They may call them the “lazy days of summer” but no matter how lazy they are there are still people to feed and meals to prepare. Meals that wait in the refrigerator are to summer what meals that cook along slowly are to winter.
This Salade Nicoise is just such a meal. When the weatherman predicts a scorcher you can get all the work done for this recipe early in the day and it will be waiting and cool at lunch or suppertime.
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup salad oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Salad:
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and washed
1 medium red onion,
thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes,
cut in wedges
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives
1 can (2-ounces) anchovy fillets
2 cans (7-ounce size) solid-pack tuna, drained and
broken in chunks
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced
Directions: Make the dressing: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oils, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until the ingredients are well combined.
Cook the whole beans in a small amount of boiling, salted water, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are just tender. Drain well and then turn into a shallow dish. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing and toss the beans to coat well.
Refrigerate the beans, covered. Also refrigerate the dressing as well as all of the rest of the salad ingredients for at least 2 hours so that they will be well chilled.
When ready to serve, turns the beans into a salad bowl. Add all except a few of the onion slices, tomato wedges, olives and anchovy fillets. Toss gently and then add the tuna chunks and egg slices and toss again.
Garnish with the reserved onion, tomato, olives and anchovy. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over all. This will serve 6.
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped, peeled, tart apple
1 to 2 Tablespoons curry powder
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cans (10 and 3/4-ounce size) condensed chicken broth,
undiluted
1 and 1/2 cups water
4 egg yolks
2 cups light cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
****
1/2 cup flaked coconut or grated fresh coconut
Directions: In a large, heavy Dutch oven, heat the butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, apple and curry powder. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 20 to 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Do not allow the vegetables to brown. Stir in the flour and cook and stir for 3 minutes longer.
With a potato masher, mash the vegetables right in the Dutch oven. Gradually stir in the chicken broth and the water. Bring to a boil, stirring, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim the surface of the soup several times during this simmering with a metal spoon.
Strain this soup mixture through a sieve into a clean 4-quart saucepan. Press as much of the vegetable mixture through as you can.
In a bowl, with a rotary beater, beat the egg yolks slightly and then beat in the cream. Gradually stir this mixture into the soup mixture. Cook over medium-low heat just until the mixture thickens. Do not let it boil.
Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool and then refrigerate until well chilled, several hours or overnight. Serve the soup garnished with the coconut. This makes 8 cups or about 10 servings.
I was recently going through a very old recipe collection and must have found a dozen recipes for Coffee Jelly. It made me nostalgic as I ate a lot of it growing up. Here is a today’s recipe for Coffee Jelly.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3 cups hot strong coffee
1 and 1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
*****
Light cream, whipped cream or custard sauce
Directions: In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar and gelatin and mix well. Add the coffee and the water. Heat, stirring, until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour into a 4 and 1/2 cup mold. Refrigerate until firm enough to unmold, 6 hours or overnight. To unmold, run a small spatula around the edge of the mold, invert over the serving plate, shake gently to release. Serve with light cream, whipped cream or custard sauce. This will serve 6 to 8.
