COOK'S CORNER : SEEKING COMFORTING RECIPE FOR CREAMY BEEF LIKE MOM'S.

Byline: Marge Powers

When the call went out for a comforting creamy chipped beef dish that Mike Blaine of Tarzana remembered from his childhood, three readers sent in recipes to share, and two are included today.

Ruth Nebron writes that her Creamed Chipped Beef recipe brought back memories of when she was first married and times were tough. Her version is adapted from the 1953 edition of the ``Joy of Cooking'' by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker.

Dorothea Woolsey's Creamed Dried Beef De Luxe is from her aunt's huge recipe collection. Woolsey sent along her aunt's clipping with an old color photograph of the dish. The recipe was found in her aunt's 1938 ``Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook''; in those days, cooks clipped the recipes from the magazine and inserted them in the looseleaf cookbook themselves. When Woolsey made the recipe, she used cream of mushroom soup instead of the celery soup and added a bunch of chopped celery.

Barbara Brown of Northridge writes, ``I thought you might get a smile out of this recipe.'' Her chipped beef on toast recipe uses 7 pounds chopped dried beef and makes 130 servings. It is from the 1942 Army cookbook. (That recipe doesn't appear here.)

These two recipes should bring back fond memories for Blaine.

CREAMED CHIPPED BEEF

(Ruth Nebron, Valley Glen)

8 ounces chipped beef

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons minced onion

3 tablespoons minced green bell pepper

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon chopped parsley OR chives 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

2 tablespoons sherry

Pull apart chipped beef. Set aside.

In a skillet, melt butter, then saute onion and green pepper. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, then slowly add milk, stirring constantly.

Add beef and simmer until thickened. Then remove from heat. Season with parsley, paprika and sherry. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: Dress up this dish with hard-cooked eggs, pimientos, green peas or to your taste.

Adapted from ``Joy of Cooking'' by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker.

CREAMED DRIED BEEF DELUXE

(Dorothea Woolsey, Encino)

4 OR 5 ounces dried beef

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup

1/3 cup water

1 cup evaporated milk

1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pull dried beef apart into small pieces. If beef is very salty, rinse first in warm water. Drain well. Set aside.

Melt butter over low heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Add onion and cook until onion is yellow and transparent.

Add beef and cook gently until edges curl. Blend in soup, then stir in water, evaporated milk and Worcestershire sauce. Heat through. Serve over toast or baked potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.''

Can you help

If you have recipes that can help this reader, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column.

I would like a recipe for peanut sauce, using peanut butter, that I could pour over Chinese noodles or other dishes. I shop at a warehouse store and have an overabundance of peanut butter and noodles. Help.

- Edith Mael

West Hills