Winter Salad Suggestions a Hundred Years Ago

Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce on plate A hundred years ago salad options during the winter months were more limited than they are today. Here is what it said in a 1925 cookbook:

Almost every variety of vegetables and fruits may be made into salads. Eggs are used also, as well as many kinds of fish and meat. Vegetable salads are the most common and should therefore receive first consideration.

Naturally, lettuce heads the list. It is more popular because we can get it when other vegetables are almost unobtainable. The round, close heads are more generally used than the long-leaf variety. Curly lettuce, while pretty, is tougher than either of the other two. Lettuce contains little nutriment, but is rich in mineral salts. . .

In winter, when fresh salad plants are hard to obtain, a tomato jelly or salad made from canned or fresh (cooked) string beans, or even from the remains of baked beans seasoned with parsley and onion juice, is economical and satisfying.

Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)

Old-Fashioned Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Sauce

Hot slaw with sour cream dressing

When browsing through a hundred-year-old magazine, I came across a recipe for Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Sauce, and decided to give it a try.

The Hot Slaw was mild, rich, and creamy. The recipe called for only 1 tablespoon of vinegar (and no sugar), so the flavors were much more nuanced than many modern slaws.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Dressing — Source: American Cookery (October, 1924)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Hot Slaw with Sour Cream Sauce

Servings: 5 - 7
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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1 head of cabbage (approximately 2 pounds; The cabbage should be firm and white.)

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon water

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar or apple cider vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar.)

Grate or finely shred the cabbage. Stir the salt into the cabbage. Let sit for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse. Press to squeeze out excess water.

In a skillet or large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the cabbage. (Do not add water.) Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Several times remove lid and stir to keep the cabbage from scorching, then replace lid. (The idea is to stir enough to prevent scorching, but to keep the steam in as much as possible as the cabbage cooks.) Cook for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, stir water into the flour to make a thick paste. Then stir in the sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the hot cabbage, and cook for 1-2 additional minutes while stirring. Stir in the vinegar and serve.

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Old-Fashioned Banana and Nut Salad

Banana and Nut Salad on plate

I was intrigued by a hundred-year-old recipe for Banana and Nut Salad, so decided to give it a try. This recipe was quick and easy to make. Just quarter a banana and roll in finely chopped nuts. The old recipe said to serve on a lettuce leaf and garnish with mayonnaise.

The Banana and Nut Salad was lovely, but I’d definitely skip the mayonnaise if I made this recipe again.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Banana and Nut Salad — Source: The New Butterick Cook Book

When I was cutting the bananas lengthwise, I accidently broke one of the banana halves into two – but I was pleasantly surprised how much better the presentation looked with the broken banana half, than with the whole half. So I adapted the recipe to indicate that the banana should be quartered.

I put mayonnaise on the Banana and Nut Salad. I didn’t try boiled dressing, and I didn’t try mixing whipped cream with mayonnaise. It seemed like mixing whipped cream and mayonnaise could potentially ruin some perfectly good whipped cream. However, just using whipped cream with no mayonnaise might be a nice addition.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Banana and Nut Salad

Servings: 6 (1/2 banana per serving)
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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3 bananas

1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans.)

lettuce, optional

1/2 cup mayonnaise, optional

Peel bananas and cut each into two lengthwise, then cut each piece again to quarter. Roll each piece in the finely chopped nuts. If desired, place on lettuce leaves and garnish with mayonnaise.

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Old-Fashioned Pear and Pecan Salad

Pear and Pecan Salad on plate

Most of the time when I make recipes for this blog, I select recipes that sound good to me. I don’t generally go for the ones that are very dated and seem strange – but occasionally I’ve intrigued enough by an old recipe that just doesn’t sound like I’d like it, to give it a try. Today is one of those days. I came across a recipe for Pear and Pecan Salad that called for putting chopped pecans on top of canned pear halves (good so far), but then the recipe called for topping it with mayonnaise –and it lost me. But . . . The recipe sounded very easy to make, and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen, so I decided to proceed.

The verdict: I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe. The sweetness of the pears, the crunchiness of the nuts, and the creaminess of the mayonnaise worked well together to create a nice taste sensation.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Pear and Pecan Salad — Source: The Calorie Cook Book by Mary Dickerson Donahey (1923)

When I made this recipe I went with the main topping alternative – mayonnaise, and did not try the other options. I also thought that 3 heaping teaspoons (a heaping tablespoon!) of mayonnaise on top of each pear half seemed like a lot, so I reduced the amount to 2 teaspoons per pear half.

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Pear and Pecan Salad

Servings: 2
Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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2 halves of canned pears

2 tablespoons pecans, finely chopped

4 teaspoons mayonnaise

lettuce

Arrange lettuce leaves on two salad plates. Place a pear half on top of the lettuce on each plate. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, then top each pear half with about 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise.

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Old-fashioned Shrimp Salad

Sometimes I’m surprised how long some foods have been around. I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Shrimp Salad that called for canned shrimp. I never would have guessed that canned shrimp was available in 1923.

In any case, I decided to try the recipe. The recipe called for the canned shrimp, celery, and mayonnaise – plus a few capers to garnish the salad. This tasty recipe was quick and easy to make, and in some ways seemed very modern.

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Shrimp Salad

Servings: 2
Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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1 can shrimp (either a 4-ounce or 6-ounce can will work in this recipe)

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon capers

lettuce leaves, optional

Drain and rinse the canned shrimp. Unless the shrimp are very small, cut into pieces. Put shrimp, celery, and mayonnaise in a bowl; mix until thoroughly combined. Arrange lettuce leaves on plate(s), and place mounds of the Shrimp Salad on the lettuce. If desired the lettuce can be skipped, and the Shrimp Salad can be put in a bowl to serve. Garnish with capers.

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Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce

Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce on plate

I recently came across a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce. It is a tasty Wedge Salad recipe with a mayonnaise dressing that contains chopped cucumber, onion, and green pepper.

Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce is an intriguing combination of new and old. Wedge Salad is currently a somewhat trendy way of serving lettuce (and I actually was surprised to see a Wedge Salad-type recipe in the old cookbook), while the mayonnaise with chopped vegetables dressing seemed old-fashioned.

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Lettuce with Cucumber Sauce

Servings: 6 servings
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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2 small heads iceberg lettuce or 1 large head iceberg lettuce

1 slice onion, finely chopped

1/2 large cucumber, peeled and then finely chopped

1/3 green pepper, finely chopped

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Cut lettuce into wedges. If the head is small cut into thirds; if large into sixths. Set aside.

In the meantime, put the onion, cucumber, pepper, and mayonnaise into a small bowl. Mix until the vegetables are evenly distributed in the mayonnaise.

To serve: Put each wedge on serving plate. Spoon 1/6th of the mayonnaise and vegetable sauce over each wedge.

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Old-fashioned Cherry Salad (Cherry Waldorf Salad)

Cherry Salad

Must a Waldorf Salad be made with apples? I’ve always thought it was an apple salad until I made a Cherry Salad recipe that I found in a hundred-year-old cookbook. The recipe called for cherries, walnuts, celery, and mayonnaise – and it sure seemed like a Waldorf Salad, but was made with cherries rather than apples. The Cherry Salad was delicious, and is perfect for a hot summer day.

The old recipe called for creating individual servings of the salad, which were put in “lettuce nests” on salad plates. I replicated the old recipe and made individual servings, but if I did it again, I would just put the entire salad in a bowl to serve.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cherry Salad — Source: Cookbook compiled by Bethany Shriner Patrol No. 1, Rochester, NY (1923)

This recipe calls for English walnuts. These are the type of walnuts that are typically sold in stores. They were called English walnuts to differentiate them from black walnuts.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cherry Salad (Cherry Waldorf Salad)

Servings: 3 - 5
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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2 cups cherries, pitted (If desired, keep several cherries whole and unpitted for garnishing.)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise (Use less if desired)

lettuce leaves (if desired)

If the cherries are large, halve or quarter them; if small they can be left whole. Mix together the cherries, walnuts, celery, and mayonnaise. If desired, for each serving, arrange on lettuce leaves and garnish with a whole cherry; or just put the salad in a dish to serve.

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