Showing posts sorted by relevance for query coleslaw. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query coleslaw. Sort by date Show all posts
Perfection salad . . . my first memory of what I think is a most delicious salad comes from the early 1960's. My father and his friend Louis used to go hunting and fishing together.
On one particular foray my mother took the three of us and we spent the weekend with Louis's wife Irene, while the men were off doing man-things.
Irene had been one of my mother's friends since her early working days as a secretary and I believe they had roomed together in Truro, Nova Scotia. This whole weekend had almost a holiday feel to it . . . at least to me it did.
We did not often go anywhere as a family. Mom was not a fan of the Great-Outdoors, so in the summer we might spend one day at the beach. That was it.
Getting to stay for a few days at someone else's home was a really big deal.
I remember Irene and Louis had a huge vegetable garden and we were allowed to help them pick peas and beans and lettuces for supper on the first night.
There was also an element of danger involved as several bears had been seen in the area (which was quite remote) and so we were well aware of the need to keep a watchful eye out. On the first night I was sleeping in a small bedroom off to the side of the house.
There was a box of Muffets cereal on the dresser and I remember being awakened by noise and what I felt was a bear trying to get in the open window to get at the Muffets.
I screamed blue murder of course and refused to sleep there the remainder of our stay. My mother's bed was very crowded after that!
Another thing I remember, with much more clarity . . . is that Irene made Perfection Salad as a part of one of our meals, and it was delicious.
So much so that it has stayed in the annals of my favourite food memories ever since.
It isn't perfect . . . its a coleslaw of sorts and has a history that goes back to the beginnings of powdered gelatin way back when. The original recipe was devised by a woman named Mrs. John E Cooke of New Castle, Pennsylvania.
She entered her recipe in a contest sponsored by Charles Knox in 1905 (the major gelatin producer in the US at that time). Interestingly enough one of the judges was the Fanny Farmer of the Fanny Farmer Cooking School fame. (One of my all time favourite cookery books. I have worn out three copies in my lifetime.)
Mrs Cooke won third prize (a sewing machine) and people have been enjoying Perfection Salad ever since that time!
I have seen it created in many versions, most using boxed Jello (another American invention, fruity flavoured gelatin), normally lemon or lime, and they are good.
My favourite version however is this one. The made from scratch one, using all natural ingredients.
The gelatin mixture is fairly simple. Its just some powdered gelatin softened in cold water and then mixed together with a bit of boiling water, sugar, fresh lemon juice and vinegar, along with some seasoning.
That gets chilled in the refrigerator until it thickens somewhat, about the time it takes you to chop all the vegetables . . . .
I like to hand shred and chop my vegetables. Its not that hard and I actually find it quite relaxing standing at the counter with my knife cutting the cabbage into thin shreds.
I think if you were to grate it, it would be too fine and you want a bit of texture . . .
There are also celery and some red and green bell peppers. I also chop these by hand and they are actually chopped quite fine. Minced. Again, I fine this a very relaxing enterprise.
Once I have the vegetables all done the gelatin has usually thickened enough so that I know that when I stir them into it they will be evenly distributed and not end up floating on the top. I also add some coarse black pepper.
You can either put the mixture into a mold to chill for several hours or into a square cake dish/casserole to chill. Either way is very nice.
Perfection Salad
Yield: 6
A type of jellied coleslaw. Crisp cabbage, peppers and celery in a tangy from-scratch lemon jelly. Delicious served on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of good mayonnaise on the side.
ingredients:
- 2 TBS unflavoured powdered gelatin
- 120ml cold water (1/2 cup)
- 120ml boiling water (1/2 cup)
- 50g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 120ml white or cider vinegar (1/2 cup)
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1 cup finely shredded white cabbage
- 1 cup finely chopped or sliced celery
- 2 TBS finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 TBS finely chopped green bell pepper
instructions:
How to cook Perfection Salad
- Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften. Whisk in the boiling water to dissolve along with the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Stir until the gelatin and sugar have completely dissolved. Place in the refrigerator just until the mixture begins to thicken somewhat and becomes syrupy. (from 25 to 35 minutes.)
- When the mixture has become like a thick syrup, stir in all of the vegetables and the black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. You may or may not need more salt.
- Pour into a mold or a bowl. If the salad is to be served unmolded, rinse the mold first with cold water and put the mixture into the wet mold. A square baking dish can also be used and should also be rinsed and left wet. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours until set.
- Serve either from the bowl, or unmold by dipping the mold quickly into hot water, loosening it round the rim with a sharp knife, covering it with a serving dish and then quickly in one fast motion, reversing so that the serving dish is on the bottom and the mold on the top. Give it a firm shake and then remove the mold.
- If it doesn't unmold, either dip it again in hot water or wrap the mold for a minute in a dish towel that has been dipped in hot water an quickly wrung out and try again.
- To serve in cubes, dip the baking dish quickly into hot water. Cut the cubes with a sharp knife, run the knife around the sides to loosen and then remove the cubes with a flexible spatula.
I did some in a mold and some in a square dish. I have to say I prefer the look of the squares rather than the mold.
The mold had little raised bumps around the top and when I dipped the mold into hot water to unmold the salad they kind of melted so my presentation was not as perfect as I had expected. It still tasted delicious.
Tangy, with a touch of sweet and plenty of crunch. Perfect served with a dollop of mayonnaise. YUM!!! I love revisiting my happy food memories.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
We have been enjoying some gorgeous weather over here in the UK during the month of April. It would have been so lovely had my children been here like they should have been. We could have gone to lots of places with such lovely weather. Oh well! It is what it is!
Yesterday we had our first BBQ of the season. I found some lovely bone in meaty chops in the freezer and brined them all morning and then we cooked them on the BBQ. Oh my but they were so tender and delicious!
I kept things simple on the side. I made a bowl of coleslaw with some cabbage and carrots. I like to throw in some raisins sometimes. They give a nice flavour and a bit of colour to the slaw.
I also did this Tex Mex version of my Road Kill Potatoes. I love, Love, LOVE Road Kill Potatoes.
Don't let the name put you off. You boil potatoes in their skins and then smash them down with a potato masher on a baking sheet, brushing them with some oil and then baking them until they are golden brown with lots of crispy bits.
You can then top with cheese and all sorts for serving. Today I brushed them with Tex Mex flavours. It was relatively easy to do . . .
I just mixed some oil with some taco seasoning and brushed it over top. I make my own Taco seasoning and have included the recipe for that in my recipe notes.
Today I topped them with a mix of dyed and undyed strong cheddar. Someone had picked me up a bac of dyed cheddar. I normally don't use dyed cheddar. I basically only ever use white.
The cheddar over here in the UK is simply gorgeous, but then again, they did invent it.
When done these potatoes are golden brown and crispy with plenty of melted cheese on top. I serve them with a spicy yogurt drizzled over top and some chopped spring onions for the win!
Tex Mex Smashed Potatoes
Yield: 6
Nothing could be simpler.
Ingredients:
For the potatoes:
- 6 medium potatoes
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS taco seasoning
- 85g grated cheddar cheese (3/4 cup)
To serve:
- 125g thick plain yogurt (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBS taco seasoning
- finely chopped spring onions
Instructions:
How to cook Tex Mex Smashed Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some aluminium foil.
- Whisk together the yogurt and taco seasoning. Refrigerate until needed.
- Place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and boil for 20 to 25 minutes until fork tender. (A knife tip should insert into one easily.) Carefully drain and then place onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between.
- Using a flat potato masher or the bottom of a glass, gently smash each one down until slightly flattened.
- Whisk together the oil and remaining taco seasoning. Brush some of this on top of each potato. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown with crispy edges.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.
- Serve the potatoes hot with some of the spiced yogurt spooned over top and a sprinkle of spring onions.
Notes:
Make Your Own Taco Seasoning:
Mix together 1 TBS mild chili powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl. This is enough for one recipe of tacos. Add the seasoning and 120ml of water (1/2 cup) to one pound of ground meat that you have browned well. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Mix together 1 TBS mild chili powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl. This is enough for one recipe of tacos. Add the seasoning and 120ml of water (1/2 cup) to one pound of ground meat that you have browned well. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
This was the perfect meal! Our chops were so tender from the brining and the potatoes so delicious. The coleslaw was the perfect addition.
I had bought a set of sauces from The Sauce Shop a few months back, including Tomato Sauce (Ketchup), Brown Sauce (HP Sauce) and this South Carolina BBQ Sauce. We love all of these sauces and this was the perfect excuse to use this BBQ sauce. I had not used it before and I have fallen in love with it. No wonder it was a great taste winner in 2019! They have closed down for the time being with the virus and all. I sure hope that they open up again at the end of it all. I love LOVE their sauces! (And no, nobody paid me to say that. Simply calling it like it is!)
I was sent a really nice piece of kitchen kit a few months back from the people at Eddingtons.
The PL8 Gourmet Slicer. I've been really putting it through it's paces over the weeks and wanted to tell you all about it today. Since I've been using it for all sorts, I've kind of thrown together a meal for your viewing pleasure . . . some really delicious marinated lamb chops with a potato side dish, a deliciously fruity slaw and a tasty dessert, most of which (with the exception of the lamb) I have been able to use this handy piece of kitchen kit for! In other words . . . a really "Grate" meal, every pun intended!
There is no more comforting a supper on a cold winter's than a traditional cottage pie. I wanted to share this cottage pie recipe with you today that I have downsized from my original recipe for a simple cottage pie which serves 4-6 people. This version is half that size.
This English classic need not be reserved just for the large family. Why should the smaller family suffer for lack of numbers? I am here to say that you can eat just as well when you are only one or two as you can when you are more.
You can make it with either leftover roast beef, as I have here today, or fresh ground beef, which is also the custom in many homes. It is very similar to its close cousin, the Shepherd's Pie.
You may find yourself asking the question, what is the difference between a cottage pie and a shepherd's pie? Great question.
They are very similar casseroles, but in a cottage pie beef is traditionally used as the meat and in a shepherd's pie the meat is usually lamb. You can use either leftover meat from your Sunday roast or fresh meat, depending on what you have in your kitchen.
This is one of the things I like to make whenever I have leftover roast beef in my refrigerator. It makes a great change from making hash or a pot pie, which are my usual go-to's.
You don't even need to have leftover gravy to make it. I tell you how to make a delicious beef sauce without any gravy, By all means, however, do use gravy if you are lucky enough to have some!
Not only is it very easy to make, but it is also incredibly economical. Something we are all aware of these days.
We all want the food we eat to fit within our budgets. That is especially important when you are a smaller family.
You might think that it is much cheaper for two people to eat than it is for four. Simply not true. In fact in many cases it may even cost more, especially if you tend to buy smaller packages of things.
Typically smaller packages cost more than the larger sized versions of the same per ounce/gram. I am not sure why that is.
A good steward of the family budget needs to be able to make wise choices when it comes to the purchase of food. I have found that it is much more budget-savvy to buy the larger sizes, break them down and freeze the excess for a later date.
Being budget-savvy also means making the best use of what you have. Our fore-bearers knew exactly how to do that and dishes like Cottage Pie helped them to do just that.
As I said, you can use either cooked leftover roast in this or fresh hamburger. If you are using fresh minced beef you need to brown it. I find it is easiest to do this when you are sautéing the onions and other aromatics.
An aromatic is a vegetable used in cooking that develop deep and well rounded flavors to a dish when chopped or crushed and then heated and cooked. Aromatics most commonly used tend to be onions, carrots and celery.
Typically these are added at the beginning when you are cooking a dish. This helps them to add as much flavor and aroma as possible.
These are the things which bring others into the kitchen begging and answer to the question, "What's cooking?" These things typically set our tastebuds to tingling in overtime!
For this recipe I have minced leftover cooked roast beef and added it to onions, carrots, swede/rutabaga and celery. This is browned gently in butter, which adds much to the flavors.
Once browned a quantity of flour is added which will thicken the gravy. Make sure you cook it for a few minutes to cook out the flavor of the flour. This is a really important step to take as there is nothing worse than the flavor of raw flour in a sauce.
Once that is done a bit of beef stock is added along with some tomato paste, brown/HP sauce and herbs. You don't need to add the brown sauce, but I find it really adds a special something to the depth of flavor in this gravy.
You can add Worcestershire sauce in its place if that is all you have. It also works beautifully here.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish as well. Not a lot, only a dab. You want just the merest hint of it. Horseradish goes very well with beef.
Meat sauce made, it goes into the bottom of the dish and a layer of vegetables go on top. Typically I use frozen peas and I add them frozen, which not only helps to preserve the color of them somewhat, but also helps to keep them fresher tasting during the longer bake time.
You don't have to use peas. Some people use corn. Some people use both. Some people use a frozen mix of vegetables such as peas, corn, beans, etc. All work well.
The star of the show is the potato thatch which blankets the top of the dish. Creamy, fluffy and delicious, it seals in all the goodness of that rich and meaty base perfectly.
Our typical vision of the ideal English Cottage is one which is covered with a thatched roof of straw. That is why this covering of mashed potatoes is called the "thatch." I love the quaint reasoning behind these English recipes, along with their simplicity.
I like to score a pattern in the thatch which adds to the attractiveness I think. Its not really necessary. You can just pile it on and swirl it, or not. Just make sure it covers the filling all the way to the edges. Typically some of the juices will bubble up through anyways.
I cannot tell a lie, those rich corners where the juices of the gravy bubble through are my favorite bits. I love all of this comfort food casserole really. That rich and meaty filling, the crisp buttery potato thatch, those meaty juiced edges.
Its all pretty good if you ask me! Somehow, no matter what your day has handed you, even the worst day gets tangibly better when a Cottage Pie is on the menu! Today I served it with some coleslaw, but any salad will do, or even a simple slice of buttered brown bread. Enjoy!!
Cottage Pie for Two
Yield: 2
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 45 Mininactive time: 15 Mintotal time: 1 H & 15 M
Simple, delicious, and a family pleasing comfort food. Downsized for two people.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) leftover roast beef, roughly chopped, or browned ground beef
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and grated
- a 2-inch cube of swede (rutabaga) peeled and grated
- 1/2 TBS tomato paste ( tomato puree)
- 1/2 TBS plain flour
- 1 tsp brown sauce (HP sauce)
- 3/4 cup (200ml) well flavoured beef stock
- 1/4 tsp summer savoury
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (50g) frozen peas
For the potato thatch:
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- warm milk
- a knob of butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 TBS grated cheese (Parmesan or cheddar)
- melted butter to brush (optional
Instructions
- First make the potatoes for the thatch topping.
- Put the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water and
- bring to the boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Drain well
- and then return the potatoes to the pan. Shake the pan over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out a bit and then mash the potatoes well until smooth with some warm milk, and a knob of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Set aside and keep warm.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the
- onion, celery, carrot and sweet. Cook, stirring frequently over medium low heat until softened and the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour. Slowly stir in the beef stock and bring to the boil.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the tomato puree, brown sauce, and summer savoury. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and then stir in the chopped beef.
- Pour this mixture into the bottom of a buttered 1/2 litre (3 cup) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the frozen peas over top evenly.
- Spread the mashed potatoes on top tocover. Rough up the potato a bit with a fork. Brush with melted butter.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the casserole in the heated oven for 45 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes prior to serving. Serve hot with your favourite sides.
notes:
If you are using ground beef brown it in the skillet along with the onion, carrot, celery and swede. Proceed with the remaining recipe as directed.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish to either the topping or the filling depending on how I feel.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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