X-Cellent, X-Cellent

DEAR SOS: The garlic-marinated chicken with cilantro at Xiomara in Pasadena is outstanding. I wonder if you can press the chef for a recipe? --G.

DEAR G.: Patrick Healy, the fine chef at Xiomara, promptly replied with this recipe for the marinated chicken and the accompanying Ranchero Risotto on which it rests. Fun and good eating ahead.

XIOMARA’S GARLIC MARINATED CILANTRO CHICKEN

CHICKEN

4 (1/2-pound) boneless chicken breast halves

8 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch cilantro

Salt, pepper

RANCHERO RISOTTO

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

3 cups chicken stock Salt, freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 plum tomatoes, diced

Juice of 2 limes

CHICKEN

Marinate chicken breasts with garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil overnight in refrigerator.

Reserve a few cilantro leaves for garnish. Blanch remaining cilantro in boiling salted water 10 seconds and immediately cool off in ice bath. Drain, pat dry and place in blender with remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Blend until leaves are pureed. Set aside 1 hour.

Strain cilantro oil through fine strainer, season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

Just be for serving, season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grill or broil skin-side down 8 minutes. Turn and finish cooking 4 minutes.

RANCHERO RISOTTO

Heat olive oil in large saucepan or heat-proof casserole and add onion and chiles. Cook over low heat without browning 2 minutes. Add garlic, and rice. Stir and add chicken stock with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat while stirring until most of the moisture is absorbed and rice is cooked al dente. Add grated Parmesan cheese.

Mound risotto in center of each plate. Toss diced tomatoes in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle tomato mixture over risotto. Place chicken breast on top, skin-side up, and sprinkle generously with cilantro oil mixture. Garnish with reserved cilantro leaves around chicken.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

801 calories; 883 mg sodium; 90 mg cholesterol; 49 grams fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 38 grams protein; 1.13 grams fiber.

Mo;asses Memories

DEAR SOS: Thirty years ago, when the Helm’s Bakery truck would stop along our street, I would always buy several boxes of soft and chewy molasses cookies. Is such a recipe available?--GLORYA

DEAR GLORYA: Try this recipe. Ellen Meehan of Alhambra, a reader, who won a “My Best Recipe” prize for the recipe in 1965, sent us her version of the cookie you describe. We hope it’s the one you want.

MOLASSES COOKIES

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves or cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

Cream shortening and sugar. Blend in molasses. Sift together flour, soda, ginger, cloves and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with warm water. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 8 to 10 minutes. Don’t over-bake and cookies will be moist and soft.

Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

Each cookie contains about:

52 calories; 14 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

Tomato Sauce All over

DEAR SOS: About 10 years ago you printed a recipe for tomato spaghetti sauce from Mario’s in Westwood. It was the lightest, best such sauce I’ve tasted. Unfortunately, I lost the recipe and wonder if you could reprint it.--DR. J.C.

DEAR DR. J.C.: The recipe was where it should have been, waiting for a house call.

MARIO’S TOMATO SPAGHETTI SAUCE

3/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 (29-ounce) can plum tomatoes, with liquid

4 fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound macaroni, spaghetti or other desired pasta, cooked

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, carrot and celery and saute until golden, not brown. Chop tomatoes and add, with liquid to vegetable mixture in pan. Add basil leaves, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Strain sauce through food mill or ricer. Return to pan. Add butter.

Simmer 10 minutes until butter melts. Serve over pasta.

Makes 6 servings. Each serving contains about:

600 calories; 471 mg sodium; 10.6 mg cholesterol; 32 grams fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 1.14 grams fiber.

* Assymetria gold ribbon dinnerware designed by Bijora Winblad for Rosenthal available at Geary’s in Beverly Hills and On a Mission in Claremont.