Recently, you published ads from Mungo's restaurant in Fairview Heights that said to stay tuned for their famous salad recipe. Did I miss it or hasn't it been published yet? -- Susan Paoli, of Troy
We really didn't mean to, but it looks like we may have tossed you a bit of a curve instead of a salad.
Tim Tucker, our Mungo's ad rep, says the advertisements you saw actually were touting an appearance by Mungo's on Sept. 18 on KMOV-TV's "Great Day St. Louis."
And, sure enough, if you go to www.kmov.com and search for "Mungo's," you can watch the 41/2-minute segment, in which the restaurant's Matthew Harvey takes viewers through the making of his eatery's signature dressing step by step. (Note: The video may take a minute to load.)
"We're tired of all the hoopla we've been hearing," Harvey tells Matt Chambers as he prepares to pour ingredients into a mixing bowl. "We're going to show you the often-imitated, never-duplicated Mungo's salad."
However, if you're not an Internet fan, allow me to share this treasure for the taste buds. Here's the dressing recipe Harvey gave:
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
11/2 tablespoons granulated garlic
11/2 tablespoons black pepper
21/2 tablespoons oregano
1 cup red wine vinegar
11/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
11/4 cups canola oil
Mix ingredients with emulsifier or in blender. (Harvey says the restaurant also uses it as a tasty marinade for its chicken and beef, too.)
Harvey was, however, less exact with the salad itself, merely showing off a mixture of romaine and iceberg lettuce, green onions, Parmesan and Provel cheeses and prosciutto ham -- no exact quantities given, although you might ask the next time you're at the restaurant. Until then, buon appetito!
Since we're coming into turkey-frying season, I was wondering if we have any local recycling centers that would take several three-gallon containers of used peanut oil I've amassed. I know it's biodegradable, but I thought it would be better to recycle instead of dumping it in my yard. -- M.B., of Freeburg
A commendable thought, so I have a slick idea for you: Call the friendly folks at Ace Grease Service, and they'll likely be happy to take that yucky glop off your hands.
Family-owned and operated since 1993, Ace started with a single truck but now services the greater Midwest with a fleet of vehicles and equipment. Its work has earned them an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and you're welcome to read the testimonials at its website, www.acegrease.com.
Ace collects used cooking oil from and cleans grease traps in restaurants, hotels, hospitals, penal institutions and food manufacturing plants. It then processes and recycles the stuff into materials used to create plastics, soaps, livestock feed and biodiesel fuel.
The woman I talked to said they'd be glad to hear from you, so call 332-2296 or (800) 473-2733. They're at 9033 Illinois 163 north of Millstadt, between Eiler and Camp Jackson roads. In case you lose this answer, they're also listed under -- what else? -- "Greases" in the Yellow Pages.
Back in the mid-'70s, I saw the most beautiful Christmas show on TV with Andy Williams and figure skater Dorothy Hamill skating on a pond. Is that available? -- Corliss Berger, of Belleville
Looks like I may have to brush up on my Santa skills. What you remember is "Andy Williams' Early New England Christmas" with Williams, Hamill and Irish flautist James Galway that aired Dec. 7, 1982, but your stocking may stay empty if you're looking for it: I cannot find that it has ever been released on DVD or VHS.
The best I can do is "The Best of Andy Williams' Christmas Shows," but it is now rare and prohibitively expensive ($160). Many other holiday DVDs featuring the late singer -- including his Branson show -- are available through amazon.com and other sites.
However, you can enjoy a bit of your memory with a four-minute segment on YouTube. Search for the name of the show.
Today's trivia
Besides Tim Lincecum, only one other Giants pitcher has won a Cy Young Award. Who was he?
Answer to Thursday's trivia: So, what was the only song with foreign lyrics named to Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time in 2004? Would you believe it was "Danke Schoen" by Wayne Newton in 1963? Didn't think so. Of course, it was Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," which Valens put on the flip side of his biggest hit, "Donna." "La Bamba" reached only No. 22 in 1958, but Los Lobos, which recorded it for the "La Bamba" movie, rode it to No. 1 in 1987. The traditional Mexican folk song wound up at 346 on the Rolling Stone list.
Send your questions to Roger Schlueter, Belleville News-Democrat, 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427 or rschlueter@bnd.com
