes for pork and shrimp spring rolls with velvety peanut sauce (the secret is a little glutinous rice and red miso) too. For the Hollywood Bowl, we made bánh mi filled with lemongrass pork roast, which Phan describes as a "cheater's version of porchetta.

DEAR SOS: Trattoria Tre Venezie in Pasadena serves halibut with garlic and vinegar sauce over a bed of polenta that is absolutely the best fish dish I've ever had. Any chance of the recipe? JULIE CARLSON Pasadena DEAR JULIE: The secret behind this dish is the use of 40 pieces of garlic, often found in classical dishes of Italy and France. Don't be alarmed. The bite of the garlic disappears in the vinegar sauce, leaving an incredibly good flavor. Polenta is an ideal accompaniment for this dish.

Flipping through the pages of Karoff's book makes one realize the importance of South America's contribution to cuisines of the world. Where, after all, would we be without allspice, avocados, beans, cashew nuts, peanuts, pineapples, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, turkeys and vanilla? Pumpkin stew with chiles and cheese will entice the vegetarian looking for a respite from ordinary fare. Among the meat dishes there is a lamb stew with spices, black beans and meat, Brazil's national feijoada completa and rabbit braised in coconut milk.

Great story on the guinea pigs (Forklore, "Guinea Pig: The Other Other White Meat," April 21). My wife grew up in the small Amazon jungle town of Yurimaguas in Peru. She told me that in the jungle the correct pronunciation is coo-yay, not coo-ee. On my last visit to her folks, who now live in Pucallpa, the capital of the state of Ucayali, her mom made cuys for lunch at my request. We lay in bed the evening before the lunch listening to the sound of the meat cleaver on the chopping board as she prepared the cuys, which she had raised in the backyard.

The best green peas you'll ever eat are those from your local farmer's market or, better yet, your own garden, picked and shelled minutes before microwaving. The great advantage of the microwave is that you needn't drown the peas in water as you must if you cook them on top of the stove. If you add a nugget of butter to the casserole in which you'll microwave them, you needn't add any water at all (let your calorie-consciousness be your guide). In a closed container, the peas will steam in their own fragrant vapor so that their original goodness is not only preserved but heightened.

Great story on the guinea pigs (Forklore, "Guinea Pig: The Other Other White Meat," April 21). My wife grew up in the small Amazon jungle town of Yurimaguas in Peru. She told me that in the jungle the correct pronunciation is coo-yay, not coo-ee. On my last visit to her folks, who now live in Pucallpa, the capital of the state of Ucayali, her mom made cuys for lunch at my request. We lay in bed the evening before the lunch listening to the sound of the meat cleaver on the chopping board as she prepared the cuys, which she had raised in the backyard.

These days, while perusing the local farmers' market--eyeing the verdant offerings for tonight's tossed salad--don't be surprised if you happen upon an agreeable entree, plus other tidbits to complete a full menu. Does eggplant and thyme-filled ravioli, smothered in a zesty scallion-basil pesto sound appealing? How about fresh sea bass for the main course?

Eating at the Encino edition of Chin Chin reminds me of when I was living in Tokyo and got to watch "King Kong Versus Godzilla" on the local all-night movie channel. In the Japanese cut, Godzilla wins. There's probably a lesson there, though I'm not sure what it is. I do know that most of the really important things in life--like baseball, movie endings and Chinese cuisine--get doctored up plenty on both sides of the Pacific Rim, with little respect for tradition.

DEAR SOS: I've lost my recipe for zucchini muffins that was printed in The Times about 6 years ago. It came from a cafe in Redondo Beach. Any chance? --JUDY DEAR JUDY: We've probably lost that recipe too, but how about a substitute we rated a "10."

To anyone raised on peanut butter sandwiches, the taste of Asian peanut sauces can be pleasantly familiar. Recently, the sauces--blended with coconut milk, chiles and pungent curry spices--have become so popular that they've started appearing in non-Asian supermarkets either bottled, canned or as dry mixes. Most people first encounter the sauces in Thai restaurants, where satays (grilled meat) with peanut dip are part of the standard repertoire.

For some reason, Indonesian food isn't easy to find in Los Angeles. But there is Bali Corner, not a restaurant but a stand in a food court near USC. It has served consistently good food for almost seven years. And according to a Dutch-Indonesian friend born in Bandung on the island of Java, the food is authentic. Bandung is also the birthplace of Marianne Lim, who runs Bali Corner. That means, technically, Lim's place is more Javanese than Balinese.

For some reason, Indonesian food isn't easy to find in Los Angeles. But there is Bali Corner, not a restaurant but a stand in a food court near USC. It has served consistently good food for almost seven years. And according to a Dutch-Indonesian friend born in Bandung on the island of Java, the food is authentic. Bandung is also the birthplace of Marianne Lim, who runs Bali Corner. That means, technically, Lim's place is more Javanese than Balinese.

Foodwise, Los Angeles has a little of everything, doesn't it? The answer is yes for those who do their own cooking. The variety of ingredients available here makes it possible to delve into some far-flung cuisines. But restaurantwise, there are glaring gaps. Oddly enough, we have missed out on Singaporean food, much to our loss. This small island at the tip of the Malay Peninsula is a paradise of Asian cookery.

Flipping through the pages of Karoff's book makes one realize the importance of South America's contribution to cuisines of the world. Where, after all, would we be without allspice, avocados, beans, cashew nuts, peanuts, pineapples, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, turkeys and vanilla? Pumpkin stew with chiles and cheese will entice the vegetarian looking for a respite from ordinary fare. Among the meat dishes there is a lamb stew with spices, black beans and meat, Brazil's national feijoada completa and rabbit braised in coconut milk.

The best green peas you'll ever eat are those from your local farmer's market or, better yet, your own garden, picked and shelled minutes before microwaving. The great advantage of the microwave is that you needn't drown the peas in water as you must if you cook them on top of the stove. If you add a nugget of butter to the casserole in which you'll microwave them, you needn't add any water at all (let your calorie-consciousness be your guide). In a closed container, the peas will steam in their own fragrant vapor so that their original goodness is not only preserved but heightened.