LITMIR.BIZ

      Give ‘Em a Helluva Salad, Oscar

      Why certain foods hit the superlotto taste bud jackpot in some men and barely affect, if not deflect, others is a perpetually unfolding mystery. Tastes developed from what your momma made, what your childhood feel-good favorites were, and what you used to live on (like tuna fish salad-potato chip sandwiches) when you first left home.

      Did you grow up in a northern climate, southern atmosphere, or in another culture altogether, like New Orleans? What regional, ethnic, or local influences were sprinkled into your meals? One man may dream of hot hushpuppies and their toasty taste, while another gets wistful when he thinks of that apple pie his old girlfriend used to bake.

      An all-time favorite of President Harry Truman was Waldorf salad. The original Waldorf, a blend of apples, celery, and mayonnaise, was dreamed up in 1893 by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel's maître d'hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, a.k.a. Oscar of the Waldorf. As time passed, cooks “tainted” the original recipe with all sorts of improvisations—walnuts, raisins, pecans, and grapes. This is truly a salad worth tasting, but may Oscar forgive me.…I messed with it even more. What the hell, the buck stops here.

       If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

      —Harry Truman

       With-It Waldorf Salad

      A favorite of President Harry Truman

      2 teaspoons olive oil

      ½ pound cooked turkey, cubed

      ¾ teaspoon Madras curry powder

      3 large, crisp apples, cored and diced

      Juice from a wedge of lemon

      4 medium stalks celery, diced

      1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted

      ½ cup white raisins

      ¾ cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's™ or Best Foods™, the only kind)

      ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

      ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper

      Salt to taste

      1 small head Boston lettuce, washed and dried

      Fresh parsley sprigs

      Pecan halves, lightly toasted

      Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Sprinkle curry powder over the turkey and sear in the hot oil for a minute or two. Set aside. In the meanwhile, place all the pecans (separate the halves from the pieces) on a baking sheet and toast in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes, until golden.

      Place the apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold in celery, chopped pecans, and raisins. Spoon the mayonnaise over this mixture and sprinkle with nutmeg, pepper, and salt; fold in. Add the seared turkey pieces and toss lightly. Refrigerate the salad mixture for 1 hour.

      Arrange lettuce on salad plates and spoon the salad onto the lettuce. Garnish with parsley and pecans. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

      Hail to the Caesar

      Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed,

      That he is grown so great?—Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

      I know, I know. The first Caesar salad had nothing to do with the great Roman emperor (although I still like the idea of Cleopatra, queen-of-Egypt-and-goddess-by-proxy, conquering Caesar's heart and empire by simply purring, “If you give me your armies and their general, I'll make you a killer Caesar salad”).

      This hands-down all-time men's favorite superstar salad was tossed by a man—an Italian man, Caesar Cardini—for a man—his brother Alex, a visiting Italian Air Force veteran—in Tijuana, Mexico, at a Fourth of July party for a bunch of men way back when in 1924. This great Caesar quickly threw some in-house foodstuff together and presented it to the party as the Aviator Salad. Brother Alex called it “Caesar's.”

      Considering the quote, it probably wasn't meat at all that grew Caesar so great, but grilled portabello mushrooms, which pack a great protein punch. And remember, the secret to making a kick-ass Caesar is to always mix the dressing in the bowl.

       The Creator while forcing men to eat in order to live,tempts him to do so with appetite andthen rewards him with pleasure.

      —Brillat-Savarin

       Portabello Caesar Salad

      3 to 4 large portabello mushrooms, caps sliced into ¼-inch pieces, grilled

      4 to 6 anchovy fillets

      1 heaping tablespoon garlic (4 to 6 cloves), finely minced

      2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

      Juice from 1 lemon

      2 egg yolks

      ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil

      ½ teaspoon kosher salt

      ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper