Roberta R. Deen

New Potato Salad Platter Salutes Spanish Explorers

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) According to culinary history, American potato salad most likely originated from German and other European immigrants’ recipes during the nineteenth century. We were so excited to try a Spanish version because as our staff writer, Roberta R. Deen pointed out, it was the Spaniards who took potatoes (and tomatoes) back to Spain, where people thought they were poisonous nightshades so only used them only as decoration!

Our deconstructed Melissa’s red, white and blue peewee potato salad

In addition, it follows up the LocalFoodeater.com post about the first documented Thanksgiving in America, a Spanish one, and to salute the explorers who inspired it. //localfoodeater.com/garcia-de-la-cruz-inspires-this-authentic-spanish-thanksgiving-in-america/

Melissa’s Red, White & Blue Potato Medley for Salads, Grilling

Recipe: Warm Potato Salad with Basil and White Wine

Note: Use waxy (rather than floury) potatoes for a salad for texture, and cook them in their skins for more flavor when they are cooked in their skins. I actually love baked potato skins much more than the potato inside. We kept the traditional salad accompaniment of hot garlic sausage in the form of Spanish ham and sausage (see below). Basil was substituted for the flat-leaf parsley or tarragon.

  1. 1 1/2 lb waxy potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
  2. 1/4 cup rose wine (or white)
  3. salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  4. basil, julienned fine
  5. 1/2 cup olive oil
  6. Place potatoes in a steamer pot over cold salted water, or in the pot to boil. Cover, bring water to a boil, and simmer until done, 15-20 minutes. Test for softness with a fork. Drain.
  7. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarter-potato chunks. Sprinkle with the wine. Season and gently stir to thoroughly season. Cool to room temperature.
The Melissa’s Red, White and Blue peewee potato salad

Although basil, or albahaca in Spanish, is very much associated with the Mediterranean, it isn’t a very popular herb in Spain. In fact, many standard cookbooks and gastronomic encyclopedias there don’t even list it.

Fresh basil, called albahaca in Spanish! We used the rest of the large bunch for pesto.

We chose complimentary ingredients to go with the salad that could make up an entire meal, or different individual meals.

Deconstructed Spanish Explorer Salad:

Melissa’s freehand Roasted Peppers; heirloom teardrop and roasted tomato; Catalonian dried sausage and ham; buffalo and Urgèlia Catalonian semi soft aromatic cheese; Carmona black and green Spanish olives. Alex introduced us to “Picos” Camperos, the very popular mini artisanal bread sticks from Andalusia. A crusty, rustic bread would also be fine.

We now have an entire meal with one deconstructed potato salad and wine! We bought our’s at La Espanola Meats with the help of partner Alex. He was able to guide us to the regional wine, cheese and sausage specialties. He remembers we favor Catalonia.

Alex at La Española Meats guided us to Spanish regional specialties to go with our deconstructed Melissa’s potato salad

We offered our roasted tomatoes, mayo and pesto, and Spanish olive oil for a salad addition. The recipes are on localfoodeater.com

Spanish potato salad platter options: roasted tomatoes, mayo, pesto (made with leftover basil), olive oil

Then, all there was left to do was set the table for six. And, for a fewer number eating, the leftovers are also varied.

Ready for our holiday Spanish-influenced Melissa’s red, white and blue potato salad

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at Home

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(Gerry Furth-Sides, Roberta R. Deen) St. Patrick’s Day everywhere is thought of as a joyous national celebration of all things Irish and green – and goes for food, drinks, and fashion to honor “the Emerald Isle.”  Corned beef and cabbage enjoy a special place on the table.  So does soda bread.  Both are proof that this holiday has come a long way from being a day of mourning for the patron saint of Erin into an Irish parade of rebellion against discrimination in American

corned beef

Our corned beef (flat cut for less fat!), cabbage, spring asparagus and baby carrots cooked in a Sitram pressure cooker at home

Or simply add a spread of avocado and a green salad to your poached eggs and greens

Irish Soda Bread can even be prepared with Gluten-Free Flour.  Here is Roberta Deen’s account from (//localfoodeater.com/easter-bread-chickpea-flour-cookbook/)

This soda bread  dough mixture blend using the chickpea flour and flax seed meal for a texture comes closer to corn bread than real soda bread but does include the classic buttermilk and baking soda for rising with the addition of eggs and a touch of honey for sweetness. It mixes up very quickly and easily into a soft and somewhat sticky dough. I recommend using a “granny fork” (a heavy duty, old-fashioned 4 tined mixing fork) to blend the dough efficiently. I used a 12-space regular-sized muffin tin and spray greased the cups.  The dough was easily portioned with a regular-sized ice-cream scoop filling the cups almost full (the dough rises but not dramatically so you fill the cups more than with cake or muffin mixtures). It took a bit longer in my oven to fully cook but I think that is due to the density and heaviness of the dough.  The topping can be a bit overwhelming if used with a heavy hand (mine – more is always better) but there are plenty of alternatives offered with the recipe.

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The flour (bread directions, photos courtesy of Roberta R. Deen)

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The  egg, honey, buttermilk flour blend whisked together(bread directions, photos courtesy of Roberta R. Deen)

IMG_1148The “everything” bagel topping (bread directions, photos courtesy of Roberta R. Deen)

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The resulting dough (bread directions, photos courtesy of Roberta R. Deen)

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The filled muffin tin (bread directions, photos courtesy of Roberta R. Deen)

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The finished soda bread on white Wedgwood (bread directions, photos courtesy of Roberta R. Deen)

We think any day is a good one to celebrate anything at The Raymond 1886.   Duplicate the  historic, cozy craftsman cottage in SouthPasadena to ring in the Irish holiday,  with a holiday cocktail from Head Barman Peter Lloyd-Jones. The Tipperary, that you can craft with Tyrconnell Irish whiskey, Green Chartreuse, and Carpano Antica.

Tipperary

The Tipperary, (Courtesy of The Raymond 1886)

Birds & Bees, Bar Manager Bethany Ham createdThe Irish Grasshopper ($8) cocktail for the holiday.  Ham’s take on the ubiquitous Irish Coffee by blending hot coffee with Jameson Black Barrel whiskey, sugar, Amaretto cream, and dark chocolate shavings to make the perfect cocktail.

Irish Grasshopper (Courtesy of Birds & Bees)

St. Patrick, born as Maewyn in Wales around 385 A.D., had a history of being kidnapped, enslaved and becoming a shepherd in Ireland before he was 20.  Through it all, he developed a strong faith in God.  After his escape and a long period of monastery study, he was ordained to the priesthood and returned to Ireland, where he was subsequently appointed as the second bishop.

St. Patrick not only converted thousands of Irish to Christianity, he founded hundreds of churches and known to have, “driven the snakes out of Ireland,” symbolizing the victory of the Christian faith over pagan rituals.  Why the three-leaf lucky shamrock?  Patrick explained the Holy Trinity doctrine to local tribesmen with it, the green color symbolizing renewal and the coming of spring after winter and the “pagan” darkness (much the same as the Christmas tree did at the winter solstice.

These days a tea at home is more in order. The here was prepared by Roberta R. Deen

The downtrodden Irish population of Boston marched in the first St. Patrick’s Day on March 18, 1737, to make a statement about social status and job discrimination against them.  Ireland’s very first Irish St. Patrick’s Day parade, in Dublin, took place in 1931.

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