Kats request Villa’s minestrone, eggless aioli

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

We’re going to start with the requests this week and then we’ll get to the recipes.

First up is minestrone like that served at the muchmissed Villa Italian Restaurant in Little Rock for Pam Griffin. According to reviews in the newspaper archives, the soup included white beans, a little tomato, cabbage, pasta shells and “other suspended goodies” in beef and chicken broths. The reviews — which spanned more two decades — varied in their praise of the soup calling it spicy, salty and bland. The Villa closed more than a decade ago, and of the many recipes and ingredients lists owner Ken Shivey has shared with us over the years, minestrone isn’t one of them. So if you remember the soup and have a comparable recipe, please share!

Next up is chipotle aioli made without eggs for Martha Hartwick. With the cost of eggs soaring and consuming uncooked eggs frowned up for their salmonella risk, Hartwick is looking to make her own egg-free aioli. If you have a recipe that you’ve made and liked, please pass it along.

And now the recipes … This recipe is for Hartwick, who requested a make-it-yourself version of Tony Chachere’s seasoning. Hartwick prefers the extra spicy “bold” version. As written this recipe makes something similar to the original. To make it more fiery, increase the cayenne and opt for a hot chili powder. Keep in mind, different brands of chili powder will produce slightly different results, so you may need to experiment a little to get it just right. Keep the mixture stored in an airtight container away from moisture to prevent excessive clumping.

Copycat Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

½ cup fine grain salt

2 teaspoons ground red (cayenne) pepper

1 ½ teaspoons finely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dehydrated garlic or garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder (the kind with salt and other spices added)

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

Makes a generous ½ cup.

A big, big thank you to Chris Limehouse for answering Tanya Collins’ request for Stephenson’s Hickory Nut Pie.

“I was fortunate to eat at Stephenson’s a few times before it closed,” Limehouse wrote. “I picked up their cookbook at an estate sale a few years ago.”

The recipe in the cookbook differs quite a bit from the recipes that appeared in last week’s column.

Xyta Lucas, co-president of the Bella Vista Historical Society, confirms Stephenson’s Restaurant was just across the Missouri state line on U.S. 71.

Lucas shared a clipping from the Weekly Vista newspaper announcing the restaurant had sold in December 2003. The article called Stephenson’s Cider Mill Restaurant a “Bella Vista landmark since 1978.”

Lucas tells me a Ford dealership occupies the spot today.

Hickory Nut or Pecan Pie

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1 pint (2 cups) light corn syrup

1 ½ teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs 1 cup hickory nuts or pecan halves, plus more for topping Whipped cream, for serving

Arrange pie crust in pie plate; set aside.

Mix flour and sugar in a 2-quart bowl. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla until smooth. Bring syrup and butter to a boil over low heat. Beat into egg mixture. Sprinkle cracker crumbs and nuts over the bottom of the unbaked pie crust. Pour in filling. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until just set firmly. Cool before serving. Mound with whipped cream and sprinkle with hickory nuts or pecans.

Makes 1 pie.