SUMMER SALADS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 135, 23 January 1942, Page 22

SUMMER SALADS

meals from everyone’s point of view. Dietitians are pleased because of the mineral values and the Vitamins A and C in the raw vegetables; the housekeeper is happy because she is spared the hot cooking (especially as she is probably using the stove for making jams and jellies and preserving vegetables), and yet she knows that the family is. being healthily fed; the family likes the change from hot dinners, and also finds a cool meal very appetising, besides not being spoilt if they are late home from tennis; and the " washer-up " has no greasy dishes and few saucepans to scour-always a disliked job. The only dissatisfied members of the household are the cat and dog! Not much for them after a salad meal! S ALADS make excellent summer Don’t discard the outer green leaves of lettuces, because they seem less tender and young than the inside ones, for they really have a considerably higher calcium and vitamin content than the pale, inside ones, Use also some green celery tops in your salads, and plenty of parsley, for extra flavour and for vitamins. The fresher the green vegetables the more Vitamin C- hence the value of being able to grow one’s own, and pick them just as one wants them. If you have to buy them, don’t buy too much at a time. It is much better if you have a refrigerator to store them in, as they lose their Vitamin C in proportion to the time they —

are at ordinary "room temperature," Don’t leave green vegetables soaking for long in cold water; just wash them and shake them well, and partly dry in a clean towel before shredding. The salad dressing has then a much better flavour, being undiluted by the water on the leaves. Any left-over cooked vegetables, such as potatoes, peas, and beans, should be added to your salad, and raw onions (not only "spring") are very good. Substantial Salads To make the salad substantial add grated or sliced cheese, sliced or chopped hard boiled egg,- chopped cold fish or meat or ham or tongue — almost anything in fact. Salads are the answer to what to do with the little bits left over. Put them in the salad, and serve with a good dressing or mayonnaise. : Do not fall into the habit of just cutting up lettuce and a few slices of tomato, and calling it a salad. Remember to include watercress, if it come from a safe source, carrots grated finely, celery chopped small, cucumber cut thinly, raw beetroot cooked and diced, and young tender cabbage leaves, ‘besides the parsley annd celery tops, cooked peas and beans and potatoes sliced as already mentioned. And also-a very important thing-include some fruit in your salad, and something sweet, too, like ---- —

stoned dates or raisins. A slice of pineapple cut in halves, a half pear, some segments of orange, a good bit of chopped apple-all these make the modern salad a real delight. It is surprising how one misses the fruit and the sweet pieces after having them even two or three times. Use care and imagination in arranging the salad — don’t let colours clash, like putting carrot and tomato and beetroot next each other. Work out some good ideas; and then pass them on to us all, in this page, in the true spirit of the helpful Daisy Chain. Savoury Egg and Potato Salad (American) Make the potato salad by cutting up 6 medium hot cooked potatoes into small cubes or slices, and pouring over them, while still hot, a dressing composed of 3 tablespoons of vinegar mixed with one teaspoon of sugar, a shake of pepper and salt, also a tiny white onion grated fine, a good tablespoon of minced parsley, and if liked, 4% cup of salad oil. Then put the whole away to chill. Cut 4 hard boiled eggs in halves, lengthwise. Re- . move the yolks, and mash them; mix them with 1 teaspoon chopped chives, and a tablespoon of good mayonnaise, and refill the whites with the mixture. Mix a dressing of 3 tablespoons of salad oil, 3 tablespoons of mild vinegar, a teaspoon of onion juice, a seasoning of pepper and salt, a dash of paprika, and a dessertspoon of chopped parsley. Now chill.

Arrange the salad in individual plates thus: In the middle of each plate put a mound of the potato salad, on each side put half a savoury egg, in between these arrange some asparagus tips, either home cooked or tinned, and put lettuce leaves or shredded lettuce all round. Pour a little of the chilled dressing over. Serve with any favourite mayonnaise and brown bread and butter. French Dressing As this dressing is specified in the making of so many salads, I give a recipe for it here. Mix together this quantity in a screw-top jar, and shake until thoroughly blended each time before using. Combine 114 teaspoons of salt, 1% teaspoon of pepper, 4% teaspoon paprika, and a cup of salad oil. Then beat in onethird of a cup of mild vinegar. In smaller quantities, combine 3 tablespoons of salad oil, 1/3 teaspoon of salt, 1% teaspoon paprika, and a few grains of pepper, then gradually beat in one tablespoon of mild vinegar.

Mixed Salad

It is an: excellent idea to prepare the salad in individual plates. You are then sure that each person gets his fair share of everything; and it is all ready beforehand, and so easily served. Cut a good lettuce with a firm heart into two or four pieces, depending upon the size, leaving it in one piece. Wash it well and dry a little in a cloth. Put it cut side up on a plate, and place upon it half a hard boiled egg, cut lengthwise, and on each side of the egg a thick strip of cheese. Now half a slice of pineapple on each side of the plate, or one piece of pineapple and half 4 pear, or two halves of pear, either ripe, and raw, or tinned, and no pineapple. This can be varied with tinned or raw half-peaches or apricots as the season advances. Slices of tomato and cucumber may be placed alternately round the edge of the plate. A few dates and raisins popped in among the lettuce leaves makes a lovely addition. Serve this with your favourite (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) mayonnaise, and wholemeal bread and butter, or well baked scone. Also in the salad, radishes are excellent, and should be put here and there, and a good dessert prune or two. Piquant Dressing (American) This is a very good one for a mixed fruit and green salad-2 tablespoons of red currant jelly, beaten up smoothly with a fork, and mixed with % cup of lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of paprika, 2 tablespoons of honey or sugar, one teaspoon of Worcester sauce, and one teaspoon of vinegar, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of salad oil. Beat until well blended. Tender Broad Beans in Salads. These are often forgotten in making up combination salads, or omitted because they take a little time to prepare. However, they are both nourishing and delicious, and deserve this special paragraph. Have them boiled till tender in very little water, a seasoning of sugar and salt; the skins will then be loose ard easily removed. Crayfish, Salmon, and Sardines All these make an excellent centre around which to build a substantial salad. Cucumber goes well with all three. Chop the body-meat of the crayfish, and put in mounds inside lettuce leaves; leave whole-the sweet part from the legs, and arrange them neatly at the sides of the plate. Egg and Salmon Salad Take 6 hard boiled eggs, Halve them either lengthwise or crosswise. Put the yolks into a basin and mash them with celery, salt and paprika, and mix in 2 or 3 tablespoons of flaked salmon. Fill the whites of the eggs with this, piling it up high. Have ready small curved lettuce leaves, and sprinkle them evenly with thinly sliced and chopped cucumber and chopped watercress, or mustard and cress, Place a stuffed half egg inside each leaf, and top with your favourite mayonnaise. Serve more mayonnaise separately. Special Mayonnaise Into a cupful of any good mayonnaise stir a tablespoon of grated horseradish. Jellied Salads Probably the easiest of all salad meals are those set in jelly, because they can be made the day before, or even early in the same day that they are needed for the evening meal. Put away in the refrigerator or cool safe; they are then completely ready for the meal without any more pfeparation. Cooked meat, or fish, or hard boiled eggs. and vegetables and fruit can all be used. Simply prepare an aspic jelly and set the salad in a plain basin, or a decorative mould. Layers can easily be arranged by pouring in a very little cold jelly and allowing it to set, then arranging the layer of egg or tomato, or fish or meat or whatnot, covering this in turn with another thin layer of jelly. When this is set, the remainder of the cooled aspic, into which the salad has been stirred, can be all poured in, and the whole put away to set. Garnish suitably when -turned out, with parsley or lemon slices, or lettuce, or whatever you need to build up the meal further. Most people prefer not to

set the lettuce in the aspic jelly but to serve the mould on the finely shredded lettuce. Remember that gelatine is, in itself, of considerable food value, providing protein and also being easily digested, as well as assisting in the digestion of milk. Aspic Jelly It is a good idea to make up some aspic jelly when you happen to have some stock-say, after boiling mutton, or some good vegetable water. Boil this up with any flavouring liked, and according to the character of the stock. You may put in some outside celery pieces, and tops, some sprigs of parsley, the thinly peeled rind of half a lemon, or a dash of vinegar or lemon juice, one or two cloves, some slices of onions-just what you think of, or like. When the stock has boiled up and become flavoured, remove it from the fire and add enough powdered gelatine to make it set; that is, a dessertspoonful to each breakfast cup of liquid. If you have a refrigerator you could use a smaller dessertspoon; you will soon learn how firm to make your jelly. Always dissolve the gelatine in a little hot water before adding, stir into your stock after taking it off the fire, let it cool, and then strain it through flannel or two or three thicknesses of muslin. You now add your cut up vegetables or flaked fish (salmon, perhaps), or meat or tongues, or sliced tomatoes, or hard boiled eggs, or whatever you have (or some of each), and put it into moulds or basins to set. Storing Aspic The plain aspic jelly may be just left in a basin in the safe or refrigerator to set. When you wish to use it, just melt it, or as much of it as you need, and add the meat, fish or vegetable, then set it again in the usual way. Lemon Aspic (for Jellied Vegetables) Two dessertspoons of gelatine, 42 cup hot water, 3% cup cold water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or more to taste, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, % cup. sugar, and 14 teaspoon of salt. Dissolve the gelatine in the hot water, add the cold water, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and salt. This makes about 1 pint. ra eS