DEAR SUN SPOTS: What is it with these restaurants? We went to a restaurant last fall, and they had fresh green beans. I told the waiter I liked mine cooked good. The waiter said he would tell the chef to cook mine longer.

When we got our meals, the beans were so hard and rubbery that we could not eat them.

Broccoli isn’t cooked enough either. It’s so hard.

I ordered asparagus a while ago, and that also was hard.

Why don’t these restaurants cook their vegetables longer? They taste a lot better. 

Maybe that’s why children (and some adults) don’t like vegetables. — No Name, No Town

ANSWER: Styles of cooking come and go. Currently, cooking vegetables al dente is in vogue. Al dente is Italian for “to the tooth” or “to the bite” and indicates food that is cooked so that it is firm but not hard.

Part of the reason for its popularity may have to do with nutrition, as raw vegetables are supposed to better for you than cooked.

However, that said, you are entitled to have your food cooked the way you want it. If your vegetables arrive undercooked, send them back to the kitchen.

Or try a different style of restaurant. Old-fashioned diners and local family restaurants are less likely to cater to the food fad of the moment.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In response to the Jan. 22 inquiry, the ingredient in fish chowder is called “quenelles.” “The Way to Cook” by Julia Child has several recipes. I’m sure it can be found on the Internet. — Irene B., Norway

ANSWER: Irene is quite right. Amazon.com has a feature that allows you to search the inside of a book, and “quenelle” makes more than one appearance.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have an Amana self-cleaning electric range that is 15 years old and works excellent, but I cannot use the oven. I am looking for a knob for my oven control. All other knobs work.

I have tried to call the manufacturer and was told they don’t carry them any more. I hope that someone can help. I love your column. Thank you. — Theresa, Lewiston, 784-7572

ANSWER: Sun Spots wishes you had included the model number. With it she could have searched online. There are websites that specialize in selling parts for appliances, and of course there is always eBay.

Sun Spots guesses that you aren’t online. But you could go to the library and ask for help. Take your oven’s model number and a credit card with you. Some of the sites to check include appliancezone.com, appliancepartspros.com, repairclinic.com, partselect.com and more.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Here is the recipe for lobster pie a reader requested on Feb. 2:

“Baked stuffed lobster is a signature dish at the Korn-Haus-Keller. Here is the original recipe which chef Fern Comeau inherited from his mother. Comeau vows that this is even more succulent than the restaurant’s ‘streamlined’ version, which, in order to meet the volume of customer demand, utilizes pre-processed lobster and omits the lobster’s tomalley.”

Ingredients

Two 1 1/4- or 1 1/2-pound lobsters

1/2 pound butter (two sticks)

8 ounces fresh Maine crabmeat

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

1 cup crushed Saltine crackers

Method

Boil the lobsters until just cooked. Remove the meat from the tail and claws, chop coarsely and divide into two small casserole dishes. Then remove the meat from the legs and body of the lobster and mince.

Finally, remove the tomalley from the body and put it into a bowl with the minced lobster, the crabmeat and the crushed crackers, and mix.

Melt one stick of the butter and pour half of it (1/4 cup) into each casserole dish over the tail and claw meat.

To make the stuffing, melt the second stick of butter and blend it gradually into the tomalley-lobster-crab-cracker mixture until it’s moist enough so that it holds its shape when formed into a ball, but is still somewhat “fluffy.”

Divide the dressing into two equal portions and spread over the buttered lobster in the two casseroles. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve immediately. Serves two.

Enjoy. — J., New Gloucester

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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