School memories spark request for beans, rice recipe

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

Back in March I wrote about Potato Herman starter and noted that instant potato flakes should not be used because they contain preservatives that inhibit fermentation.

Not long after the column ran, I heard from Beverly Lee.

It seems my statement was not entirely accurate. Instant potato flakes should not be used to make the starter, but according to Lee they will work for feeding the starter. She uses Great Value brand.

★★★

I don’t have fond memories of elementary school cafeteria food. Perhaps by the time I attended North Little Rock’s Park Hill Elementary in the early 1980s meals were no longer prepared from scratch in the cafeteria or if they were, I carried my lunch on the days the good stuff was served.

Yet, requests for recipes like those prepared in school cafeterias in the 1950s and 1960s are not unusual in Idea Alley.

Peggy Owens writes:

My husband and I attended separate elementary schools in North Little Rock during the mid-1950s. We share a memory of a favorite school lunch we knew only as “Chili Beans and Rice.” (We also remember them always being served with yummy, fluffy made in house yeast rolls. Those were the days!) We wonder if there might be someone out there who has the recipe and would share. I have tried to duplicate it and never quite gotten the right flavor. Also, I have searched for years for a lost recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake that my family loved. It made a quick and easy scratch cake with a dense texture that we all preferred to typical lighter cake recipes I have tried. I could stir it up, put it in the oven while we ate dinner and

have a delicious, warm dessert on cold winter evenings. I am reasonably certain the recipe came from either Woman’s

Day or Family Circle magazine but have never found just the right one. If someone has a similar recipe or suggestion I would greatly appreciate it. I searched the archives of

the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and its predecessors and found one recipe that may be similar to what Owens remembers. It is from 1967, by Beth Merriman, Parade Food editor. Then again, it could be nothing like what Owens remembers. It sounds tasty, so I’m sharing it here.

Chili-Bean-Rice Casserole

Rinse beans and pick out any debris. Soak beans overnight with instant meat tenderizer in enough water to cover.

In a large pot, simmer beans over low heat until skins burst.

Separately, cook green pepper and onions in butter or bacon drippings until tender. Combine with cooked beans and the remaining ingredients and mix lightly. Transfer mixture to a 4-quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 12 to 15 servings. Email recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to:

kbrant@adgnewsroom.com Please include a daytime phone number. 1 pound pinto or kidney beans 2 teaspoons instant meat

tenderizer

1 cup chopped green pepper 1 cup sliced onions 6 tablespoons butter, margarine or bacon drippings

¼ cup chopped parsley ½ teaspoon sugar

2 (29-ounce) cans tomatoes 2 teaspoons Worcestershire

sauce

4 cups cooked rice

1 teaspoon chile powder 2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon ground black

pepper