In January, many folks eat salads and vegetarian items as the eating frenzy that started at Thanksgiving, and continued through Christmas and New Years has people watching their food intake for the beginning of the new year.
Salads were enjoyed by ancient Romans and Greeks. The base word comes from the word ‘sal’ (which means salt) as in ancient times, salt was an ingredient in the dressing. Medical practitioners Hippocrates and Galen believed that raw vegetables easily went through the digestive system and did not create obstruction for the rest of the meal, therefore were served first. However, others believed the vinegar in the dressing destroyed the taste of the wine and opted to serve salad last.
In the 19th century, the salad was considered messy on the plate, and the molded gelatin of Jello was served. Why not? The vegetables are neatly confined into a mold.
In a 1936 cookbook, the recipe for Chef Salad looked like this:
Chef Salad (1936)
Rub a salad bowl with garlic. Place in it tender:
Lettuce leaves. Add to them:
Anchovies
Pitted ripe olives
Sliced radishes
Peeled and quartered tomatoes
Sliced hard-cooked eggs
Shredded Swiss cheese
Peel, slice, and add:
3 hard-cooked eggs
Drain and chop:
6 to 8 anchovies
Peel, slice, and add:
2 tomatoes
Moisten the salad with:
French dressing
Here are some of my favorite salads:
Curried Chicken Salad
Serves 6
2-1/2 cups cooked white chicken meat, cut into bite-size pieces
1 apple, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups red grapes, halved and seeds removed
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup chopped celery
1-1/2 cups water chestnuts, sliced
3 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon mango chutney, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon grated onion
2 tablespoons curry powder
Salt and white pepper to taste
Mango chutney, coconut, peanuts or cashews for side condiments
Sprinkle the diced apple with lemon juice. Combine with the chicken chunks. Add the grapes, celery, water chestnuts, green onions, parsley and mango chutney. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, grated onion, curry powder, salt and pepper together. Add to chicken. Toss gently and chill.
Greek Orzo Shrimp Salad
Serves 12
1 pound orzo pasta
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound cooked and cleaned shrimp
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
Black pepper to taste
Boil orzo and garlic until the orzo is al dente, 9 minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water, drain. Mash the cooked garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a serving bowl. Whisk in lemon juice., thyme and olive oil. Add the orzo, shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, mint and parsley, and toss well. Taste, and add more salt if needed (feta is salty). Garnish with olives. Can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.
Thai Seafood Noodle Salad
Serves 6
6-8 ounces rice vermicelli
2 red Thai chiles, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 pound bay scallops
1/2 pound small squid, bodies cleaned, cut into 1/2 inch rings, tentacles halved
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 English cucumber, skin removed, diced
1 cup mint leaves
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts
Lettuce leaves to line your platter
Cilantro leaves for garnish
In a medium bowl, cover the vermicelli in cold water and soak for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a mortar, pound the chiles and garlic to a paste with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, boiling water and the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and pound until the sugar is dissolved. Let the dressing stand for 30 minutes.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook until white throughout and curled, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the ice water. Add the scallops to the boiling water and cook until white and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the scallops to the ice water. Add the squid to the ice water. Drain all of the seafood and pat dry.
Bring a fresh saucepan of water to a boil and refill the bowl with ice water. Drain the vermicelli, add to the boiling water and cook just until al dente, 1 minute. Drain and transfer to the ice water. Drain again and pat dry. Cut the vermicelli into 3-inch lengths
In a large bowl, toss the seafood, the vermicelli, tomatoes, bean sprouts, mint, red onion, cucumbers, peanuts and chile dressing. Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter and fill with the seafood salad. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.