Jell-O Salads...

Nothing says home for the holidays to a Southerner like congealed salad. I know most folks refer to them as gelatin or Jell-O salads, but we Southerners like to be different.

The possibilities of a congealed salad are endless, much to the delight of most devotees. My grandmother, who lived the majority of her life in Charlotte, NC, considered congealed salads to be the ultimate treat. Back in her early days of motherhood & the Depression, it was a treat which could only be enjoyed in the winter due to them having only an icebox and not a refrigerator.

My grandmother says that in the winter time she had an old wash tub she kept on the back porch of her house. She’d let it fill up with water and as soon as it got cold enough to freeze, off she’d go to mix up a congealed salad in her kitchen and then set it out on top of that ice to set up in time for dinner.

Much like my grandmother, I’ve never met a congealed salad that I didn’t like. On my recent Christmas visit home, my mother made this salad with one of my most favorite things in the entire universe: Diet Dr Pepper!



Diet Dr Pepper Congealed Salad

Ingredients:
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
½ cup water
2 packages (3 ounces each) cherry gelatin
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
¾ cup Diet Dr Pepper*

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring pineapple juice and water to a boil. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Slowly stir in Diet Dr Pepper, Cherry pie filling and pineapple. Pour into mold or serving bowl. Refrigerate until firm. Serve cold.

* You may substitute carbonated beverage of your choice. My Southern upbringing just won’t let me call it a “soda” and y’all may not know what I mean when I say “coke”...

Serves 8

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George’s notes:

• Jello salad or congealed salad is the common name for salad made with flavored gelatin, fruit and sometimes grated carrots or, more rarely, other vegetables. Other ingredients may include cottage cheese, cream cheese, marshmallows or nuts.
• The name comes from the brand name Jell-O, a common gelatin product. Jell-O salads are a common feature of U.S. communal meals such as potlucks, most probably because they are inexpensive and easy to prepare.
• In Utah, where Jell-O is the official state snack; during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the souvenir pins included one depicting green Jell-O.

Cobb Salad

One of my favorite salads is the classic Cobb Salad; invented by restaurant manager, Bob Cobb, who in 1926 at The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, found a way to use up leftovers. Cobb went to the refrigerator and found an avocado, which he chopped with lettuce, celery, tomatoes, and strips of bacon. Later he embellished it with breast of chicken, chives, a hard-boiled egg, watercress, and a wedge of Roquefort cheese for dressing, and the salad was on its way to earning an international reputation. Chefs around the world have been putting their twist on this classic salad ever since.

Here is my basic recipe for a Cobb Salad that is easy and it can be a nutritious high protein lunch on these early fall days.


Eating Well Cobb Salad

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 cups mixed salad greens
½ pound sliced cooked chicken breast (1 large breast half) (see Tip)
2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped (see Tip)
2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 avocado, diced
½ cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Whisk vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl to combine. Whisk in oil until combined. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat.

Divide salad greens among 4 plates. Arrange equal portions of chicken, egg, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and blue cheese (if using) on top of the lettuce. Put some dressing a small ramekin and serve on the side of your salad.

Makes 4 servings


A few of my cooking tips –

To poach chicken breast:
Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan and add lightly salted water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes.

To hard-boil eggs:
Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out hot water and run a constant stream of cold water over the eggs until completely cooled