The Obama Campaign Family Cookbook
SALADS
Table of Contents
GRANDMA JACKSON’S CUCUMBER SALAD
Submitted by Joanna D from North Carolina, and her mom, Loretta, from California
I have no ratios for this. It has never been written down. My Grandma Jackson, born Theresa T. from Marseilles, Illinois made it. She died when I was 12. My mom, Loretta made it. She has lung & breast cancer along with emphysema (don't smoke). Now I make it. Similar to Barack’s parents, my Dad is from Jamaica and met my mom (a young white girl) while in Chicago for school in 1965. No one but my Grandma showed up to the wedding. I miss her so much. When I think of my Grandma I can see this little old Italian lady sitting at the kitchen table dunking toast in her coffee on winter mornings with Cream of Wheat or I see her standing at the counter making cucumber salad.
My mom loves Barack. She was for Barack before she could even pronounce his name. My hope is that he is in the White House before she passes. I was talking to my mom the other night. She is on oxygen and can't get around well. She lives in California and I live in North Carolina. She said, “I sure wish you were here then you could make me some cucumber salad.”
I hope you all love it as much as I do.
1 cucumber (I prefer the English ones) pared, seeded, and sliced
1 small vine ripened tomato chopped
1/4 sliced red onion
1 clove of garlic minced
Lightly toss together
(salt to taste and let sit for 15 or 20 minutes in the fridge)
In a mortar & pestle (if you are frou frou like me) grind pepper/dried herbs (parsley,oregano,thyme)/more salt to taste/garlic powder.
Dressing:
Apple cider vinegar & vegetable or canola oil. I usually like 1 to 1 ratio, but use whatever ratio you like to equal 1/4 cup to half a cup of fluid.
Mix spice blend, oil and vinegar then pour over cucumbers stir and chill.
I have no ratios for this. It has never been written down.
Yields about four servings.
SHIRLEY'S FAMOUS POTATO SALAD
Submitted by Phaedre C and Shirley P from Social Circle, Georgia
Peel and quarter 4 potatoes. Boil in salted water
Finely chop 1/2 cup each celery (including leaves) and yellow onion. Reserve.
Boil 4 eggs over medium heat. When water boils, lower to simmer and coveralmost completely for 20 minutes. Crack and cool in cold water.
When potatoes are soft, drain and shake pot over heat until potatoesget crumbly.
Pour potatoes into a bowl and let sit until not steamy, just warm.
Put about 4 tbs mayonnaise, 3 or 4 tsp sweet relish, 2 pinches sugarand salt and pepper into another bowl and mix well.
Put onion/celery mix on top of potatoes when warm, mix together with mayo mixture. Chop 3 of the eggs and add to potatoes Toss lightly. Slice last egg and place on top. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate 5 hours or overnight. Serves 4 as a side dish. Enjoy!
FRESH IDEA SPINACH, TUNA AND BLUEBERRY SALAD
Submitted by Jean B from Hays, Kansas
No story...just healthy low carb eating. Barack might like this. [Very high in antioxidants]
2 cans of tuna
2 C fresh spinach or romaine, torn in bite size bits
2 T. chopped pecans
1/2 C. fresh blueberries
1/4 C. chopped celery
2-3 T. mayonnaise
Toss all lightly; garnish if desired with slices or quarters of hard cooked egg.
LAYERED SALAD
Submitted by Michele B from Huntington Beach, California
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 c. diced celery
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
10 oz. frozen peas, thawed
1 diced green pepper
1 med. onion, diced
8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (or 1 jar Bacon Bits)
Layer in 9”x13” pan.
Mix together:
2 tbsp. sugar and 2 c. mayonnaise
Dab mayonnaise mixture on top of salad mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
WATERMELON SALAD
Submitted by Nathan K from Missoula, Montana
Here is my recipe, it is simple and delicious for summer.
1 half watermelon diced into 1x1 chunks
6 ounces of feta cheese crumbled
4 ounces of Real Lime Juice
Mix all together right before you want to eat because if you let it sit out it gets really soggy.
GRANDMA SPARBY'S FRUIT SALAD, SAND CREEK, WISCONSIN
Submitted by Sue J from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
1 - small package Cook 'n Serve vanilla pudding
1 - 16 oz. can chunk pineapple, with juice reserved
1 - 15 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
2 - oranges, apples and bananas
Grapes, cherries, berries of your choice
Fresh grated coconut, if desired
Prepare the pudding according to package directions, substituting 1-2/3 c. pineapple
juice for the milk.
Add pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges and other fresh fruit cut into bite-sized
chunks.
Chill
Just before serving, add the sliced banana.
If desired, garnish with fresh, grated coconut.
I AM NOT AN ELITIST ARUGULA SALAD
Submitted by Cuzzinpookie from San Francisco, California
I am a caterer in San Francisco. This is one of our most requested salads, and one of
my favorites.
Dressing:
1 Shallot, minced
2 Tbs. Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
juice of one lemon
1/4 C. Olive oil
Place shallot in small bowl with vinegar and half of the lemon juice. Allow to soften
for 20 minutes. Whisk in mustard and olive oil until emulsified. Refrigerate.
Salad:
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1 firm but ripe pear
4 oz. Gorgonzola or bleu cheese, crumbled
5 oz. bag baby arugula
Lightly toast walnuts in 350 F. oven for 12-15 minutes, until fragrant. Coarsely chop.
Peel, core, and thinly slice pear, toss with remaining lemon juice
Place arugula in salad bowl, add walnuts, cheese, and pear.
Sprinkle kosher salt and grind fresh pepper over salad.
Re-whisk dressing; pour over salad, and toss.
Serves 4-6
ALIANTHA
Submitted by Chrystal H from Oak Cliff, Texas
This is a recipe for something that I am not even sure how to describe. Let's go with fruit dish. I have to say I got the inspiration from a descriptive passage in Lord Foul's Bane by S. R. Donaldson. Set in an alternate universe, the novel described a fruit with this taste combination, and I thought I'd see......For whatever reason, it tastes divine. I call it Aliantha, in honor of the description in the novel. No one I have given it to has ever had or heard of anything like it.
Dice fresh, ripe, firm peaches (you can substitute mangoes)
Add lime juice (do not substitute lemon juice) and stir it all around to be sure it is everywhere.
Sprinkle liberally with salt.
Ratio is roughly 1 tablespoon of lime juice per peach and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but
you can experiment.
For whatever reason, it tastes divine. I call it aliantha, in honor of the description in the novel. No one I have given it to has ever had or heard of anything like it. As you can tell, I am not a cook. But try this and let me know! I hope this has a place in your collection!
The only other things I can think of that are truly original are:
My little sister and I used to make Doritos sandwiches on white bread when we were very little. We called them hot chip sandwiches, and we were not on drugs!
(Chrystal’s other great recipes are in other chapters in our cookbook)
GRANDMA MILBAUER'S GERMAN POTATO SALAD
Submitted by Marilee B and Mary C from Tolland, Connecticut
As a young child in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, some of my earliest memories are of bratwurst and German potato salad - the ultimate comfort food! In my opinion the best brats are from Schwai's in West Bend, WI. This recipe was my grandmother's and goes well with any bratwurst. In the old days this was made with the bacon drippings - now most of the bacon fat is replaced with olive or canola oil.
3 lbs. of Salad or Red Potatoes
5 slices of bacon
1 medium onion
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Water as needed
Salt and Pepper to taste
Hard boiled egg and fresh parsley for garnish
Boil potatoes with the jackets on until fork tender. Let cool until they can be handled.
Peel while still warm.
Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and crumble into small pieces.
Drain bacon grease from pan. (Leave about 1 Tbs. of bacon fat for better flavor)
Fry onion in the olive or canola oil until translucent and remove from pan.
Heat oil and add 1/4 cup flour to make a roux or paste.
Add the sugar and cider vinegar and stir until smooth over very low heat.
Allow mixture to thicken.
Add 1/2 to 1/3 cup of water and stir until blended.
Add the bacon and onion back into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour over potatoes and mix.
Garnish with fresh parsley and/or hard boiled egg slices.
Serve warm or chilled. It is better the second day!
Serves 6-8
WINTER SOLSTICE SALAD
Submitted by Dale (Man-in-the-Kitchen) from Lewiston, Idaho
This is an original recipe - one inspired by love. It's simple and easy to make, yet colorful and a spontaneous blend of flavors. I made it for the first time on the 21st of December last year, so I call it the Winter Solstice Salad. I include a recipe for the vinaigrette I served with it. Hope you like it.
- 2 leaves of Butter lettuce
- 2-3 leaves of radicchio
- 1 very thin slice of purple or red onion
- 9 small, thin slices of mango
- 2 thin slices of orange (peel on)
- 1 mushroom - 4 slices taken from center
- 3 asparagus spears - steamed for 1 minute then plunged in cold water and chilled
- 3 large basil leaves
- A crumbling of feta cheese
- A sprinkling of orange zest
Vinaigrette for Salad:
- 1 clove of garlic - crushed and minced
- 2 anchovy fillets - finely minced
- Juice squeezed from 1/2 lime
- 1-2 teaspoons of finely grated Romano cheese
- coarse ground pepper - to taste
- 4 tablespoons of virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
- A pinch of sugar
To Make Salad:
On a decorative plate, place two butter lettuce leaves - overlapping, but opposite each other so to form a circle shape on the plate. Place 2-3 red radicchio leaves in the same manner in the center of the butter lettuce circle. In your own intuitive, artistic style, add to the plate a paper-thin slice of purple (or red) onion, several slices of mango, two thin slices of orange (peel on), one large mushroom (thinly sliced), three asparagus spears (steamed one minute then plunged in cold water and chilled), three large, fresh basil leaves, a crumbling of feta cheese (not too much), and a sprinkling of orange zest on top.
Serve with a drizzling of white, balsamic vinaigrette and an artisan, multi-grain baguette. There are a variety of ways to make a vinaigrette, and I seem to make a different one each time, depending on my mood. But, a basic one includes: garlic, lime juice, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, coarse ground pepper, a pinch of sugar, and can include finely chopped anchovy fillets (two small ones for saltiness) and grated Romano cheese.
RHUBARB SALAD
Submitted by Nonny from Wolsey, South Dakota
8 Cups Rhubarb
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1-6 oz. strawberry gelatin
1 1/2 Cups cold water
2 Unpeeled diced apples
Dash salt
2 Diced bananas
1 Cup chopped nuts
Cook rhubarb with a very small amount of water until softened. Add sugar and salt.
Dissolve gelatin in hot sauce. Add the 1 1/2 cups cold water.
Cool slightly and add rest of ingredients. Makes 2 quarts.
PANZANELLA (Tuscan Bread Salad)
Submitted by Jill H from Missoula, Montana
This is a recipe I used to make for gatherings with friends during amazing Missoula summer afternoons; after lazy day trips down the river, insane Ultimate Croquet games, and for day long garden parties where (as is customary in Missoula) the music was just as profound and constant as the conversation. Oh, the memories.........
ENJOY!
Vegan/Vegetarian
Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (roughly juice of 1 large lemon)
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed and minced or ground (with mortar & pestle)
9 cups day-old country bread, torn into large pieces
2 pounds ripe grape tomatoes (quartered) or roma tomatoes (largely diced)
1/2 cup finely sliced red onions
2 medium cucumbers, halved lengthwise, large dice
1 cup basil leaves, torn into large pieces
OPTIONAL: 1 cup of kalamata olives, pitted and sliced or crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine half of the Lemon juice, the EVOO, lemon zest and garlic with all of the bread, and set aside to marinate for about 10 minutes.
2. After marinating, add all other ingredients to bread; mix together by hand until well incorporated. Season mixture with salt and a large amount of freshly ground black pepper. Let salad stand for 15 minutes, serve at room temperature.
3. MANGIA!
NOTE: DOUBLE THE RECIPE......it gets better the longer the flavors are allowed to infuse.
Avocado & Melon Salad with Strawberry Dressing
Submitted by Helen in Australia Unusual but scrumptious. 2 Pints strawberries - or 1 large tray 1 & 1/2 cups sour cream 1/4 teaspoon each salt & grated lemon peel 2 Avocados sliced or balled 6 cups mixed melon balls (watermelon, rock melon, honeydew, cantaloupe - or just rock melon) 16 ounces (450 grams) creamed cottage cheese 1 head Iceberg Lettuce Mint for garnish Slice half the Strawberries, blend in Kitchen Whizz with sour cream, salt & lemon peel until smooth- chill until required. Arrange avocado, melon balls, cottage cheese & remaining strawberries on a lettuce lined platter. Just before serving drizzle the dressing over and garnish with mint. Beware, this makes a large bowl of salad!