Reader’s requested restaurant recipes revisited

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Last week’s column was filled with copycats of recipes from beloved Tontitown restaurants. This week we turn to Central Arkansas with favorites from Whole Hog Cafe and the much-missed The Villa as requested by Gay Moore.

Potato salad, like that served at Whole Hog Cafe, has been a frequent request in Idea Alley over the years. This recipe is one Nancy Pierce shared with Idea Alley readers back in 2010.

A version of this recipe appears on Page 47 of “Idea Alley: 50 Years of Recipes From the Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Gazette and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette” (shop.arkansasonline.com/product/idea-alley-2/) as “Barbecue Joint Potato Salad.”

If you have a better one, please, send it.

Potato Salad Similar to

Whole Hog

3 ½ pounds red potatoes, scrubbed

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ranch dressing mix

1 cup fried, crumbled bacon

½ cup chopped green onions

⅓ cup finely chopped chives

2 cups sour cream

2 cups mayonnaise

Splash of vinegar

Bake potatoes for about an hour or until cooked through. Let cool slightly, then cut into cubes or slices. Place potatoes in a large bowl and mix in spices and seasonings one at a time. Add bacon, onions and chives and mix again.

In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise and vinegar. Add to potato mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate several hours before serving — the longer the better.

The Villa Italian restaurant closed about a decade ago, but Alley readers still yearn for some of the Little Rock restaurant’s signature dishes.

Back in 2014 co-owner Ken Shivey sent us this basic recipe for Spaghetti Villa.

Spaghetti Villa

Sliced black olives

Sliced fresh mushrooms

Chopped onion

Chopped bell pepper

Fresh minced garlic

Butter

Cooked spaghetti

Saute the olives, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and garlic in butter until tender. Pour over pasta.

And you can’t have Spaghetti Villa without a slice of the Villa’s excellent bread. In 2016 Shivey and Barbara White sent us a copy of that recipe, however it was in restaurant quantities. The following is a scaled down version I created based on the recipe Shivey and White shared.

Villa Bread (Downsized)

2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees), divided use

1 ¼ teaspoons fine salt

2 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil, plus more for coating pan

1 ¼ pounds all-purpose flour or about 4 ½ cups, plus more for dusting (see note)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast with ¼ cup of the water, the salt, sugar and vegetable oil. Mix well. Add the flour and remaining water and mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl. Transfer dough to the oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Punch down. On a lightly floured surface shape dough into a wide, flatish loaf or into traditional loaves. Place in a lightly oiled baking pan or loaf pan. Let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until internal temperature of loaf reaches 190 degrees, 15 to 45 minutes depending on the shape of the loaf. A traditional loaf shape will require up to 45 minutes.

Makes 1 large loaf.

Note: I strongly recommend weighing the flour. But if you don’t have a kitchen scale, thoroughly stir the flour to aerate it, then spoon it into a measuring cup.