WARM WEATHER DISHES

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 239, 8 October 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

WARM WEATHER DISHES

SALADS.

(By A FRENCH CHEF.)

Salads should take the place of cooked green vegetables as often as poe s lti e An egg fish, potato or mixed salad ca n form the main dish for lunch, and * one will be any the worse for *21 up the heavy meat course. Lett is usually regarded as the fonn,w for all salads, but really there ™ v n few vegetables that can't be used fn' the purpose. . The finely-choppedJ of cabbage is tender and tasty an dl i favoured by .the French; ST' carrot and turnip form a addition, and grated' celery and V ? adisl add . spicy, pungent Concerning "Fines Herbes." Don't forget the succulent, fea+W endive, and the "fines herbes," without which no French salad is perfect, c£ parsley, tarragon and chervil Th chopped very finely and mixed in <2 proportions, form a vast improveml sprinkled over any salad just beW serving. To make a successful JJ? be sure that the plants and vegetables used are young and fresh. If iim n ! stale, they can be revived by pladn' m cold salt water for a time. LeS and watercress should always be soal™. in salt water for at least half an C and then rinsed thoroughly Tho A' kills and thus renders harmless an insects or tiny slugs that are so difC to dislodge. In France the green-roar! se ' a little of each ingredient for salads" The step towards success in . salad is m seeing that all the green stuff used as perfectly dry. • A salad should alwavs look crisp, invitine an, dainty, and to ensure this no vestia „f water should be left on it to spoil tie effect of the dressing. After waslin it, dram in a salad basket or colandeand afterwards leave for some time in' a clean, dry cloth.

How to< Prepare Salad. j Lettuce and endive should b 0 torn into shreds, not cut with a knife, Tie coarse stalks should be removed from watercress and only the youngest leaves used. Mustard and cress should be lifted in small bunches, held -by the stalks and shaken well in cold water, then tapped gently on a cloth, the stalks cut off, and the bunches placed on a dial or sieve to dry.. Always skin tomatoes when using them for a salad. This is done by_ placing them in boiling water for a minute and skinning them while still warm. The dressing and mayonnaise used with salad adds greatly to its nutritive value, and should not be left out, though it is safer to leave the mayonnaise for individuals to add themselves, as not everyone cares for it. _ When making any fish mayonnaise, it is quite a good plan to serve the fish, salad and mayonnaise separately so that each person can mix these as liked. Also, any fish left over is more useable if not mixed with the salad. The same applies to hard-boiled eggs. Just place a few slices on top of "the salad, and serve the rest cut in halves arranged on a dish. I

A French Dressing. In mixing a French dressing, remember that the salad oil, vinegar, pepper I and salt must all be of the freshest. Weak vinegar, poor -oil and stale pepper and salt are impossible to blend into a good dressing, and spoil the best salai!. Lemon can be used by those who don'i like vinegar, but a herb-flavoured vinegar, such as white wine or tarragon, is considered best. The vinegar makes the oil digestible. The right proportion oi oil to vinegar is often a matter of dispute, some people swearing by half and half. Others say three parts of oil to one of vinegar, some, four to one of vinegar, while yet others say fire or six parts of oil to vinegar. Some people prefer no vinegar, and instead, to each tablespoonful of oil add a Baitspoonful of mustard. A little sugar sometimes helps.

A Successful French Dressing. Here is the way to make a successful French dressing. Put an eggspoonful of salt and half that quantity of pepper in a salad bowl and blend these with a tablespoonful of salad oil. This, fo: a very small salad. If the salad is a larger one, you use your own discretion as to the quantity needed. It is better to leave the oil and vinegar in the bottom of the bowl; and soak your leaves in this mixture a few at a tim?. This ia a better method than pourin: the mixture over the salad. Each leai should be tossed until it shines again. In making mayonnaise sauce, you must not be in a hurry. Careful, perI feet blending is the secret of eucccsi Here is a recipe much beloved by tic Parisians:—You require one yolk of egg, a gill of salad oil, a teaspoonful of dry mustard, a tablespoonful cream, a teaspoonful castor' sugar, four teaspoonfuls tarragon. vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix together all the dry isgredients and the yolk of egg. Noff whisk in drop by drop the salad oil and the vinegar. Then add the cream very gradually, stirring with a smoott and regular movement all the time. Remember, always stir in ,one direction: and do not vary your speed. At the very end, add a dessertspoonful of boiling water. - Stir this well in and leave in a very cold place.