You Asked For It: For a cool summer treat, let them eat pie

By ANNE LONG
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 3, 2002

Fresh strawberries are available almost year-round and delicious varieties from California are in stores now.

That's lucky for Flora Jones, who wants a recipe for French vanilla pie made with fresh strawberries.

Grace Oakey's recipe blends vanilla ice cream into a warm strawberry gelatin mixture. When it has chilled a bit, she adds sliced strawberries and pours the mixture into a pastry or graham cracker crust. She tops the pie with whipped cream and chopped walnuts when it is well-chilled.

Joan Miller uses both strawberry gelatin and vanilla pudding. When the boiling mixture is chilled and becomes thickened, she stirs in thawed dessert topping and sliced strawberries. This goes into a baked pie shell and is garnished with whipped topping and fresh strawberries when the pie is chilled.

Joan adds that sugar-free pudding and gelatin may be used.

It is always time for old-fashioned bean soup that can be prepared in a slow cooker. The soup simmers away and the kitchen stays cool.

Katherine Buchanan asked for baked ziti the way it's made on the HBO series The Sopranos. Nancy Cunningham shares the classic recipe, which is prepared with ricotta and grated Parmesan cheeses.

Linda Kelly's recipe is a heartier version that calls for ground beef.

For: Flora Jones of Homosassa.

From: Grace Oskey of Largo.

Recipe: French Vanilla Strawberry Pie.

French Vanilla Strawberry Pie

• 1 3-ounce package strawberry gelatin
• 1-1/4 cups boiling water
• 2 cups French vanilla ice cream
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 9-inch baked pie shell or Graham cracker shell
• Whipped cream and chopped walnuts for garnish

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Gradually add ice cream, stirring until melted. Chill until thick but not set, about 15 to 25 minutes. Then fold in berries and pour mixture into prepared shell. Chill until firmly set.

Garnish with whipped cream and chopped walnuts if desired.

From: Joan Miller of San Antonio.

Recipe: Fresh Strawberry Pie.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

• 1 4-serving size package vanilla pudding mix
• 1 3-ounce package strawberry gelatin
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cups frozen dessert topping, thawed
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 9-inch baked pie shell, cooled
• Whipped topping and fresh strawberries for garnish

Combine pudding mix, gelatin, water and lemon juice in a saucepan.

Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Pour into a bowl and chill until thickened. Fold in whipped topping, blending well. Stir strawberries into gelatin mixture.

Pour into pie shell and chill until set, at least 1 to 2 hours. Garnish with whipped topping and fresh strawberries.

Note: Sugar-free pudding mix and gelatin may be used.

For: Mary Edling of Palm Harbor.

From: Brenda Helton of Seminole, Doris Portmann of Clearwater and Ruth Bantz of Palm Harbor.

Recipe: Old-fashioned Bean Soup from the Rival CrockPot Cookbook.

Old-Fashioned Bean Soup

• 1 pound dry navy beans
• 2 quarts water
• 1 pound ham pieces or ham bone with meat
• Salt to taste
• 5 whole peppercorns or 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf, optional

Soak beans overnight. Put all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours (or High for 5 to 6 hours. Remove ham bone. Cut meat from bone and return meat to soup. Remove bay leaf if used. Makes 21/2 quarts of soup.

For: Katherine Buchanan of St. Petersburg.

From: Nancy Cunningham of Hernando.

Recipe: Baked Ziti from Prodigy Food & Wine Board.

Baked Ziti

• 1 pound ziti or mostaccioli pasta
• 2 32-ounce jars spaghetti sauce or 2 quarts homemade sauce
• 1-1/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 3 pounds low-fat ricotta cheese

Cook the ziti or mostaccioli pasta until al dente, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. In a large roasting dish, spread a thin layer of sauce over bottom. Sprinkle with 1/3 of Parmesan.

Soften the ricotta in microwave by cooking on low (30 per cent power) for about 11/2 to 2 minutes.

Layer with half each of ziti, ricotta cheese, sauce and half of remaining Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven approximately 1 hour. Let stand for half an hour before serving.

Note: It's probably a good idea to have some extra red sauce on hand in case the ziti gets dry.

From: Linda Kelly of Clearwater.

Recipe: Baked Ziti with Meat from www.allrecipes.com.

Baked Ziti with Meat

• 1 pound ziti
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 26-ounce jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes.

Layer as follows in buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish: Half the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, half of the spaghetti sauce, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted. Serves 8.

Recipe requests

When Steven Strong of Clearwater remodeled his kitchen, a favorite Thanksgiving recipe for stuffing balls with pecans and shredded apples was misplaced. The St. Petersburg Times archives have been searched back to 1987 but no luck. He hopes you may have the recipe in your files and will share it.

Ranger cookies are made with corn flakes and coconut. This is the recipe Helen Cooper of Inverness wants.

Jeanne Ebling of Seminole writes that there used to be a restaurant in northeast Philadelphia called the Cottage Green Restaurant. Jeanne thinks their crab cakes were unequaled and appeals to fellow former Philadelphians to send the recipe if they enough to have this treasure.

Sharon Okonzak of Dunedin is looking for an outstanding bread pudding recipe, made with or without fruit. If you have a favorite recipe, please send it for Sharon.

- You Asked for It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to: You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.

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