1920's Par Deux - Gluten Free Blast From The Past

WOW!  The salads of the 1920's were a carnival of flavors.  Unlike today where lettuce greens are the foundation of most salads, back in the day the greens were primarily a decoration or a a garnishment.  Today's toppers - tomatoes, nuts, pimentos, olives, etc - were the real stars.  This era was not a mundane time and many dishes including salads had fun or catchy names.  This included the San Francisco Salad, Alligator Pear Salad and the Candle Salad which are the three I chose to try.  Starting with the San Francisco Salad and as before providing you with my modifications and the original recipe.

San Francisco Salad

1/3 C Ripe Olives - sliced                                                    1/3 cupful sliced ripe olives

1 Egg - hard boiled & chopped                                             1 chopped hard-cooked egg

1/3 C Walnuts - chopped                                                     1/3 cupful broken walnut meats

1 Pimento - minced                                                             1 minced pimento

1 T Hellman's Mayonnaise                                                   6 medium-sized tomatoes

6 Medium Tomatoes                                                           Mayonnaise

Lettuce Leaves                                                                   Lettuce

* Combine olives, egg, walnuts and pimento with mayonnaise

* Hollow out tomatoes (peeling is optional and a matter of personal preference)

* Fill with olive mixture

* Plate on lettuce leaves

Combine the olives, egg, walnuts and pimento with sufficient Mayonnaise to blend.  Remove the skins from the tomatoes, hollow out the centers and fill with the olive mixture.  Arrange for individual service on salad plates with a garnish of lettuce and extra Mayonnaise.  If desired, the tomato may be prepared before serving time and placed in the ice-box after pouring over a little French Dressing.

I found it interesting that mayonnaise is always capitalized in my pamphlets prior to 1930!  A sprinkling of chopped walnuts across the top dressed it up just a little for a "girl's day out". My friends really enjoyed this salad - finding the combination of flavors refreshing. This oldie but goodie is definitely being reinstated!

Alligator Pear Salad

Alligator Pear Salad!  Cool!  Not if you don't have a clue as to what an alligator pear is and your husband, who was nice enough to go to the store for you, doesn't either so he brings you one of every pear in the produce department - none of which are named "alligator".  Thank goodness for mothers and aunts - especially the ones who call right before you are about to post an "egg on your face" blog entry!  Both women (gleefully, I might add) informed me that an alligator pear is not pear at all - it is an avocado, and doesn't that just make perfect sense!

1 Avocado- peel, pit, sliced                                             1 Alligator pear

2 Med-Lg Tomatoes - sliced                                            2 good-sized tomatoes

2 T Green Peppers - minced                                           2 tablespoonfuls minced green peppers

1/3 C Italian Dressing - divided                                         (optional)

Lettuce                                                                          1/3 cupful French Dressing

                                                                                      Lettuce

* Place sliced avocado in an airtight container with 1/2 of the Italian Dressing

* In second airtight container place the sliced tomatoes with remainder of dressing

* Chill twenty minutes

* On lettuce leaf layer a slice of tomato and a slice of avocado

* Sprinkle with minced peppers and serve

Remove the peeling from the alligator pear.  Cut it in thin crosswise slices and take out any remaining pulp.  Place in a bowl with some of the dressing and put the sliced tomatoes in another bowl with the remaining dressing.  Chill for twenty minutes, then put a little lettuce on each of the six plates and lay on this, first a slice of tomato, then one of the pear.  Strew with minced peppers, if used.

My favorite thing about this salad is the name - it's just fun to say.  It's simple to make with good flavors but my taste buds believe that there are better uses for both the avocado and the tomato.

Candle Salad

Originally intended as a very elegant presentation this super, simple salad is perfect for the holidays.  Children love to make and eat this one - a win, win!  If you need a way to keep the little ones busy while you concentrate on something else, let them make this salad.

Only one set of directions for this one:

For each person allow a slice of canned pineapple and half a banana.

Pare down the banana on the crooked side, so that it will be straight and look like a candle.  Set each section of banana into the hole in the pineapple, and place a maraschino cherry on top to represent the flame, pouring over a little French Fruit Salad Dressing.  Drain for a few moments, then arrange individually, for a Small company, on salad plates with garnish of lettuce.  For large numbers, platter with a garnish of Tea Room Mayonnaise, Plain Mayonnaise or Nut Mayonnaise and a little parsley and lettuce.

Nobody in my family liked this with the French Dressing drizzle (see previous blog for recipe) nor did we care for the mayonnaise.

The best aspect of this recipe is it's child engaging properties and that can indeed at times be the the most important factor of any endeavor!



The Roaring Twenties and Summertime Salads

It seems appropriate that I start the "salad tests" with recipes from the 1920's, a time when anything seemed possible and modern technology was being embraced - automobiles, moving pictures and radio.  I will admit that the technology isn't what gets my heart thumping about the Roaring Twenties, that would be - Art Deco, Flappers, Chaplin, Satchmo, the Charleston, speakeasies and women voting!  When you think about all the fun being had in those crazy years you have to wonder - what were they eating?

1924 pamphlet Saladtime published by The Wesson Oil and Snowdrift People

If you choose to do this salad old school using the original version bear in mind that the French Dressing called for is not what you are accustomed to buying in the grocery store!  It was not my family's choice but in case you're a purist and want to give it a whirl I've included the recipe. Bon Appetit!

Garden Salad

My Version                                                     Original Version

2 C Potatoes - diced, cooked                      2 cupfuls diced cooked potatoes

1 C Fresh Green Beans - cooked        1 cupful shredded, cooked string beans

1 C Green Peas - cooked                                   1 cupful diced cooked beets

1/2 C Marzetti Italian Dressing             1 cupful cooked green peas (optional)

1 C Beets - cooked, diced                                           1/2 cupful French Dressing

Salad Greens                                                                   Any salad green

*In large bowl, place potatoes, green beans and peas

*Gently mix in Italian dressing, coating all the vegetables

*Chill 20 minutes

*Stir in beets

*Serve over a bed of salad greens

*Garnish with beet slices (optional)

Combine all the cooked vegetables, except the beets, with the French Dressing and let stand for twenty minutes to chill.  Then stir in the beets and sufficient Mayonnaise to blend.  Arrange in a salad bowl, wreathe with the salad green and top with extra dressing and slices of beet.

French Dressing:  Six tablespoonfuls of Wesson Oil, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar or lemon juice, one-third teaspoonful of salt, a few shakes of pepper and stir well.  Paprika may be added if desired. The dressing recipes were all printed in paragraphs while the salads were printed as you see above. 

After the dressing change we enjoyed the salad.  We also decided that we liked it with and without the salad greens - without you've got a lovely marinated dish. And by the way, all the kids thought it was hilarious when the potatoes turned pink after the beets were added, so I guess it was indeed crazy fun!

We're not finished roaring with the twenties - there is still the San Francisco Salad, the Alligator Pear Salad and Candle Salad yet to come!

Whatever happened to Grandmother's Summer Salads?

"Salads are to the appetite what mirth is to the melancholy."

John A. Campbell, Chef, 1894

I collect (among a ca-jill-ion other things) antique cookbooks and recipe pamphlets. The other day while looking through a selection of advertising pamphlets from the late 1890's and early 1900's I had a revelation - prior to the turn of the 20th century salads were only served at hotels, fancy parties and elaborate dinners! This was immediately followed by the realization that many of those dishes are seldom if ever served anymore. Why?  They were prepared using the freshest of ingredients complimented with homemade dressings and not that it was that big a deal back in the day but they were almost all totally gluten-free! Why? Over the next week or so I am going to try several of these recipes with the intent of discovering why they didn't survive the evolution of our culinary taste buds! The results, of course, will be shared with you.

4th of July Backyard Memories Gone Gluten-free

"America is a tune.  It must be sung together."  Gerald Stanley Lee - Crowds

My dad loved the 4th of July!  He loved it as an American, a veteran and as a way to bring friends and family together with the song of food.  The core of the menu was always the same - BBQ, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob and watermelon.  Beyond that potluck was the name of the game and potluck it was, depending on the food fad of the year, the garden's yield, who had a sweet tooth and who was on a diet.  There could be twenty different salads or twenty different desserts and it didn't matter - nobody went away hungry and everyone had a good time except maybe the kid who got stung by the wasp. 

From my backyard to yours  - Bill and Carolyn's recipes for the basis of an Independence Day Celebration!


BBQ Pork Ribs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
7 - 10 lbs Pork Ribs
8 Cloves of Garlic - crushed
2 t Kosher Salt
1/2 t Black Pepper
1 C Dark Brown Sugar
3/4 C Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Brown Mustard
1 C Molasses
1 1/2 T Dry Mustard

• Mix garlic, salt and pepper
• Rub mixture over both sides of rib racks
• Place meat side down on large baking sheet with sides
• Bake 1 hour turning once
• Drain, cool and set aside
• In heavy saucepan mix remaining ingredients
• Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly
• Place racks on hot grill and brush with sauce
• Cook 5 to 7 minutes until bottom is crispy, brown and turn
• Brush again with sauce and cook another 5 -7 minutes
• Repeat above instruction
• Separate ribs and serve

Baked Beans

3 16 oz Cans Pork and Beans
1 Onion - chopped
1 Bell Pepper - chopped
1/4 C Molasses
1/2 C Brown Sugar
3 T Ketchup
1 T Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 T Mustard
1/2 t Kosher Salt
1/4 t Pepper
4 Slices Bacon

• Mix together all ingredients except bacon
• Place in 3 quart casserole dish or bean pot
• Layer bacon strips across the top
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Potato Salad

6 - 7 Potatoes - boiled
6 Eggs - hard boiled, peeled and chopped
1 small Bell Pepper - chopped
1 Vidalia Onion - chopped
2 stalks Celery - chopped
1 C Hellman's Mayonnaise
2 T Yellow Mustard
1/4 C Sweet Pickle Relish
1 T Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 t Marjoram
2 t Sea Salt
1/2 t Pepper

• Drain and lightly mash or cube or both (your preference) potatoes
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients

This can be served immediately or chilled


Fresh Corn on the Cob

Corn on the Cob - the number is up to you - shucked and cleaned
Water - enough to cover the corn
1/8 C Sugar

• Bring water to a boil
• Add corn and sugar
• Return to boil and cook 8 to 10 minutes
• Remove from water and serve

My grandfather (a farmer) would provide the corn. It was a delicious, naturally sweet type called Candy Corn.  He is no longer with us and I can't find anyone who is growing that particular strain so we now add the sugar. Not quite the same but is anything from our childhood ever.


Watermelon

However you want to do it! We've had it cut wedge style, scooped into balls with the melon used as the serving dish and one year it was accidentally dropped - breaking into pieces and that's how it was plated!



"...every heart beats true 'neath the red, white and blue..."  George M. Cohan - You're a Grand Old Flag

photo courtesy of madaristocrat

Red, White and Blue Dessert

Homemade ice cream with strawberry sauce, topped with fresh blueberries - beautiful, tasty and cold!  What more could you want on a hot summer day!

Ice Cream:

1 1/2 C Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Can Borden Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 T Vanilla
1/2 gallon Milk

• In a small bowl, mix together sugar and eggs
• In a large bowl, mix together Eagle Brand, vanilla and milk
• Blend in sugar/egg mixture
• Heat until sugar thoroughly dissolves, stirring constantly
• Pour into refrigerator friendly container and cool completely
• Put in ice cream freezer and continue according to maker's instructions

if time is tight - make a day ahead of time and keep in the fridge till needed

Strawberry Sauce:

1 quart Fresh Strawberries
1/2 - 3/4 C Sugar

• Remove stems/hulls and slice strawberries
• Place in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar
• Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour

Blueberries:

1 pint Fresh Blueberries - washed

I bet you can figure this part out but... 

Assembly:
In individual dishes - place a scoop of ice cream, top with a heaping spoonful of strawberries and sprinkle with a few blueberries.  Dig in.

"Tis done, we have become a nation."  Benjamin Rush at the Constitutional Convention

Mimi's Cornbread Recipe

Mimi was my husband's grandmother and everyone loved her cornbread. I can't use her trick with wheat flour but I can and do use her cooking technique. She would always heat a tablespoon or two of bacon grease in a cast iron skillet until sizzling hot then add the cornbread batter before placing it in the oven to bake. Those few seconds on the stove would produce a flavorful, crispy brown bottom and the aroma - mouthwatering, belly growling, can't wait to eat!


Preheat oven to 350°

1 C Mesa Flour
1/2 C Cornmeal
1/2 C Flour Pamela’s Pancake Mix
2 t Baking Powder
2 T Sugar
1 t Kosher Salt
2 Eggs – lightly beaten
1/4 C Buttermilk or enough to moisten into a thick batter

• Combine dry ingredients making a well in the center
• Add eggs and ¼ cup of buttermilk and mix thoroughly
• Add additional milk if needed until it forms a very thick batter
• Pour into oven-safe skillet or baking pan and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch  

      

Small steps and a Gluten-free BLT

Lest you think this Celebration took place with a perpetual smile and a continual skip in my step - it did not!  There were compromises and adjustments to be made and finally I came up with a list of requirements that I thought would be essential to the "success" of this new lifestyle-

• vital that meals could be prepared with virtually the same speed as BC (before Celiac)
• no compromises on taste
• important that guests dining with us didn't automatically start bracing themselves to eat "Susan's diet stuff", if they were going to think it was "special" then I wanted it to be because it was scrumptious and satisfying
• the ability to obtain the majority of ingredients with ease and without doubling my grocery bill
• comfort foods! - the foods I grew up eating, that made me feel good , the ones I craved whenever I was under the weather or had the blues

Comfort Foods! Summertime! BLT sandwiches!  Celebrate!  This is the time of year when the classic bacon sandwich tastes the very best.  Fresh, ripe, juicy, red tomatoes. Curling, crunchy, green lettuce leaves.  Lean, brown, crispy bacon.  Stacked together between two lightly toasted pieces of bread brushed with a rich and creamy mayonnaise.  Heaven on earth and totally gluten-free!  The farmers market, Boar's Head bacon, Udi's Bread and Hellmans mayonnaise - the road to success is made up of small, delicious steps.

Celebrate Gluten-free First Day

Today is my first day as a Blogger!!! The last two years have been filled with "firsts" for me ... FIRST - I found a doctor that listened to my myriad of complaints and didn't immediately say "Well, I really don't see how ALL those symptoms are related"
FIRST - I received a diagnosis that did not require drugs or surgery
FIRST - I joyfully started a new diet
FIRST - I wrote a book - a cookbook CELEBRATE Gluten-free Everyday due early August


Let's go back - ten whole years - that's how long I had been telling doctors that something was wrong before I finally self-diagnosed a rare, very hard to find colon tumor and resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never live long enough for a physician to find it and start treatment. You see where I'm going here - to finally be told that I had Celiac and the "cure" was to give up gluten, well let me tell you that was definitely cause to
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or so I thought. Now granted I had very little idea of what gluten was exactly. Bread? Right? If I gave up bread all would be fine - NOT! Little did I know that this, whatever it was, would show up in virtually everything in my diet from my morning cereal to my makeup to my daughter's Play Doh. My celebration was getting rained on big time! After a couple of what my granny used to call cry pies (whining, groaning, etc.) reality came back and as they say the truth shall set you free - all I had to do was remember how scared, mad and frustrated I was before the diagnosis and it was once again time to
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I started hanging out at my library and favorite book store along with lengthy trips cruising down the Route 66 of cyber space and discovered lots of gluten-free recipes that called for 2 or more times the ingredients, considerable more prep time and the cost was often not justifiable. Pollyanna's smile was slipping. My lifestyle, like most of us, made time a highly prized commodity - this was not good! I love my family and I like to cook but I certainly didn't plan on preparing two different meals every time we sat down to eat. Somehow, some way I would cook one meal and dad gum it we would all enjoy it! Transform Pollyanna into Sherlock Holmes and here we go again - I wasn't dying -
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An adventure to the nth degree with a lifestyle change and a new diet -
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I wasn't dying (worth saying twice) -
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Jump on the band wagon and CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE good food, good times, good friends - old and new!