Potato Salad

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

8 -10 small to medium, unpeeled Red Bliss Potatoes, cleaned and cubed.

¼ C chopped sweet onion (Vidalia, Purple onion work well)

¼ C diced celery

¼ C diced green pepper (optional)

½ C Italian Salad Dressing

½ C green olives (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Boil cubed potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain in a colander.

Place potatoes immediately in large bowl.

Add chopped vegetables.

Add salad dressing, as the warm potatoes will soak up more of the oil and vinegar flavors.

Mix in the green olives or save them for later (place them around the edge as a garnish).

This is a wonderful salad to bring to a potluck picnic. It is just unusual enough to make a “stand-out” statement, while fitting in well with the Americana summer potluck theme. Pack in the cooler with plenty of ice packs. The colder this is when served, the better.

GARNISHES: This potato salad is great surrounded or topped with rings of red pepper, radishes, cooked snap peas (cooled), carrot slices or curls, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, or whatever vegetable sounds or looks good. Even deviled eggs would be a nice addition placed around the potato salad. There are no limits of embellishments.

HELPFUL HINT: When cooling the potato salad spread the salad to the top edge of the bowl so that the the thickness is evenly dispersed. Cover with plastic wrap. Fill a zip lock back with ice cubes in and place in the center. Place bowl in refrigerator. It will cool down more quickly than leaving the salad in a thick layer in the bowl. There is nothing like a really cold potato salad for a summer picnic.

NOTES: I first made this potato salad when I was on vacation in New Hampshire. I cannot honestly remember if I'd run out of mayonnaise, or if I just felt like doing potato salad a different way. I do remember that I thought I had added way too much oil and vinegar, but the response I received from my family was across the board positive. All my aunts are wonderful cooks. I knew it was a success when one of them raved about this salad.

One of the nicest features of the potato salad is that the potatoes are continually soaking up a marinade – no chance of mayonnaise or eggs growing little microscopic green things that could put one or more picnickers in the hospital. I have become ultra-aware of how very easy it is to get food poisoning. All it takes is one bite of something that has been out in the warm weather a little too long, or perhaps never got the chance to cool down in the center.

On a happier note, this salad will not only keep for a few days, it will taste even better as the ingredients soak up more of the marinade.

Orzo Picnic Salad

Serves 15 – 20 as a side dish

1 lb Orzo Pasta

3 quarts boiling water

2 tsp Adobe salt or regular salt

In a large pot boil water. Add salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain in colander. Place Pasta in a mixing bowl.

1/3 C vegetable oil

3 TBLS red wine vinegar

1 TLBS parsley flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Mix together. Stir into pasta while it is still warm. It will absorb the flavors more thoroughly before it has cooled.

1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and cut into small pieces

½ medium red onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

5-6 slices roasted red pepper, cut into small pieces

½ can pitted whole or sliced black olives, drained

½ jar green olives with pimento, drained

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 C grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

approximately 2 dozen cherry tomatoes, halved

Add artichokes, onion, peppers, olives, beans and grated cheese to the Orzo/oil and vinegar mixture. Toss. Gently stir in halved tomatoes. Cover and cool a few hours or overnight in refrigerator before serving. This allows the salad to marinate in the dressing. Serve cold.

FOODNOTES: I saw a ready-made orzo salad several years ago in a grocery store deli. The price per pound made me think I could make it for much less. I know it had vegetables in it, although I don't remember exactly what. I thought of what ingredients would go well in an orzo salad. The above is merely a suggestion. I've also had it with eggplant, spinach leaves and feta cheese. Certainly, there are many wonderful ingredients that could be substituted; asparagus, snap peas, radishes, celery, corn, grated carrots, zucchini or summer squash. The ingredients in this recipe represent all six food groups: protein, starch, vegetable, fruit (tomato is technically in the fruit family), dairy, and fats (a scant amount, at that).

I first made this salad, as above, with the dressing, but with only vegetables. Later, the addition of beans and shredded cheese sounded yummy to me. I got daring and made this for my church's Rally Day, which takes place in early September each year. The children register for Sunday School and then the entire congregation has a picnic out behind the church.

One year, before we had picnic there was an activity for the children, They dipped their hands in fabric paint, then made hand prints on a large white cloth (they washed their hands before the picnic!). This colorful cloth then became a part of our sanctuary, adorning the alter in the front of the church as lovely reminder that children are a special part of God's family. I love to see the little ones taking an important part like this and growing up feeling a special place in our church family, just as I did.

I have fond memories of church school picnics from my childhood. These memories play a big part in how I view summer picnics and potluck suppers. I like to think BIG when I plan for a get together with friends or family.

Many of us bring salads to the Rally Day picnic. Hot dogs and hamburgers sizzle on the grill. It is a fun time for both young and old. It's that time of year when the shadows are noticeably longer midday and the days begin to grow shorter. Sometimes there is a hint of cool fall breezes, but other days are tinged with a hot summer sun beating down on our heads. Children have just returned to school. Many of us have recently left leisurely summer beach days, sailing, or vacations in the coolness of the mountains to return to our former lives, the routines that help define who we are. It is this time of year that I know I will see more of my friends. We will share many good times together over food and drink. I can't think of a better way to start the new season than with an all-church family picnic.

As I write this I am reflecting on the wedding I attended today, June 26, 2011. I also made this salad for this wedding reception. It was a congregational event:. A wedding reception potluck dinner! and it was a first for me. The food was simply wonderful, made up of homemade dishes, of course. It lent an air of nostalgia - an old-fashioned summer wedding, eons before there were caterers. Life was simpler then. It was refreshing to go to a wedding where everyone had a special role in the food preparation. It was downright down home. I would love to see more wedding receptions take place in the church parlor “catered” by friends and family who lovingly prepare one of their tried and true favorite family dishes for the wedding feast. Food certainly has a way of uniting people.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

Bermuda Avocado and Crabmeat Salad

Dedicated to my friend Byron Gustafson,
my first and very accomplished accompanist

Serves 4

Two avocados, pitted with skin removed, cut in half long way
two 6 oz cans or a large (approximately 12 oz) package of fresh crab meat
green tops of 4 (about 2 TBLS) chopped scallions
2 TLBS diced red pepper
3 TLBS mayonnaise

1 bunch red leaf lettuce, rinsed and drained
small bunch Arugula leaves, rinsed and drained
1 cucumber, cleaned, peeled and sliced diagonally
or English cucumber, cleaned, not peeled
½ lb cooked asparagus marinated in Italian salad dressing
4 scallions, top edges and roots trimmed
four thin slivered red onion (very thin slices)
12-16 black olives
5-6 cleaned, trimmed and sliced radishes
a dozen cherry or grape tomatoes
Italian salad dressing

Drain liquid from crab meat. Mix crabmeat with chopped scallion leafy greens, red pepper and Mayonnaise. Divide into 4 equal parts. Fill each halved avocado with ¼ of the crab meat salad. Cover and refrigerate.

Trim stems of asparagus. Cook in salted boiling water for 7 minutes. Drain asparagus and immediately place in a bowl with the Italian salad dressing. Allow to marinate for at least one hour, but as long as six. The longer it sits the more flavorful it becomes.

Break lettuce and arugula into bite size pieces. Spread on a large serving platter or tray. Arrange cucumber slices and slivered onion slices on top of salad greens. Place the four crab meat filled avocados on lettuce. Layer the marinated asparagus curving around and between the avocados. Arrange sliced radishes, black olives and cherry or grape tomatoes around the perimeter of the platter. Top salad with ½ C Italian Salad Dressing.

Italian Salad Dressing

¾ C salad oil
3/8 rice wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
optional: 1 TLBS honey or corn syrup
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
½ tsp parsley
½ tsp crushed rosemary
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Reserve a third of dressing as a marinade for the cooked asparagus. Use the remaining dressing for greens on the platter.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

NOTES: When I went to Bermuda with a friend many years ago we ate in a roadside restaurant that overlooked the brilliant aqua ocean and volcanic “sculptures” on the white sandy beach. I ordered this salad which was a delightful lunch. It was preceded by a small bowl of French Onion Soup. What I had that day was a half avocado stuffed and piled high, I might add, with delicious crab meat salad. I thought it to be one of the most unique combinations of flavors and textures – the smooth buttery texture of avocado meat and the chunky, stringy texture of crab meat melded together.

When we returned home I invited my travel mate and two friends we met while in Bermuda, over for lunch. I imitated the stuffed avocado plate, but added the marinated asparagus, salad greens, and other vegetables. We had a wonderful time laughing and reminiscing about our week at Willowbank, the hotel where we all stayed. The food and the company made us feel as though we were right back on that clean and colorful tropical island. We shared the pictures we had taken of the brightly painted turquoise and salmon pink stucco houses, the soaring church steeples against the clear cobalt sky.

I believe food is just about the best souvenir one can take back,either in the form of a memory, or some item unique to the locale. I somehow managed to pack a case of Ginger Beer into my suitcase to bring home. Years later when I was married, my husband found a stray can of the Ginger Beer. It must have been at least 10 years old. I didn't even know it existed. I told him it was too old and probably corroded on the inside. He drank it anyway and loved it. I might still have a bottle of Outerbridge's Sherry Pepper Sauce on a shelf. Antique food – what a unique symbol of my good old time in Bermuda.

Once while visiting Byron in Manhattan, he took me to a gourmet delicatessen and introduced me to arugula, informing me that it added a little extra something to an ordinary salad. And does it ever!

Curried Chicken Salad

Serves 4 -6

1 lb cubed and cooked white chicken meat

¼ C Vidalia (or sweet) onion, finely chopped

½ stick celery, finely chopped

2 TLBS apple vinegar

1 ½ tsp brown sugar

2 heaping TLBS mayonnaise

1 heaping TLBS sour cream

1 TLBS soy sauce

1 TLBS curry powder

¼ tsp pepper

Optional:

¼ C chopped walnuts

1 medium Grannie Smith apple with peel, cored and cubed.

or

1 small can Mandarin oranges, drained

Cut pre-cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-size cubes. In a medium size bowl, mix chicken, onion and celery. Dissolve brown sugar in vinegar in a pan. Stir over low heat on stove, allowing some of the vinegar to cook off. Allow to cool. Add mixture to chicken. Stir in mayonnaise sour cream (extra may be added for a smoother salad). Mix in soy sause, curry powder and pepper. Add chopped walnuts and cubed apple. If adding Mandarin oranges, mix in gingerly, as oranges are quite delicate. Cover, allow to cool, and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. This is better the day after it has been made.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Serve on small sandwich rolls (such as Snow-flake rolls – they're called that because they're dusted with flour, but are really delicious as a sandwich roll), with red leaf lettuce; great with ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day. This salad is also good on sandwich roll-ups or served open-face on thick slices of fresh bread.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short

NOTES: The first time I ever experienced the delightful taste of curry chicken salad was at the Honolulu Art Museum. I suggested eating at there because most art museums have wonderful menus and I was not a bit disappointed. I was surprised with the rich and subtle flavors of this extraordinary chicken salad. Of course, when we returned home, I tried duplicating the salad myself. This is as close as I could get to the Honolulu version. I may have left something out. If I figure out what, you'll be the first to know. (Since first publishing this recipe, I have lowered the amount of brown sugar.)

Madeleine's Caesar Salad and Dressing

Dedicated to the memory of Charlotte Williams Intres,

wonderful friend and excellent cook

Serves 4 -6

¾ - ½ C extra virgin olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves

2 egg yolks

1 heaping TBLS Dijon Mustard

½ tsp. (or just a squirt) *anchovy paste

Juice of 1 lemon

A few drops red wine vinegar

1 TLBS corn syrup - optional

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Crumbled Bacon or 1 can rinsed anchovies

3 slices bread (for Croûtons)

Butter

1 head Romaine lettuce

Crush garlic. Add to olive oil. Allow enough time for garlic to flavor the olive oil. Refrigerate overnight if preparing ahead of time.

Beat two egg yolks thoroughly in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil, omitting the garlic pieces, into egg yolks beating continuously until mayonnaise consistency forms. Do not allow mayonnaise to become soupy. Use any remaining olive oil along with butter for coating bread cubes.

Add heaping TBLS Dijon Mustard, anchovy paste, juice of lemon, a few drops of red wine vinegar and optional corn syrup (balances acidity). Mix vigorously.

Butter bread, slice into cubes, and toast in oven or microwave until crispy.

Rinse lettuce, pat dry with terry towel or use a lettuce spinner to wash and ring out water, and break into bite-size pieces.

Place lettuce in serving bowl. Pour on dressing and add grated cheese. Toss thoroughly. Add crumbled bacon or anchovies and croûtons. Salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

*Do not be afraid to use the anchovy paste, even if you do not care for anchovies, as the amount used is so insignificant that its flavor is undetectable in the dressing, but does add a wonderful salty flavor, in keeping with the best of Cesar salad dressings.

If using anchovies in the salad, I have found that the individual flavors of the entire salad remain separate and distinct if the anchovies are drained, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels. I have had many a pizza ruined, not by anchovies, but by anchovy oil permeating entire toppings, because they were not drained and rinsed of their oil.

If serving this salad to guests, consider placing toppings of crumbled bacon, anchovies, and croûtons in separate serving bowls with serving utensils, giving guest a choice of toppings. Although I do like anchovies on occasion, my favorite is the crumbled bacon which I fry up ahead of time and heat just before serving. Real cooked bacon pieces can also be purchased in a jar.

©Wilma Carolyn Johnson Short


NOTES: While we were traveling through New Brunswick on our way back to the states from our Nova Scotia vacation, we stopped at our friends' home, Madeleine and Monty. Monty was in another part of Canada picking up their soon to be new pets, two Alaskan Huskies, while Madeleine minded the fort. The backside of their home, which is very cozy and cottage-like, faces the quiet, but vast St. John River in Fredericton.

Madeleine, who is a cook par excellence, treated us to one of her special meals, accompanied by an amazing Caesar Salad with crumbled bacon and croûtons. I watched her make the dressing. I had only experienced homemade Caesar salad dressing one other time, made by my mom and I was simply too young to appreciate it, especially after I was alerted there was a raw egg in the salad. This I learned half-way through eating it. I don't remember if I finished the salad, but being a picky eater growing up, I imagine I that raw egg knowledge stopped me in my tracks.

I asked Madeleine for her recipe and she gladly dictated it to me later that evening. The measurements are approximate. I still have the penciled directions and ingredients outline written on lined yellow paper in my “collected recipes” notebook and I've been referring to it for well over 20 years. Actually, I've memorized it.