Posted on 05/25/2017 3:33:48 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
While roaming on Youtube last week, I found a video from the Southern Foodways Alliance about ‘Sally Bell’s’, a little Richmond, Virginia bakery which is famous for it’s boxed lunches. This is a very interesting short video about a family business that has become beloved for its made-from-scratch-everyday menu:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVm0CaOxEQY
I searched to see if some of their recipes might be available, with no luck; but I did find a recipe for Cheese Wafers with Pecans, which looks similar to those that are always included in Sally Bell’s lunch boxes:
http://www.sweetpaulmag.com/food/my-happy-dish-cheese-wafers-with-pecans-1
Apparently the Chicken Salad is the favorite sandwich at Sally Bell’s; and since they aren’t giving their recipe away, I’ll share mine again. The lemon-basil butter is what really makes this, and for parties I do this on little flower-shaped tea breads made from a special mold. I believe I first found this recipe in the booklet that came with my ‘Pampered Chef’ molds:
Almond Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Lemon-Basil Butter
To make butter spread:
Combine ¾ Cup softened butter with 2 tsps. Lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and ½ cup fresh basil leaves finely chopped, or 2 T. dried basil.
To make filling:
Combine 1 C. finely chopped cooked chicken with ½ Cup mayonnaise, ½ cup slivered almonds, and salt and pepper to taste. (I shred the chicken in the food processor, to get a very smooth, consistent texture.)
To make sandwiches:
Carefully spread each slice of bread on one side with thin layer of butter spread. Then place filling on one bread slice, and top with second buttered slice.
If you take these to a party, they can be made the evening before, and stored in a container with a double layer of paper towels between each layer of sandwiches. The butter spread will help keep the bread from going soggy.
(If you DO want to make fancy bread: I usually use the Bridgford frozen bread dough, cutting dough in half and baking each half in a canapé bread mold sprayed with PAM. To slice the bread for sandwiches, it helps to partially freeze it. Slice thinly.)
Here’s a link to Sally Bell’s website, in case you make it to Richmond this summer:
http://www.sallybellskitchen.com
I know that some of our cooking thread members are familiar with ‘La Tienda’, the online purveyor of gourmet Spanish food items; but I didn’t realize that they have a retail store and a tapas bar at Williamsburg, VA:
https://www.tienda.com/aboutus/retailstore.html
La Tienda has lots of recipes on their website; I’ve never made Paella, and want to try theirs.
-JT
Coriander = Cilantro
A little something different I just saw:
Pink and Purple Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2 pounds baby purple, red, and Yukon gold potatoes (I get mine at Trader Joe’s)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, for the boiling water
1 cup pink and purple (Easter egg) radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced (red or other radishes may be substituted)
2/3 cup red onion, diced small (rinse in cold water to mellow the bite)
1/3 cup olive oil
heaping 1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced or pressed
1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup fresh parsley (regular or Italian flat-leaf), finely chopped
Directions:
To a large pot, add the potatoes, cover with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and allow potatoes to simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until done and fork-tender. Drain and rinse potatoes under cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside to cool. When they’re cool, halve, quarter, or chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces.
To a very large bowl, add the chopped potatoes, radishes, and red onion; set aside.
To a small bowl, add the olive oil, mustard, red wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, pepper, and whisk to combine.
Evenly drizzle the dressing over the potatoes in the large bowl, add the parsley, and stir to combine. Taste potato salad and make any necessary adjustments, i.e. more salt, pepper, sugar, dash of extra mustard, oil, vinegar, etc. Serve immediately if desired or cover and refrigerate until chilled. Potato salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
https://www.averiecooks.com/2017/05/pink-purple-potato-salad.html
“Yes, it sounds and looks so good. Numbs the mind how many great foods there are to make and eat. Yet, for one reason or another, I basically eat the same 3 or 4 things day after day. Mostly pasta and chicken.”
I have my favorites that I eat over and over, usually some sort of pasta. But I do experiment on my husband quite a bit.
But I was just discussing with a friend how when I have people over, I always cook the same things. I guess I have a comfort zone that I don’t want to go out of with guests. Plus, I need to come up with something that isn’t real Labor-intensive right before serving. I try to have everything ready so that when they show up I can socialize.
She said she does the same thing, she always cooks some sort of stew or roast beef or meatloaf. I had noticed she was doing that, but I wasn’t going to mention it :-)
What perfect timing JT! I was just mulling over having a group of ladies over for a lunch and movie or games sometime soon. I was trying to figure out what to serve – and the chicken salad will be perfect. Plus I have some basil plants indoors that are starting to look a little peaked. I’d like to just do away with them and wait for the ones in the garden to start growing. But I don’t want to waste the leaves that are left.
I’ll have to try that potato salad recipe, I love love love pickle juice!
Has anyone sipped on an ice cold glass of pickle juice while having a sharp cheddar cheese sandwich? Or Swiss or Gouda? It is heavenly. Conversely, you can put pickle chips on your sandwich. It is almost as good. Or doing both is even better :-)
I saw that article too. It’s despicable!
Can I ask a favor? Can you post that recipe from bon appétit. I try to go to the site on my phone, to get the recipe, but pop-ups keep interfering. I can’t copy more than a line at a time.
I hope you’re feeling better. Slipping in the shower can lead to a pretty hard fall.
That cake sounds yummy. Do the edges end up crispy like with a fritter? I’m looking for a very easy apple fritter-like recipe, hopefully something baked. This might be it :-)
Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant. I let a bunch of my cilantro plants go to seed last year, so I could plant more cilantro this year. I never ground up any of the seeds, but I suppose I could’ve!
Oh wait, I just read the recipe and it says leaves and roots? That makes no sense to me…
You just help to remind me what I can do with all my blue potatoes :-) I have one and a half rows of blue potatoes growing, and doing very well! Last year we had beetles, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for this year.
They sure will be pretty in a potato salad.
It always turns out well. I do the chicken in the food processor, so that it comes out very smooth and spreadable, almost like a paste when you add the mayo and other stuff.
I had read that in your write up, so I’m glad you addressed it again. I wanted to ask just how much you process it.
It looks finely shredded and ‘fluffy’ when done. But then take it out of the blender, and add the mayo, etc., by hand and fold the almonds in last.
I haven’t tried it yet. The sides do look crispy at the link. I can see trying this with all types of fruit if the first one turns out tasty.
Ohhhh, that’s right! I had forgotten it was cilantro! Thanks!! Yes, easy to grow, grows like a weed.
Yeah, I just saw that from Cotton Ball. I forgot!
Coriander leaves are cilantro leaves. The seeds are called coriander-go figure!
That reminds me of the following episode from the 1970s British sit-com Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese of Monty Python fame.
Fawlty Towers - Waldorf Salad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZAD1PrTQ6c
The funny bit about the Waldorf Salad begins about 15:30 into the video. The entire episode is about 42 min in length, given that the commercials have been removed.
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