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Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Saturday, May 10, 2008

Reader Exchange: Readers are hungry for avocado, rhubarb and fettucine recipes

By Alice P. Clark, special to the Tribune

Who would have thought that a simple little fishing excursion, undertaken in the hope of landing the “big one,” the Hot Fish Shoppe tartar sauce recipe, would open such a can of worms!

A source reported that the fishing is good at Festival Foods; a second source reported that it is not. A third, and I would have to say pretty convincing, source stopped at the desk of Sue Webb in the Tribune newsroom this week with a jar of the tartar sauce in question on his stringer, freshly caught at none other than Festival Foods.

Others have successfully reeled it in as well: Michelle Neitzke says, “I have actually purchased [Mose’s Fish Shop Tartar Sauce] at both Festival Foods in Onalaska and at the Quillin’s in La Crescent several times. My husband is from Winona and grew up loving the tartar sauce. At Festival Foods you must purchase it from the fresh fish counter (it is refrigerated there). At Quillin’s, it is located in the cooler by the meat department”; and Karenuffda weighs in with “I have found Mose’s Fish Shop Tartar Sauce at Woodman’s and People’s Food Co-Op. It is in the refrigerated section.”

In recent weeks, we have printed numerous, varied tartar sauce recipes; and multiple sources have provided information to help locate the “reel” thing in area stores.

So at this point, I am officially surrendering my “fishing license,” and moving on to wrap up some other recent requests, most notably vegetable lasagna and bread pudding.

We have another bread pudding recipe courtesy of Pat Hunter of La Crosse, one of those “set it and forget it” type recipes — you assemble it and then accomplish all sorts of other things as it slow cooks for 3 to 4 hours.

Pat also shared a vegetable lasagna recipe. Our anonymous friends do a good job of supplying us with recipes and this week is no exception, as we have one more version of vegetable lasagna. As a real fan of vegetable lasagna, I can assure you that you can never have too many variations.

Mary in California can’t eat tomatoes anymore, so she has taken to having bacon, lettuce and avocado sandwiches. She would like other recipe suggestions for using avocado. We’re still open to fried fish and/or rhubarb recipes for Rebecca Pruss.

Helen Harold of West Salem, Wis., would like to duplicate the fettucine Alfredo that she can “buy in the store,” saying, “My husband really likes the box mix and I would like to make my own. Thank you.”

Send requests, recipes and/or cooking tips and techniques to Alice P. Clark at: Reader Exchange, c/o La Crosse Tribune, 401

N. Third St., La Crosse, WI 54601; e-mail: exchange@ lacrossetribune.com or send a fax to (608) 782-9723.

Apple Nut Bread Pudding

8 slices raisin bread, cubed

2 medium tart apples, peeled and diced

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups half and half

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Ice cream

Place bread cubes, apples and pecans in a greased or sprayed slow cooker. Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add beaten eggs, cream, apple juice and butter; mix well. Cover and cook on low 3 to 4 hours, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream. 6 to 8 servings.

(Shared by Pat Hunter, La Crosse)

Vegetarian Lasagna

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup (1 percent) cottage cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook noodles according to package directions. Saute onion, celery and garlic in oil until softened. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and paste, sugar and seasonings. Simmer 10 minutes. In bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, parsley and salt. Drain noodles. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce in a 9-by-13-inch pan; layer 4 noodles, half of the cottage cheese mixture, half of the spinach, a third of the remaining sauce and a third of the mozzarella. Repeat in same order. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella; Sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover and bake 35 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

(Shared by Pat Hunter, La Crosse)

Vegetable Lasagna

2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

3 cups sliced zucchini

3 cups cottage cheese

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cups finely grated carrots

1 cup chopped onion (to taste)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 1/2 cups tomato sauce

4 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

9 cooked lasagna noodles

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine spinach, zucchini, cottage cheese, mushrooms, carrot, onion, eggs and Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spread a small amount of sauce in bottom of pan; then alternate layers of noodles, vegetable/cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce (for top layer add sauce before mozzarella) in a 9-by-13-inch nonstick baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes until lasagna is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

(Shared by an anonymous friend)