August 08, 2001|By Ellen Hawks | Ellen Hawks,SUN STAFF
Christine Mengel of Birdsboro, Pa., wrote seeking a recipe "called limping Susan, which, if memory serves me correctly, is a main dish with seafood. I saw it in the Atlanta Constitution in 1991."
Beth Hunter of Timonium responded: "I hope your readers like this as much as we do."
Recipe requests
Regina A. Hatch of Bloomery, W.Va., writes that she is 75 and had a recipe for a Boston brown bread that she has lost. "I am a native New Yorker who moved south to the mountains of West Virginia 15 years ago and am now nostalgic for things of my past."
Wanda Martin of Johnstown, Pa., wants a recipe for honey-mustard pretzels. "My husband loves them."
If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request for a hard-to-find recipe, write to Ellen Hawks, Recipe Finder, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278. If you send more than one recipe, please put each on a separate sheet of paper with your name, address and daytime phone number. Important: Please list the ingredients in order of use, and note the number of servings each recipe makes. Please type or print contributions. Letters may be edited for clarity.
Limping Susan
Serves 6 as an appetizer or light meal
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups fresh okra, cut to 1/4 -inch slices
1 1/2 cups diced onion
3/4 cup uncooked rice
one (12-ounce) can tomatoes
12 ounces water (use empty tomato can)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon fine black pepper
1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
In a frying pan, heat the shortening until hot over medium heat. Add the okra and onion and saute; until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the shrimp, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir and serve.
Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "Limping Susan is a cousin to the Southern New Year's staple hopping John, which is stewed rice and black-eyed peas. Because of the shrimp and the okra, this recipe has a gumbolike appeal but without as much soupiness. Be sure to put Tabasco on the table -- a little heat adds a lot to the dish."
