Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume IV Part 5

Mix the cream and salt with the cheese and shape into b.a.l.l.s. Place one-half of a pear with the hollow side up on a salad plate garnished with a lettuce leaf and the other half with the hollow side down beside it. Put a ball of the cheese in the hollow of the upturned half and press half an English walnut on top of that. Add the dressing and serve.

French dressing is recommended for this salad, but some other salad dressing will answer.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 14]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 15]

88. Green-Pepper-and-Cheese Salad.-In Fig. 14 is shown a vegetable-and-cheese combination in the form of a salad made of green pepper and cheese. To make this kind of salad, select firm green peppers, one being sufficient if a large one can be obtained. Season cream cheese well with paprika and a little additional salt if necessary. Cut the top from the pepper, clean out the inside, and pack tight with the cheese. Cut the filled pepper into thin slices, place two or three of these slices on a salad plate garnished with lettuce leaves, and serve with French dressing.

89. DAISY SALAD.--If an effective, somewhat ornamental salad is desired, daisy salad, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 15, will prove satisfactory.

As will be observed, this salad resembles a daisy. To make it, cut celery into strips about 2 inches long and trim one end of each round.

These strips will serve to represent the daisy petals. Place them on salad plates garnished with lettuce, laying them so that they radiate from the center and their round ends are toward the outside of the plate. Then, for the center of the daisy effect, cut the yolks of hard-cooked eggs into halves and place one half, with the rounded side up, on the ends of the celery. Serve with French dressing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 16]

90. HUMPTY DUMPTY SALAD.--In Fig. 16 is shown an attractive-appearing and extremely appetizing salad known as Humpty Dumpty salad. It consists of tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs garnished with pieces of stuffed olives, the manner in which the egg is placed in each portion accounting for its name.

For this salad, select rather small, firm, ripe tomatoes. Peel them in the usual way, and when cutting out the stem remove a sufficient portion of the tomato to accommodate the end of an egg. Place each tomato with this part uppermost on a salad plate garnished with lettuce. Cut the hard-cooked eggs into halves, crosswise, remove the yolk and mash and season it with salt, pepper, and a little vinegar. Replace the yolk in the white and force this into the depression in the tomato. Place a stuffed olive in the egg yolk and serve with French or other desired salad dressing.

91. WATER-LILY SALAD.--A means of using eggs in salad without the addition of other foods is found in water-lily salad, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 17. If eggs are to be served for a luncheon or some other light meal, this method may add a little variety to the usual ways of serving them.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 17]

Hard-cook one egg for each person to be served, remove the sh.e.l.ls, and cut the eggs into halves, lengthwise. Remove the yolks, mash them, and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cut the halves of egg whites into three or four pointed pieces, cutting from end to end of the half. Place these in a star shape on salad plates garnished with lettuce. Form the seasoned egg yolk into a ball and place it in the center over the ends of the egg whites. Serve with any desired salad dressing.

92. EASTER SALAD.--Cream cheese makes an attractive salad when formed into egg-shaped b.a.l.l.s and served in a nest of shredded lettuce. To prepare this salad, which is known as Easter salad, shred lettuce finely and place it in the shape of a nest on salad plates. Make tiny egg-shaped b.a.l.l.s of cream cheese moistened with sufficient cream to handle. Place three or four of these in the inside of the lettuce. Dust with paprika and serve with any desired dressing.

93. SALMON SALAD.--Persons who are fond of salmon will find salmon salad a very agreeable dish. In addition to affording a means of varying the diet, this salad makes a comparatively cheap high-protein dish that is suitable for either supper or luncheon.

SALMON SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 c. salmon 1 c. diced celery 1/4 c. diced Spanish onion 3 or 4 sweet pickles, chopped fine French dressing Salad dressing Lettuce

Look the salmon over carefully, removing any skin and bones. Break into medium-sized pieces and mix carefully with the celery, onion, and chopped pickles. Marinate this with the French dressing, taking care not to break up the salmon. Drain and serve with any desired salad dressing on salad plates garnished with lettuce.

94. TUNA-FISH SALAD.--A salad that is both attractive and appetizing can be made by using tuna fish as a foundation. This fish, which is grayish-white in color, can be obtained in cans like salmon. As it is not high in price, it gives the housewife another opportunity to provide her family with an inexpensive protein dish.

TUNA-FISH SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. tuna fish 1/2 c. diced celery 1 c. diced cuc.u.mber Salt and pepper Vinegar Lettuce Mayonnaise

Open a can of tuna fish, measure 1 cupful, and place in a bowl. Dice the celery and cuc.u.mber, mix with the fish, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dilute some vinegar with water, using half as much water as vinegar, and sprinkle enough of this over the mixture to flavor it slightly. Allow the mixture to stand for about 1/2 hour in a refrigerator or some other cold place and just before serving pour off this liquid. Heap the salad on lettuce leaves, pour a spoonful of mayonnaise over each portion, and serve.

95. LOBSTER OR CRAB SALAD.--Lobster salad and crab salad are made in practically the same way, so that a recipe for one may be used for the other. The meat may be either fresh or canned, but, of course, fresh lobster or crab meat is more desirable if it can be obtained.

LOBSTER OR CRAB SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 c. lobster or crab meat 1 c. diced celery French dressing Lettuce Mayonnaise 1 hard-cooked egg

Chill lobster or crab meat and add the diced celery. Marinate with French dressing, and allow this mixture to stand for 1/2 hour or so before serving. Keep as cold as possible. Drain off the French dressing and heap the salad mixture on garnished salad plates or in a salad bowl garnished with lettuce. Pour mayonnaise dressing over the top, garnish with slices of hard-cooked egg, and serve.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 18]

96. SHRIMP SALAD.--Shrimps may be used in an attractive salad in the manner shown in Fig. 18. Persons who care for sea food find this a most appetizing dish. Like lobster and crab, shrimp may be purchased in cans, and so it is possible to have this salad at any season.

First marinate the shrimps with French dressing and then heap them on a plate garnished with lettuce leaves. Add thin slices of hard-cooked egg whites, and place a tender heart of celery in the center of the plate.

If desired, some thin slices of celery may be marinated with the shrimp.

Serve with mayonnaise dressing.

97. CHICKEN SALAD.--A favored means of using left-over chicken is to make chicken salad of it. It is well, however, if the chicken can be prepared especially for the salad and the nicer pieces of meat used.

This is usually done when chicken salad is to be served at a party or special dinner. If the chicken is scarce, veal or pork may be subst.i.tuted for one-third or one-fourth of the meat.

CHICKEN SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 c. chicken 1 c. diced celery 1 green pepper French dressing Lettuce Mayonnaise 1 pimiento

Cut the meat from the bones of a chicken and dice it. Dice the celery, clean the green pepper, and cut it into small pieces. Mix the pepper and the celery with the chicken. Marinate with French dressing, chill, and allow to stand for about 1/2 hour. Drain the dressing from the salad mixture, serve in a garnished salad bowl or on garnished salad plates, pour mayonnaise over the top, and garnish with strips of pimiento.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 19]

98. STUFFED CELERY.--An appetizing relish may be prepared by stuffing celery in the manner shown in Fig. 19. Stuffed celery is not exactly a salad, but it may be used to take the place of a salad in a meal. It is often served with soup as an appetizer, but since it is high in food value it deserves a place of greater prominence in the meal. Any desirable cheese may be used to make the stuffing. Roquefort cheese is probably the most popular one, but many persons do not care for it.

Cream cheese, ordinary American cheese, or even cottage cheese finely mashed may be used for this purpose.

Put into a bowl the quant.i.ty of cheese needed to fill the number of stalks of celery desired, mash it finely with a fork, and mix it with cream or salad dressing until it is of a thick, creamy consistency.

Season highly with a dash of red pepper and salt and, if desired, mix with very finely chopped nuts. Fill the hollows of the stems of celery with the mixture, sprinkle with paprika, and serve on a plate garnished with lettuce.

SANDWICHES

NATURE OF SANDWICHES

99. When salads are mentioned, Sandwiches naturally come to the mind, for while they have many other uses, they are often served as an accompaniment to a salad. Sandwiches are generally thought of as two thin slices of bread put together with a filling, such as meat, cheese, fruit, etc. However, there are as many varieties of sandwiches as of salads and they serve a large number of purposes. For instance, they may be merely two pieces of b.u.t.tered bread put together or they may be elaborate both as to shape and contents. In reality, many different things are considered as sandwiches. Sometimes one piece of bread spread with a filling and usually decorated in some way is served with afternoon tea or a very light luncheon. Then, again, sandwiches often consist of three layers of bread instead of two, and for other kinds the bread is toasted instead of being used plain.

As in the case of salads, the housewife must determine from their composition, the place that sandwiches should take in the meal, for their food value depends on what is used with the bread. A sandwich that is high in food value may be used as the main dish in a light meal, while one that is comparatively low in this respect generally accompanies another dish, as, for instance, a salad, or is used to take the place of plain bread.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SANDWICH MAKING

100. BREAD FOR SANDWICHES.--Although sandwiches vary greatly in both form and contents, bread or something that may be subst.i.tuted for it always forms the foundation of this cla.s.s of food. White bread is much employed for this purpose, but rye, graham, brown, or whole-wheat bread, or in fact any other desirable kind, may be used, depending on the nature of the sandwich or the kind preferred. Several matters concerning the bread that is used, however, should receive attention if successful sandwiches are to be the result.

101. In the first place, the bread used should be at least 24 hours old, as difficulty will be experienced in cutting bread that is any fresher.

Another requirement is that the bread should be firm and of a comparatively fine texture. The shape of the loaf must also be taken into consideration. As is easily understood, there will be a considerable waste of bread if a round sandwich is made from a square loaf or a square sandwich is cut from a round loaf. When round sandwiches are desired, it is advisable to bake the bread in round loaves, unless some good use can be made of the bread that is trimmed off in cutting the sandwiches.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 20]