The Essential James Beard Cookbook (13 page)

AVOCADO, ONION, AND GRAPEFRUIT SALAD

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: This recipe, featuring two very Californian ingredients, surely shows the influence of Beard’s great friend, Helen Evans Brown, author of
The West Coast Cookbook
. Beard and Brown also collaborated on
The Complete Book of Outdoor Cookery
. You can use your favorite lettuce, but crisp romaine would make a nice contrast with the smooth avocado.

1 large ripe avocado

1 large grapefruit

1 small red Italian onion

1 head lettuce, washed, dried and crisped

½ cup
Basic Vinaigrette Sauce

Halve the avocado lengthwise; remove the pit; peel and cut into crescent-shaped strips, about ½ inch wide. Remove the peel and pith from the grapefruit by cutting it off in a long spiral around the fruit, with a sharp knife, holding the grapefruit over a bowl to catch the juice. Then remove the segments, one by one, by cutting downward on either side of the membrane surrounding them. Peel the onion and slice thinly. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter, or in a bowl, then put alternating slices of avocado, grapefruit, and onion on top of them. Dress with the vinaigrette sauce.

CAESAR SALAD

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

The famous salad is often served but seldom made correctly.

Editor: Beard loved anchovies and used them whenever he could in his recipes. However, it should be noted that the original recipe for Caesar Salad used Worcestershire sauce, which is made from anchovies, and not anchovy fillets. And the salad’s creator, Caesar Cardini, used whole romaine lettuce leaves. You can tear or chop the leaves for easier eating, if you wish.

For the Croutons

4 slices firm white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled

For the Salad

1 large egg

1 garlic clove, crushed under a knife and peeled

1 or 2 heads romaine, washed, chilled, and dried

½ cup olive oil

24 or more anchovy fillets in oil, drained and diced

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make the croutons: Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic. Add the bread and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool.

To coddle the egg: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer. Using a slotted spoon, gently add the egg to the water and cook for 1 minute. Remove the egg with the slotted spoon. Let cool slightly before cracking into a small bowl.

Rub a glass or china salad bowl with the garlic and add the romaine. Pour over the olive oil and toss well.

To make the salad: Add the croutons, anchovies, and lemon juice. Toss lightly and taste for salt. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste, the coddled egg, and a handful of the Parmesan cheese. Toss well and add additional cheese, if desired. Serve at once.

GREEN SALAD, VINTNER’S STYLE

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

This should be made with walnut oil, if available. It is mainly a good, crisp green salad interestingly flavored with blanched fresh walnut halves and a dressing made partly with red wine. Sometimes shredded Gruyère cheese is added to it.

For the Salad

6 heads Bibb lettuce

1 head romaine lettuce

1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed

1 cup walnut halves

1 cup shredded Gruyère (optional)

For the Dressing

¼ cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup walnut or olive oil

To prepare the salad: Wash and dry the greens. Tear the larger lettuce leaves into smaller pieces. Arrange in a bowl, and add the watercress, walnut halves, and Gruyère, if using.

To make the dressing: Whisk the wine, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Pour the dressing over the salad at the last minute (watercress wilts easily) and toss.

ONION AND ROMAINE SALAD

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: A soak in vinaigrette tames the onion’s burly flavor. You may find yourself using this trick with other salad recipes, as well.

1 head romaine lettuce

1 large yellow onion

Basic Vinaigrette Sauce

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Wash, dry, and tear the romaine and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Slice the onion very thinly, blend with vinaigrette sauce in a salad bowl, and allow to stand for 1 hour. When ready to serve, add the romaine and toss. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

BEET AND MUSHROOM SALAD

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This unusually good mixed salad goes well with hot or cold lamb, pork, or veal.

½ pound very firm white mushrooms, wiped clean

3 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed

2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar, or more as needed

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup fresh-cooked or canned beets, sliced

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about half an orange)

5 to 6 cups mixed greens of your choice, torn into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Slice the mushrooms into a bowl, and add the 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of vinegar, tarragon, and salt. Gently toss, then cover and let stand for an hour. In another bowl, mix the beets, chopped onion, and orange juice, and also let stand for an hour. Place the torn lettuce leaves in a salad bowl, add the mushrooms and beets, with their dressings, and toss well. Add additional oil and vinegar to taste, if needed. Sprinkle with the parsley.

WILTED CELERY SALAD

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Make this salad 3 to 8 hours before you plan to serve, as it needs lengthy marinating. It goes very well with all kinds of meat.

1 head celery, separated into ribs and well washed

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Crisp salad greens

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chopped hard-boiled egg, for garnish

Remove the tough strings from the outer ribs of the celery, then slice the ribs rather finely. Put the celery in a bowl. Mix the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil. Add the tarragon and pour over the celery. Toss extremely well, then cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until ready to serve, shaking the bowl every now and then so the vinaigrette and celery mix well. Line a salad bowl with the salad greens, add the marinated celery to the bowl, and sprinkle with chopped parsley or egg.

CELERY ROOT RÉMOULADE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Celery root (celeriac) is a knobby root vegetable that is most generally used for a purée (
here
), or sliced in fine julienne and combine with a spicy mayonnaise. There are two schools of thought about the preparation of celery root. Some blanch the celery root for a minute or two in boiling water before slicing it. Personally, I prefer to peel it and slice it raw, using a mandoline slicer, a rotary grater, or the coarse shredding attachment of a food processor. If you have none of these aids, slice thin and then cut into fine julienne with a sharp knife. Celery root rémoulade is usually served as a first course, either on lettuce leaves or as part of the hors d’oeuvre selection. It also makes a good accompaniment to thinly sliced, dry (ready-to-eat) sausages like salami and cervelat.

1 pound celery root, peeled and cut into fine julienne strips

1 cup
Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon German-style mustard or 1½ teaspoons English mustard

Kosher salt

Put the celery root strips in a mixing bowl. Blend the mayonnaise and mustards (for a spicier sauce, use English mustard), mix with the celery root, and let it mellow for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if necessary.

Editor: Dijon, German, and English mustard are all made differently and have different spice levels. English mustard is the hottest of the three, so use it with caution.

BILLY’S COLESLAW

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

This is a slaw on which I was brought up. Billy was a Chinese chef, a pal of my mother’s chef, Let, and his coleslaw was superb. He often mixed it with tiny shrimp, crabmeat, or bits of lobster, which made it entirely different but equally delicious.

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup red or white wine vinegar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Dash of Tabasco

1 cup heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

One 2-pound green cabbage, quartered and cored

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the flour, and whisk well. Whisk in the vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and Tabasco and cook just until thickened. Whisk together the heavy cream and yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in some of the hot oil mixture with the egg-cream mixture, and then pour into the oil mixture. Stir over low heat just until it thickens. Do not boil. Shred the cabbage very thinly and combine with the hot dressing. Cool and chill several hours. If the dressing is too thick, mix with a little more heavy cream or a touch of mayonnaise.

MY FAVORITE COLESLAW

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Coleslaw must be one of the oldest and certainly one of the most popular American dishes. There are innumerable ways of making it, some with a boiled dressing, others with a very spicy vinaigrette, but to my mind it is best when simply tossed with homemade mayonnaise and sour cream.

One 2-pound green cabbage

1 cup
Mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Wash and dry the cabbage, then trim it, cutting off the stalk end and removing discolored or limp outer leaves. Cut into quarters, lengthwise; cut out the hard core at the bottom with a small sharp knife; then put the cabbage on a board and cut the quarters into thin shreds with a large sharp knife, cutting down through the rounded side. Put the shreds into cold water and leave for 1 hour to crisp. Drain well and combine with the mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Toss well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

SPICY COLESLAW

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

This version is made with shredded cabbage, which should be soaked in salted water to crisp it, and a vinaigrette sauce.

½ head green cabbage, quartered and cored

²
⁄
₃
cup
Basic Vinaigrette Sauce

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon mustard seed

Cut the cabbage into fine shreds with a large knife. Soak in a bowl of salted water for 1 hour, then drain well. Combine the vinaigrette and celery and mustard seeds in a large bowl, add the cabbage, and toss well. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend and mellow.