WetLeather Recipe Database - food for bikers

Name:	Recipe for a Salad	Contributor:	Bill Johns
Description:	Recipe for a Salad	Posted:	1994-09-22
Key words:	eggs, potato	Category:	Salads
ID:	123	Updated:	2007-10-10 18:05:47
Ingredients:	See Instructions
Preparation:	Recipe for a Salad Sydney Smith To make this condiment your poet begs The pounded yellow of two hard-boil'd eggs; Two boiled potatoes, passed through kitchen seive, Smoothness and softness to the salad give. Let onion atoms lurk within the bowl, And, half-suspected, animate the whole. Of mordant mustard add a single spoon, Distrust the condiment that bites so soon; But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault To add a double quantity of salt; Four times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown, And twice with vinegar procur'd from town; And lastly o'er the flavour'd compound toss A magic soupcon of anchovy sauce. Oh, green and glorious! Oh, herbaceous treat! Twould tempt the dying anchorite to eat; Back to the world he'd turn his fleeting soul, And plunge his fingers in the salad-bowl! Serenely full, the epicure would say, `Fate cannot harm me, I have dined today.'
Notes:	Since the inception of the Wetleather cookbook, this recipe has been a source of argument and contention; is it a salad? is it a salad dressing? I have discovered absolute and incontrovertible proof it's a salad dressing. Well, a "salad sauce", ref. Mrs. Hill. Lines marked "Sydney" are from the Wetleather cookbook recipe. Lines marked "Hill" are from Mrs. Hill's Southern Practical Cookery and Receipt Book, Annabella P. Hill, facsimile published by the University of South Carolina (ISBN 1-57003-048-0). Stuff marked "Commentary" is your humble chef redacteur. Sydney: To make this condiment, your poet begs the pounded yellow of two hard-boil'd eggs Hill: boil three eggs until the yolks are hard; separate them from the whites; mash them smoothly with the back of a wooden spoon; Commentary: two hard boiled egg yolks, mashed Sydney: Two boiled potatoes, passed through kitchen sieve, Smoothness and softness to the salad give. Hill: Mash a small Irish potato with a large tablespooonful of thick cream. Strain the potato through a sieve, mix with the egg; Commentary:I decided entirely without evidence that Sydney lived in a place and time with little teeny potatoes, and I've never liked unaged dairy products on my greens. One medium boiled potato, riced. Sydney: Let onion atoms lurk within the bowl, and half-suspected, animate the whole. Hill: [Nothing.] Commentary: Rub the bowl with a quarter of an onion. Leave no chunks behind. Optionally, rub with half a clove of garlic as well. Sydney: Of mordant mustard add a single spoon, Distrust the condiment that bites so soon; Hill: Add a teaspoonful of mustard, Commentary: A heaping dessertspoon of prepared mustard. It wasn't too much, but it was close to the edge. Sydney was right to be suspicious! Sydney: [Nothing] Hill: one [teaspoon] of loaf sugar heaped, Commentary: I skipped the sugar; it'd probably be a good addition for palates accustomed to sweet dressings. Sydney: But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault to add a double quantity of salt; Hill: a teaspoonful of salt Commentary: I went with Hill here. First, I suspect that our prepared mustard is saltier than that used in Sydney's time, and second, I was saving some of my salt budget for later. One level measuring teaspoon salt Sydney: Four times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown, Hill: There is a prejudice with many against the use of olive oil; this is needless if the oil is fresh; no taste of it is discernible. The clarified essence of ham may be used in its place. Butter does not answer well. When cold the particles harden, and separate from the vinegar. The sauce, by some, is preferred without oil or butter, using only salt, pepper, vinegar, and sugar. Commentary: Given the quantity of vinegar Hill suggests compared to Sydney (see next section), I decided that, though the mustard and salt were clearly intended to be measured with teaspoons, oil and vinegar would be measured with tablespoons. 1/4 cup good olive oil. Sydney: And twice with vinegar procur'd from town; Hill: A wineglass of good apple vinegar. Commentary: "vinegar procur'd from town" would, I think, imply a good cider vinegar, as Hill, in contrast to the (presumably then imported) wine vinegar I used. 1/8th cup cider (or red wine) vinegar. Sydney: And lastly o'er the flavour'd compound toss A magic soupcon of anchovy sauce. Hill: [No such thing] Commentary: Arguably, a reasonable man would mash a half a filet of anchovy, or squeeze a drop or two of anchovy paste from the tube, or even dash in a bit of Worchestershire sauce. I, having a fondness for Thai fish sauce and a fresh bottle thereof, sprinkled liberally therefrom (hence the careful rationing of the salt, above). Hill: For a quart of lettuce Sydney: Oh, green and glorious! Oh, herbaceous treat! Commentary: Sydney is not particularly specific here. I sliced one fairly small head of romaine roughly 3/8 inch thick crossways. Hill: Put this sauce on the bottom of a salad bowl. Sydney: [Nothing] Commentary: After briskly stirring the dressing ingredients, add the lettuce, toss to coat with the sauce. Hill: [Nothing] Sydney: Twould tempt the dying anchorite to eat; Back to the world he'd turn his fleeting soul, And plunge his fingers in the salad-bowl! Commentary: It's quite good, but use a fork. Hill: [Nothing] Sydney: Serenely full, the epicure would say, "Fate cannot harm me, I have dined today." Commentary: Serves two.
Equipment: