Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume IV Part 3

3 medium-sized cuc.u.mbers 1 c. diced tomato 1/2 c. diced celery Salad dressing Lettuce 1 pimiento

Peel the cuc.u.mbers, cut them into halves, and with a small spoon scoop out the cuc.u.mbers in chunks, so that a boat-shaped piece of cuc.u.mber that is about 1/4 inch thick remains. Dice the pieces of cuc.u.mber which have been scooped from the center, and place the cuc.u.mber sh.e.l.ls in ice water so as to make them crisp. Mix the diced tomato, celery, and cuc.u.mber together, and just before serving drain them carefully so that no liquid remains. Mix with salad dressing, wipe the cuc.u.mber sh.e.l.ls dry, fill them with the salad mixture, and place on salad plates garnished with lettuce leaves. Cut the pimiento into thin strips, and place three or four strips diagonally across the cuc.u.mber, as shown in the ill.u.s.tration.

57. CUc.u.mBER-AND-TOMATO SALAD.--A salad made of cuc.u.mbers and tomatoes is very attractive because of the contrasting colors of the vegetables, and it is at the same time extremely palatable. When such a salad is to be made, small, firm tomatoes and rather large cuc.u.mbers that do not contain very large seeds should be selected. Peel the cuc.u.mbers and tomatoes and cut them into slices of any desired thickness. Garnish salad plates with lettuce, and on this place a ring of the slices, alternating the tomatoes with the cuc.u.mbers. In the center, put a slice of cuc.u.mber or tomato and serve with any desired salad dressing.

58. ONION SALAD.--To persons who are fond of the flavor of onions, the salad given in the accompanying recipe is very agreeable, but it is a wise plan not to serve onions or salads containing onions unless every one who is served is certain to enjoy them. When a salad is made from onions, a mild onion, such as the Bermuda or Spanish onion, should be selected.

ONION SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

3 onions French dressing Parsley Lettuce

Peel the onions and slice them into thin slices. Chop the parsley and add it to 1 or 2 tablespoonfuls of French dressing. Use comparatively coa.r.s.e leaves of lettuce and shred them. Arrange the slices of onion on a bed of the shredded lettuce, pour the French dressing with the parsley over all, and serve.

59. PEAS-AND-CELERY SALAD.--Peas may be freshly cooked for peas-and-celery salad, but canned peas will do just as well. Left-over peas not prepared with cream sauce may also be utilized nicely in this way, or if a portion of a can of peas is needed for the meal, the remainder may be used for a smaller quant.i.ty of salad than here stated.

Boiled salad dressing will be found to be best for this combination of vegetables.

PEAS-AND-CELERY SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

1 c. peas Boiled salad dressing 1 c. diced celery Lettuce

Drain canned peas as dry as possible and mix with the diced celery. Just before serving, add the salad dressing and mix thoroughly. Serve on salad plates garnished with lettuce.

60. TOMATO SALAD.--Fresh tomatoes make a delightful salad because of their appetizing appearance and color. In fact, when they are placed on a bed of green garnish, nothing can be more delightful. Tomatoes may be served whole on a lettuce leaf or they may be sliced. Then, again, as shown in Fig. 6, they may be cut from the center into sections that are allowed to fall part way open. In any of these forms, they may be served with French dressing, mayonnaise, or any cooked salad dressing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 6]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 7] 61. STUFFED-TOMATO SALAD.--An attractive salad in which vegetables of almost any kind, fresh or canned, may be used to advantage is the stuffed-tomato salad shown in Fig. 7. Medium-sized, well-ripened tomatoes are best to select. The vegetables that may be used for the stuffing are celery, radishes, onions, cuc.u.mbers, cooked asparagus, green peas, and string beans. Any one or any desirable combination of these vegetables will make a satisfactory filling.

STUFFED-TOMATO SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

6 medium-sized tomatoes French dressing 1 1/2 c. diced vegetables Mayonnaise dressing

Cut out the stem and blossom ends of the tomatoes and hollow out the center so as to leave a sh.e.l.l. Dice the contents of the tomatoes and mix with the other diced vegetables. Marinate the diced vegetables with French dressing and put into the tomato sh.e.l.ls, heaping each one as shown. Place on lettuce leaves and serve with mayonnaise.

62. COMBINATION SALAD.--A combination salad may be made of almost any combination of vegetables. The one given here contains only fresh vegetables, but, if desired, others may be added or some of those mentioned may be omitted. This will be found to be a very attractive way in which to make a large salad to be served from a bowl or a deep plate.

COMBINATION SALAD

Lettuce Radishes cut in rose shape Sliced tomatoes Celery Sliced onions Salad dressing Sliced peppers

Garnish a bowl or a plate with lettuce, arrange on it slices of tomato, Spanish or Bermuda onions, and peppers. Garnish these with radishes cut into rose shape and stems of celery cut in any desired way. Be sure that the vegetables, which should all be crisp and fresh, are thoroughly cleaned and drained before being put on the plate. Add the salad dressing in the preferred way. It may be poured over the vegetables in the large dish, pa.s.sed to each individual, or put on the salad plates by the person who serves. French dressing is without doubt the most suitable for combination salad, but mayonnaise or cooked salad dressing may be served with it if desired.

63. POTATO SALAD NO. L.--Potato salad is usually considered to be an economical salad. It may be made with left-over potatoes or potatoes cooked especially for this purpose. If there are in supply a large number of small potatoes, which are difficult to use in ordinary ways, they may be cooked with the skins on and peeled to be used for salad when they have cooled. A boiled salad dressing is perhaps the most desirable for such a salad.

POTATO SALAD No. 1 (Sufficient to Serve Four)

2 c. diced potatoes Salt 1 medium-sized onion Boiled salad dressing 1/2 tsp. celery seed Lettuce 1 Tb. parsley, chopped 1 hard-cooked egg

Dice the potatoes into 1/2-inch dice, chop the onion fine, and mix the two. Add the celery seed and parsley and season the whole with salt.

Just before serving, mix well with boiled dressing. Garnish a salad bowl or salad plates with lettuce, place the salad on the lettuce, and then garnish with slices of hard-cooked egg.

64. POTATO SALAD NO. 2.--The salad given in the accompanying recipe is perhaps more of a combination of vegetables than it is a potato salad.

However, if there is in supply a small amount of celery, or perhaps a cuc.u.mber, or both, this is an excellent way in which to make use of them. In addition to the ingredients given in the recipe, others may be added to this salad, such as a few diced radishes, a diced green pepper or two, or a pimiento.

POTATO SALAD No. 2 (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 1/2 c. diced potatoes Salt 1/2 c. diced cuc.u.mber Boiled salad dressing 1/2 c. diced celery Lettuce 1 medium-sized onion

Prepare the vegetables in the usual way, dicing them carefully, and just before serving mix them together, season well with salt, and add the salad dressing. Boiled dressing is preferable. Place in a salad bowl or on salad plates garnished with lettuce.

65. OLD-FASHIONED POTATO SALAD.--The potato salad given in this recipe is agreeable to persons who like the flavor of smoked meat. It is an excellent salad to serve for a lunch or a supper with cold ham, frankfurters, or any cold sliced meat.

OLD-FASHIONED POTATO SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

2 c. sliced boiled potatoes 1/4 c. water 2 thin slices bacon Salt 1 Tb. flour Pepper 1/2 c. vinegar 2 Tb. parsley, chopped

Slice cold boiled potatoes into medium thick slices. Cut the strips of bacon into small cubes and fry until crisp in a frying pan. Stir the flour into the hot fat, and to this add the vinegar and water. Season this dressing well with salt and pepper and pour it hot over the potatoes, mixing carefully so as not to break the slices. Add the chopped parsley last. Serve warm if desired, or allow it to cool before serving.

66. TOMATO-AND-STRING BEAN SALAD.--Besides being appetizing in flavor and appearance, tomato-and-string-bean salad, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 8, has the advantage over some salads in that it can be made of either fresh or canned vegetables. For the salad here shown, tomatoes and beans canned by the cold-pack method were used. If it is desired to duplicate this salad, place a canned tomato or a peeled fresh tomato in the center of a plate garnished with lettuce and around it place several piles of three or four canned or freshly cooked beans. Serve with French dressing or any other desired salad dressing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 8]

67. STRING-BEAN SALAD.--Either string or wax beans may be used for string-bean salad, which is shown in Fig. 9, and they may be cooked freshly for the purpose or be home canned or commercially canned beans.

To make this salad, place a neat pile of beans on a lettuce leaf resting on a plate and moisten with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice. Serve with mayonnaise or cooked salad dressing. If desired, the beans may be cut into inch lengths and mixed with the dressing, but this does not make so attractive a salad.

68. GREEN-VEGETABLE SALAD.--There are a number of green vegetables that are much used for salad either alone or with other vegetables. All of them are used in practically the same way, but a point that should not be overlooked if an appetizing salad is desired is that they should always be fresh and crisp when served. Any salad dressing that is preferred may be served with them. Chief among these green vegetables come lettuce, including the ordinary leaf lettuce, head lettuce, and romaine lettuce, which is not so common as the other varieties. Several kinds of endive as well as watercress may also be used for salad.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 9]

COMBINATION FRUIT-AND-VEGETABLE SALADS

69. Sometimes it is desired to make a salad that contains both fruits and vegetables. Various fruits can be used for this purpose, but celery, as has been stated, is about the only vegetable that combines well with fruit, unless, of course, the garnish, which is nearly always a vegetable, is considered a part of the salad. Recipes for several very appetizing salads containing both vegetables and fruits follow.

70. APPLE-AND-CELERY SALAD.--If an excellent winter salad is desired, apple-and-celery salad should be selected, for both celery and apples are best during the winter months. As they are very similar in color, they are not especially appetizing in appearance when combined for a salad, but they make a very popular combination with most persons.

APPLE-AND-CELERY SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

1 c. diced apples Boiled salad dressing 1 c. diced celery Lettuce

Prepare the apples and celery as short a time before serving as possible, but if it is necessary that the apples stand for any length of time, sprinkle them with a little lemon juice and water to keep them from turning brown. Just before serving, mix them with the salad dressing. Place on salad plates garnished with lettuce and serve.

71. WALDORF SALAD.--If to the apple-and-celery salad just explained 1/2 cupful of chopped English walnut meats is added, what is known as Waldorf salad will result. The nuts, which should be added to the mixture just before placing it on the table, may be mixed with the other ingredients or they may be placed on top. Nuts that are to be used for such a purpose should not be run through a grinder, but should be cut with a knife or chopped with a chopping knife and bowl.

72. GRAPEFRUIT-AND-CELERY SALAD.--Celery is sometimes used with grapefruit to make a salad. This combination is most often served with French dressing, but any other desirable dressing may be used as well.

Prepare the grapefruit in the same way as oranges are prepared for salad, and cut each section into three or four pieces. Add to this an equal amount of diced celery and serve on a lettuce leaf with any desired dressing.

FRUIT SALADS