Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Postings Wednesday and weekends


Where Do Recipes Come From...

No, no, this won't be that kind of a posting, but rather a look at recipes do get around!

Several years ago my friend Paula shared a recipe for broccoli salad, a tasty dish filled with chopped raw broccoli, onions, bacon, raisins, and sunflower seeds all in a mayo-vinegar dressing. This is a recipe I've served often since, a dish that has never failed to get rave reviews, a recipe much requested. Now Paula had gotten the recipe from another friend of hers, and I thought that person had "invented" it. Hmmmm....

Reading last Sunday's paper, I happened on an article about the chef to the first President Bush, and how/what this chef cooks for the former first family. The article made mention of Mr. Bush's well-known aversion to broccoli and Mrs. Bush's subtle attempt to slip it onto his plate via... you guessed it... a broccoli salad, one which certainly sounded about like the above. Hmmmmm

Have you ever had this happen? A recipe often comes to you handwritten, maybe on an old 3x5" card. You've never seen anything quite like it, and it's really good. Months later, you A) see it in a magazine; B.) find it featured on a tv cooking show; C.) discover it in an old cookbook; or most interesting of all, D.) get a copy in the mail from a good friend half a county away who just "knows you'd like this."

There's a website where you can keep track of the circulation of a dollar bill... wouldn't it be fun to see how a recipe makes the rounds! Of course considering today's recipes, concoctions that combine unlikely ingredients in truly unusual ways, I think it's the old standbys that are most like to be passed on.

Let me give you that recipe for broccoli salad, in case you missed it. I've included some of the modifications I make, and I do hope you'll experiment with some of the ingredients. This is NOT just a summer salad, but a great addition to the winter table too.

Broccoli Salad

Dressing - Mix and let set at least two hours

1 c mayo (I use 1/2 to 2/3 c)
1/2 c sugar (I use 1/4 c)
2 TBSP vinegar (try different kinds)
1 medium onion, chopped (try vidalia, red, etc.)

Add dressing to the following, tossing well to moisten all ingredients

2 large heads raw broccoli, chopped (great way to use stalks that you might otherwise discard)
1 c sunflower seeds
12 pieces bacon, fried crisp, well-drained, and crumbled

Now as a vegetarian, I really don't want the meat, so I mix everything except the bacon, then add that to 3/4 of the salad, using a few fake bacon pieces for the rest if I want that smoky flavor. Delicious, nutritious, and pretty inexpensive!

Mary