Tiny Waldorf Salads

categories: Apples, Celery, Grapes, Salad, United States of America, Walnuts

Is there a salad both more famous (and more mangled) than the Waldorf Salad? I doubt it. And because, pretty much since it’s inception, people have been mucking around with it, I thought I would put my stamp on it. As I have a predilection for little food, I shrank my Waldorf Salad into individual serving sizes.

Waldorf Salad – History

The Waldorf Salad was first made at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1896 and was, a huge success. The original recipe only contained apples, celery and mayonnaise The grapes and walnuts came later but are now considered integral ingredients.

The Waldorf precedes the other classic “American” salad, the Caesar, by 28 years.

The Waldorf Salad was also immortalised in an episode of Fawlty Towers. I wonder if this is the only salad to ever have a sit com episode named after it. If you have not seen this you must. It is hilarious. But here’s a taste!

So, celery, apples, walnuts grapes…in a mayonnaise sauce. Which is pretty much what mine consisted of.

So how did they manage to get it so wrong in the ’60’s?

Well, the top three reasons of what went wrong in the 60’s in general are:

Charlie Manson
Massive amounts of drug taking
Gelatine

Now,Manson may be all kinds of crazy but I don’t think we can blame him for this:

Retro Waldorf via Bon Appetit Or this (even though this is kind of pretty)

Or, Good Lord, even this:

Nope, the blame for that lies squarely with 3). Possibly with a large dose of 2) thrown in

After those horrors i totally understand why the poor old Waldorf Salad is not nearly as popular today as the Caesar salad. The graphs below show internet interest in the words as search terms.

Kind of makes me wonder why I am bothering to post on Waldorf when it’s so unpopular. Next week – Caesar Salad! And hit city!

The thing is, Caesar salad is often awful and the Waldorf salad tasted good. It’s crunchy and crisp and sweet and nutty. Nothing wrong there. The buttermilk dressing I used adds a little tang without being too cloying. It’s delicious. And easy to make. And healthy. And it’s fun to wrap up the main ingredients in a lettuce leaf like a salady sang choy bau.

What more do you need?

Go and make one now. You already know how….it’s celery, apples, walnuts grapes…in a mayonnaise sauce.

Pop it all into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and enjoy!

[yumprint-recipe id=’98’] Have a wonderful week!

Signature 1

30
Aug
2017

Cheery Cherry Sangria

categories: Cherry, Drinks, Sangria, Sparkling, Wine

This post’s name came from the fact that I totally read the name of this recipe incorrectly. More than once. I swear, the first four times looked at it I thought it was called Cheery Sangria. I even wrote it that way on my “meal” planner. Cheery Sangria. It was only when I was writing the ingredients on my shopping list that I paused. “Oh. It has cherries in it. That’s cute, they made a pun.” Well, it turns out, they didn’t. But I did. And we all know how much I love that! So, technically what we’re drinking today is CHERRY sangria. But you know what? It brought a touch of the sun and warmth of Portugal into a totally cold, wet and grey Melbourne winter day so I think Cheery Sangria works just as well!!

Yes, I’m back from holiday. And determined to make Sangria my drink of choice for this summer. It’s just so good!!! Wine and fruit and a little bit o the hard stuff….it really doesn’t get much better. Mind you, summer has to come first. And at the moment, it seems a long time away.

The best Sangria I had overseas was in Portugal – a teeny cafe in Faro. Here I am drinking one….

Sangria The Portuguese,they are a people after my own heart. They have a cherry liqueur called Ginja which is commonly drunk for breakfast. Speaking of which…when the breakfast buffet contains both Portuguese egg tarts and sparkling wine, I know I have found my people!

Cheery times! And cheersy times!!! But now onto some cherry times.

The cherry sangria I made is pretty hearty. It has loads of strong, spicy flavours which made it suitable for a cold winter’s day. I also totally forgot to add the cinnamon stick but that would have only made it even better! The gorgeous deep red colour is also so pretty and warming. I also used cherries and sparkling wine to remind me of the Portuguese breakfast drinks of Ginja and cava!

But let’s start with some fruit. Limes, blood oranges and, of course cherries make for a tasty and colourful combination!

Then add some tequila for a kick, grenadine for sweetness and a teeny taste of Tabasco for spice and muddle the fruit to get some juicy, fruity flavours. (Pre-muddle is also when the cinnamon should have been added).

Top with orange juice and some sparkling red wine…and voila…cherry sangria!

Salud!

[yumprint-recipe id=’97’]

Have a great week!

Signature 1

21
Jul
2017

Cattle Country Salad for Cowboy Day

categories: 1970's food, Cook A Long, Cowboy Day, Meat, Salad, Salads For All Season

Go west they said. I took their advice and not only went west but a whole heap north as well to end up in the UK for this year’s Cowboy Day. I will be spending the actual day in the most haunted town in Britain! Maybe a ghost cowboy just like this one will appear on the day….

Spooky huh?

Something that is not at all spooky is the Cattle Country Beef Salad Salad l made to celebrate Cowboy day. But first, this is the first time I am writing, editing, and posting entirely via phone so let’s put any weirdness in this post, beyond the regular weirdness down to that and I will re-edit, format as required once I get home!

We don’t have cowboys in Australia. We have cattlemen. Who live in cattle country which is where this salad comes from. Actually, it comes from Rosemary Mayne-Wilson’s Salads for All Seasons but you know what I mean.

So what all goes into a Cattle Country Beef Salad?

Beef of course. I suspect originally this would have been leftovers from the Sunday roast but I just bought from slices of roast beef from the supermarket.
Then there’s apples. Because we all know one a day keeps the doctor away and you don’t want to get sick while you’re out riding the range.
There’s celery because…I dunno. What use is celery? I like the taste of it but….oh that’s right. Celery keeps the cattlemen skinny. Because no one likes a tubby cowboy. Specially the horses they ride around on all day.
Spring onions. To put a spring in their step.

That was about it for the original ingredients. I also added some mixed leaves because I had to use them before I left for the UK the following morning. I also added some chunks of a lovely vintage cheddar. Which also had to be used but cheese also makes anything taste better and this was no exception.

RMW suggests using a French dressing for this. Make it really punchy by being HEAVY on the mustard. The flavours in here are strong enough to deal with it.

This was yummy!!!! Quick simple delicious. That’s an all round winner for me!

Here’s the original recipe:

Okay, I’m trying to keep this short and sweet because posting off the phone is doing my head in.

Many thanks to Greg from Recipes for Rebels for inviting me to participate in the cookalong again this year. It is always a so much fun to be a part of something like this. Plus, he”s one of the most awesome people on the internet so should just be thanked in general

I dont have my regular sign off this week but just look what can happen when bloggers get together. For an explanation of why Battenberg Belle, Jenny Hammerton and I are wearing cowboy hats and clutching a meat cleaver, a melon baller and a hammer respectively, you’ll need to head over to Silver Screen Suppers but in the meantime, have a great Cowboy Day everyone!

24
Apr
2017

Bombay Potato Snacks

categories: India, Potato, Snacks, Vegetarian

Let’s talk about what makes the best snacks the best. They are crunchy, salty, crispy, fried, spicy, sweet, creamy, fresh or sour right? So, what if you could combine all of those tastes and textures into the one dish? Wouldn’t that make it THE. BEST. SNACK.EVER? Yes. It would. And the only thing that stops me from claiming this for these Bombay Potato Snacks is that there is a little bit of work involved in making them which is kind of contrary to the idea of the snack….however, persevere with me. They’re worth the effort! And also very pretty!

I probably should have cropped this photo a lot more. However, I really liked the shadows of the plants on my kitchen windowsill. And you have to take your little pleasures where you find them right? And for you pernickety people, there’s a cropped version down below.

So, Bombay Potato Snacks. First time I made this, I totally forgot to strew the Bombay mix (or Sev as it is called in Sri Lanka over the top). Doh! It was actually still pretty tasty but you know…really just a potato snack which is totally not enough for all of you delightful and snack hungry RFFMT readers. Cos you all deserve the bomb! Eh?

Okay. Even by my standard of bad puns, that last one was just a little bit too shit. So, let’s quickly forget it ever happened and talk potatoes. In this case oven roasted with a bit o’ salt and cayenne pepper but you could totally pan or deep fry them should you so desire. Once baked or fried, arrange them on a place. I chose to place mine in a circle. Then, add a dollop of Greek Yoghurt, and top that with a dollop of Indian Chutney. I chose to use a home-made Mango Salsa Chutney from Kylee Newton’s wonderful book The Modern Preserver but you could use your favourite bought chutney.

We’re then going to sprinkle a little bit of tomato salsa over the top of all of this – tomato, red onion, chilli, coriander, mint, lemon juice to add some freshness and zing and pow!

And then, if this is not already tasty enough, we’re going to top this off by just throwing a handful of Bombay Mix all over the top! That is five layers of awesome on your plate. This is not just a Yeah! dish. This is a HELL YEAH! dish!

And totes vegetarian for those who care about those things. You could also very easily make it vegan by swapping out the dairy yogurt for a soy or coconut yogurt. Actually, vegans please make this. And give it to your non-vegan friends and defy them to say that this vegan dish is not as tasty AF.

Serve this on a platter and let your guests dig in. Or…eat it all by yourself. I won’t judge you. I promise. I may have even done that myself.

We’re doing Indian in Tasty Reads in April and May…and also there was an awesome Indian inspired Shepherd’s pie made on My Kitchen Rules this week, which I am totally going to adapt to my own tastes so stay tuned for more Indian inspired dishes in future.

Print

Bombay Potato Snacks

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

5 large potatoes cut into 1cm slices
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
100 ml Indian Chutney of your choice – I used a home made mango chutney
125ml Greek yoghurt

Salsa:

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1 red chilli, chopped, seeds removed (less or more depending on your love of heat)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200C.
Place the potato slices, the salt, cayenne pepper and oil in a large plastic bag and toss to coat.
Place the slices in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, flipping them over half way through.
Remove from tray to a wire rack and allow to cool.

For The Salsa:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve

Spread the potato slices around the platter.
Add a dollop of Yoghurt into the middle, top this with a dollop of chutney.
Sprinkle the salsa over the top.
Top with the Bombay mix.
Eat. Enoy!

Next up though, we’re slipping and sliding, stepping and stomping into the letter S from The A-Z of Cooking. And for once, the heading is not completely random. Leave a comment if you’d like to have a guess at what it might be!

It’s your week…make it fab!

Signature 1

Save

13
Mar
2017

Balinese Chicken Satay Skewers – Repost from 2017

categories: Bali, Chicken, Travel

Okay, so I was planing on giving you the next instalment of The A-Z of Cooking this week. But, my plans went awry in much the same way as my life seems to be going awry. So Balinese Chicken Satay Skewers it is! Not that I’m complaining (and nor should you be) because I know what is coming up next from the A-Z and believe me, even though I haven’t made it yet? I strongly feel that we are onto a winner, winner chicken dinner with the Balinese Chicken Skewers.

I love chicken satay skewers and have been making these regularly since my return. The recipe provided below is based on the one we learned at Ketut’s Bali Cooking Class in Ubud. Sadly it is not as good. Possibly because it is not cooked in an open air kitchen overlooking rice paddies and cooked over coconut shells:

Nor were the spices hand ground in the traditional way:

Also, the Balinese have about forty types of ginger and here, we have one. However, whilst these won’t absolutely transport you to Bali, they are utterly delicious! How could it not be? I am a big fan of pretty much any meat on a stick. Here, the marinated chicken remains tender and juicy after grilling

And the spicy peanut sauce is a perfect accompaniment. I bought a tiny terracotta Balinese grill, however, I cooked these in the oven. I really like my terracotta friend though!

Here he is again!

Ketut suggested that you serve your chicken satay skewers with white or yellow rice. In the first photo above, I served mine the way my Malaysian friend Aiden serves his – with a very simple salad of cucumber and red onion. Simply stab the tip of the skewer into the cubes of cucumber and onion and then into the sauce. So good!

My favourite way of eating these is in a wrap (more traditionally a roti) with some tomato, cucumber, onion and coriander salad and sprinkled with extra peanuts!

Just looking at these photos is making me want to make them again, right now! So, here’s the recipe!

Print

Balinese Chicken Satay Skewers

Print Recipe

Perfectly grilled chicken and a spicy peanut sauce is a match made in heaven!

Author: Taryn Fryer

Ingredients

Scale

For The Skewers

500g chicken breast

For The Marinade

3 tbsp chopped shallots
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 tbsp coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For The Peanut Sauce

300g peanuts
3 cloves of garlic
4 shallot cloves
2 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp red chilli (more / less to taste)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp ginger

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

For The Chicken

Mix the marinade ingredients together.
If using wooden skewers, soak these in water to prevent them burning.
Cut the chicken into cubes and marinate 15 minutes.
Thread onto skewers.
Grill until browned and cooked through, basting with the leftover marinade.

For The Peanut Sauce

Fry the peanuts until golden brown. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Drain off most but not all of the oil.
Grind the chillies, garlic, shallots, palm sugar and ginger in a food processor or mortar and pestle until they form a paste. Add the peanuts and grind to a paste again.
Place the peanut paste into a pan. Add the chicken stock and coconut milk.
Add the sweet soy to taste.
Bring to the boil.
Simmer until thick and season with salt and pepper.
Add the lime juice to taste.

Have a wonderful week! I’ll be back, next week possibly with something quixotic and quaint that hopefully will not leave me feeling too queasy!

Signature 1

Save