Spice of Life

Canned

1 cup Carrots, fresh, diced

64 ozs. Canned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice

1 cup Barley

1 heaping tbsp. Old Bay seasoning, or equivalent

1 tsp. Black pepper

½ tsp. Cayenne

2 tsp. Salt

2 dozen live crabs, cleaned, quartered and shell fat reserved

4 lbs. Crab claw meat

2 cans V-8 juice, 46 oz each

Procedure

Place first 5 items in stock or soup pot with one gallon of water, or more if needed to cover. Simmer over medium heat until ham hocks are thoroughly cooked, and rind is easily removed (approximately two hours). Let cool, and, when cool enough to handle, remove pork skin and all bones and fat which can be removed by hand.

While above operation is underway cabbage, celery, onions, potatoes and carrots can be cooked separately in water to cover, over medium heat, for thirty minutes.

Next, combine stock and cooked fresh vegetables with cooking water, and add all remaining ingredients except crabs, crab meat and fat. Add V-8 juice. Bring soup to boil, reduce heat to simmer, add crabs, crab fat and claw meat and simmer thirty minutes, until soup is hot. Serve and stand back.

Soup keeps well if refrigerated on rack or any object which permits air to circulate under soup pot bottom. Soup freezes well, for six months or more. An optional addition with the vegetables is okra, canned frozen or fresh, diced. Should soup be thicker than desired, dilute with V-8, tomato juice, beef bouillon, or a combination makes a great extender.

“If unsatisfactory, blame Peter J. Campbell A. B. Malloy”

You might note that Pete mentioned Old Bay but didn’t insist upon it. The gunning club also stocked J.O. #2, purchased by the pound for steaming from their preferred fishmonger.

Crab-feasters sometimes engage in ardent disputes over the relative merits of J. O. vs. Old Bay, but none are so ardent as to refuse crabs steamed with their second choice.

Forty-some years ago, A.M. Foley swapped the Washington, D.C. business scene for a writing life on Elliott Island, Maryland. Tidewater Times kindly publishes Foley’s musings on regional history and life in general. Published works are described at www.HollandIslandBook.com .

Main Dish Salads

A fresh approach to salads ~ one that places them front and center as the main course ~ can open up new, creative possibilities.

Foods can be combined to create salads with an interesting mix of flavors, colors and textures. Presentation is an important part of main-dish salads. Some, such as Spicy Ham Salad and Chicken

Grape Salad, lend themselves to being tossed, whereas Shrimp-Endive Salad is more suited to a composed arrangement. The idea is to play up the food combinations and present them in their most attractive form.

As you know, there are a variety of main-dish salads. I encourage you to experiment on your own.

For starters, don’t limit yourself to only one kind of salad green. Try combining leaf, Boston, iceberg or romaine, endive, watercress, radicchio, etc.

When choosing your ingredients, keep in mind the importance of color and texture. In ChickenGrape Salad, the purplish red color in the lettuce is repeated in the red grapes on top. The crunchiness of the celery and cashews also contrasts with the soft texture of the chicken and grapes.

Try these easy recipes for a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner. They are the perfect addition to any menu rotation!

Spicy Ham Salad

Serves 4–6

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup water

1/4–1/2 pound thinly sliced blackpeppered ham, cut into 1 x 3-inch strips

1/4–1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1 x 3-inch strips

3 stalks celery, diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces

1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips

Half of a medium onion, sliced into thin rings

1–2 hot cherry peppers, finely chopped

1 head Boston lettuce

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Combine vinegar, oil and water in a jar. Cover and shake vigorously. Set aside.

Combine black-peppered ham, prosciutto, celery, green pepper, onion and diced cherry peppers. Toss well. Tear lettuce into bitesize pieces and place on individual plates. Arrange ham mixture on lettuce. Shake dressing and pour over salad; sprinkle with oregano.

Chicken-Grape Salad

Serves 4

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon salt

Water

2/3 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Red leaf lettuce

1 cup seedless green grapes, cut in half

1 cup seedless red grapes, cut in half

1-1/2 cup diagonally sliced celery

Tidewater Kitchen

saucepan; add ¼ teaspoon salt and enough water to cover. Cook, covered, until done. Drain and cool; slice chicken into strips.

Combine wine and lemon juice and pour over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Drain, reserving marinade. Set chicken aside.

Strain marinade; set aside 1/3 cup. Combine reserved marinade, mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.

Line individual plates with lettuce. Arrange chicken, grapes, celery and cashews over lettuce. Serve with mayonnaise mixture. Serves 4.

Shrimp-Endive Salad

Serves 6

Be sure to have the Belgian endive make a striking appearance and use the sprouts as a flavorful accent.

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon salt

2 ½ pounds unpeeled fresh shrimp

½ head romaine

1 head curly endive

½ head Belgian endive

1 small can water chestnuts, drained

1 medium green pepper, cut into strips

6 radishes, thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

4 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts

¼ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Herb Mayonnaise Sauce

Bring salted water to a boil; add shrimp and cook for 3–5 minutes. Drain well; rinse with cold water. Chill. Peel and devein shrimp. Place romaine and curly endive on individual plates; arrange Belgian endive, shrimp and remaining ingredients except mayonnaise sauce on top. Serve with HerbMayonnaise Sauce.

Herb-Mayonnaise Sauce

Makes 1-1/2 cups

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon

2 hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt to taste