Ideas In Salads

Prepare celery stalks very carefully by removing the stringy fiber until entirely free from shreds. Chop quite fine, and to two cupfuls of celery add two cupfuls of chopped lettuce, the latter crisp and fresh as possible. Season with salt, pepper and thyme, vinegar, olive oil, bay leaf. If possible, add half a teaspoonful shoyu, or Japanese sauce, which greatly improves the flavor. Mix all thoroughly and then add crab, shrimp, sardine, spiced mackerel or halibut filling. Boiled halibut, chilled in salt water, makes a good combination with crab, and when broken into small portions and allowed to stand for an hour or so, in the same salt water with crab, can with difficulty be distinguished from the crab itself. For sardine, potato, and meat salads, a tablespoonful of onion juice is desirable.

Make mayonnaise dressing by using the yolks of three or four eggs, according to the quantity desired, and after beating add, drop by drop, pure olive oil, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Then a larger quantity of oil may be stirred in until the mixture becomes of proper consistency, about like heavy cream; do not season until thickened for fear of curdling. Salt very sparingly, and if desired sift in a little cayenne pepper, a few drops of lemon, two teaspoonfuls of spiced mustard vinegar from mustard pickles.

Chicken Salad

Cut cold roast or boiled chicken in small dice, add celery cut fine, season with salt and pepper. Mix with French dressing and put aside for an hour or more. Just before serving stir in some mayonnaise slightly thinned with lemon juice or French dressing, arrange on lettuce leaves and cover with thick mayonnaise.

Crab Salad

One pint of crab meat, two stalks of celery, cut fine; one hard-boiled egg, chopped fine, and one tomato cut into small pieces; season with salt, pepper and vinegar, mix in salad bowl, garnishing it with crisp leaves of lttuce; dress with mayonnaise dressing.

Lobster Salad

Cut the lobster into small squares and season with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, two of oil, one teaspoonful of salt and pepper and let it stand in a cool place for an hour. When ready to serve line the salad bowl with crisp lettuce leaves, and after mixing the lobster thoroughly with mayonnaise place it on the lettuce. Serve with toasted crackers and cheese.

Salmon Salad

Remove bones and skin from salmon. Drain off liquid. Mix with French dressing or thin mayonnaise; set away for awhile. Finish same as lobster salad. Other fish salads may be prepared in same manner.

Tomato Salad

Pare with sharp knife. Slice and lay in salad bowl. Make dressing in the following manner: Work up saltspoon of each of salt, pepper and mustard, two tablespoonfuls of salad oil, adding a few drops at a time, and, when thoroughly mixed, whip in with an egg, beaten, four tablespoonfuls vinegar; toss up with fork.

Cold Slaw

Chop or shred a small white cabbage. Prepare a dressing in the proportion of one tablespoonful of oil to four of vinegar, a teaspoonful mustard, salt and sugar, and pepper. Pour over the salad, adding, if you choose, three table-spoonfuls of minced celery; toss up well and put in a glass bowl.