The International Jewish Cook Book

Chapter 40

MONTEREY SALAD

Select fine lemons, wipe carefully, scoop out the pulp, remove the tough inner skin and seeds, and to the rest add one box of boneless sardines, finely chopped, one teaspoon of French mustard, two hard-boiled eggs chopped, some tabasco sauce, and mayonnaise. Fill each cup with the mixture. Cut a small slice from the bottom of the lemon, so that it will stand firmly. Garnish with chopped egg and chopped parsley, and serve on lettuce leaves.

RUSSIAN SALAD

Cut up all kinds of pickled cuc.u.mbers, small and large, sweet and sour, also (senf) mustard pickles, into very small lengths, also pickled beans and capers. Add six herring, which you have soaked in water for twenty-four hours; skin and take out every bone, cut up as you did the pickles. Add half a pound of smoked salmon, also cut into lengths, six large apples chopped very fine, and one onion grated; mix all thoroughly and pour a rich mayonnaise dressing over all. Next day line a salad bowl with lettuce leaves, fill in the salad and garnish with hard-boiled eggs, nuts, and capers.

NIAGARA SALAD

Pick or grind one thick slice of cold, cooked salmon. Make a dressing of mayonnaise, to which add one tablespoon of French mustard, one green onion chopped fine, one tablespoon of small Mexican peppers, one tablespoon of pimentos. Mix this dressing into the picked salmon.

CHICKEN SALAD

Place the chicken in boiling water, add one onion, a bay leaf and six cloves. Bring to a boil and let it boil rapidly for five minutes. Reduce the heat to below the boiling point, and let it cook until tender. Let chicken cool in the broth.

By cooking it in this manner the dark meat will be almost as white as the meat of the breast. When the chicken is cold, cut into half inch cubes, removing all the fat and skin. To each pint allow one tablespoon of lemon juice, sprinkle the latter over the prepared chicken and place on ice. When ready to serve, mix the chicken with two-thirds as much white celery, cut into corresponding pieces: meanwhile prepare the following mayonnaise: Rub the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs as fine as possible, add one teaspoon of salt, then add, a drop at a time, one teaspoon of the finest olive oil. Stir constantly, add one teaspoon of prepared mustard and while pepper, and two teaspoons of white sugar; whip the white of one egg to a froth and add to the dressing; add about one-half cup of vinegar last, a spoonful at a time. Put the salad into the dressing carefully, using two silver forks; line the salad bowl with lettuce leaves, and garnish the top with the whites of hard-boiled eggs chopped up, or cut into half-moons. Garnish this salad with the chopped yolks and whites of hard-boiled eggs, being careful to have the whites and yolks separate. A few olives and capers will add to the decoration.

CHICKEN SALAD FOR TWENTY PEOPLE

Boil two large chickens in enough water to cover them, add salt while boiling; when very tender remove from the fire and allow the chickens to cool in the liquor in which they were boiled, when cold skim off every particle of fat, and reserve it to use instead of oil. If possible boil the chickens the day previous to using. Now cut the chickens up into small bits (do not chop), cut white, crisp celery in half inch pieces, and sprinkle with fine salt, allowing half as much celery as you have chicken, mixing the chicken and celery, using two silver forks to do this. Rub the yolks of six hard-boiled eggs as fine as possible, add one-half teaspoon of salt, white pepper, four tablespoons of chicken-fat that has been skimmed off the broth, adding one at a time, stirring constantly, one tablespoon of best prepared mustard, two teaspoons each mustard seed and celery seed, and two tablespoons of white sugar; add gradually, stirring constantly, one cup of white wine vinegar. Pour this dressing over the chicken and celery and toss lightly with the silver forks. Line a large salad bowl with lettuce leaves, pour in the salad and garnish the top with the chopped whites of six hard-boiled eggs; pour a pint of mayonnaise over the salad just before serving. A neat way is to serve the salad in individual salad dishes, lining each dish with a lettuce leaf, garnish the salad with an olive stuck up in the center of each portion.

The bones of the chicken may be used for soup, letting them simmer in water to cover for three hours.

BRAIN SALAD

Scald brains with boiling hot water to cleanse thoroughly. Boil until tender, in fresh cold salt water, being careful to remove from water while it is yet firm. Slice lengthwise and lay in dish. Pour over one-half cup of vinegar, which has been sweetened with a pinch of sugar to remove sharp taste, pinch of salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve cold. Can also be served with mayonnaise.

SWEETBREAD SALAD

Take cuc.u.mbers and cut lengthwise to serve the salad in; sc.r.a.pe out the inside and salt well, then squeeze and use this to mix with the filling.

Take a pair of sweetbreads, or calf"s brains, wash well, and boil; when done, throw in cold water at once and skim them; chop fine, add bunch of celery (if you can get it), one can of French peas, sc.r.a.ped part of cuc.u.mber; mix all together and season. Make a mayonnaise, mix with it, and fill the cuc.u.mber sh.e.l.ls; keep all cold, and serve on lettuce leaf.

VEAL SALAD

Cut cold veal in half-inch slices, season with two tablespoons of vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper. Make a dressing using the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs, mashed smooth, add gradually two tablespoons of melted cold chicken or turkey grease, stir until smooth and thick, then add one teaspoon of prepared mustard, large pinch of salt and pepper, one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon each of mustard and celery seed, and five tablespoons of white vinegar. Mix the dressing well with the veal, and serve with or without lettuce leaves.

NEAPOLITAN SALAD

Take some white meat of a turkey, cut up fine, cut up a few pickles the same way, a few beets, one or two carrots, a few potatoes (the carrots and potatoes must be parboiled), also a few stalks of asparagus; chop up a bunch of crisp, white celery; a whole celery root (parboiled), sprinkle all with fine salt and pour a mayonnaise dressing over it. Line the salad bowl with lettuce leaves or white cabbage leaves. Add a few hard-boiled eggs and capers; garnish with sprigs of fresh parsley.

POLISH SALAD, OR SALAD PIQUANT

Lay half a dozen or more large salt pickles in water for about six hours, then drain off all the water. Chop up two sour apples, one large onion or two small ones, chop the pickles and mix all thoroughly in a bowl and sprinkle over them a scant half teaspoon of pepper (white) and a tablespoon of sugar (either white or brown), adding a pinch of salt if necessary. Pour enough white wine vinegar over all to just cover. Do not make more at a time than you can use up in a week, as it will not keep longer.

*FRESH FRUITS AND COMPOTE*

Always select the best fruit, as it is the cheapest, and requires less sugar; and where every piece of fruit or every berry is perfect, there is no waste. Raspberries are apt to harbor worms and therefore the freshly picked berries are safest.

BLUEBERRIES

Wash and pick over carefully, drain off all the water, sprinkle powdered sugar over them and serve with cream or milk.

RASPBERRIES

Pick over carefully, set on ice, and serve in a dish unsugared.

Strawberries may be served as above.

RASPBERRIES AND CURRANTS

These berries, mixed, make a very palatable dish. Set on ice until ready to serve. Then pile in a mound, strewing plenty of pulverized sugar among them. As you do this, garnish the base with white or black currants (blackberries look pretty also) in bunches. Eat with cream or wine.

STRAWBERRIES

Pick nice ripe berries, pile them in a fruit dish. Strew plenty of pulverized sugar over them and garnish with round slices or quarters of oranges, also well sugared.

BANANAS

May be sliced according to fancy, either round or lengthwise. Set on ice until required. Then add sugar, wine or orange juice. In serving, dish out with a tablespoon of whipped cream.

CHILLED BANANAS

Cut ice-cold bananas down lengthwise, and lay these halves on a plate with a quarter of a lemon and a generous teaspoon of powdered sugar. Eat with a fork or spoon after sprinkling with lemon juice and dipping in sugar.

GRAPE FRUIT

Cut in half, with a sharp knife, remove seeds, and sprinkle with sugar, or loosen pulp; cut out pithy white centre; wipe knife after each cutting, so that the bitter taste may be avoided. Pour in white wine or sherry and sprinkle with powdered sugar, and let stand several hours in ice-chest to ripen. Serve cold in the sh.e.l.l. Decorate with maraschino cherry.