Category: Main Dishes

Esther’s Warmer Salat

When Jerri’s Mennonite ancestors came to the the United States, they brought with them recipes that reflect the history of their search for religious freedom as they moved from the coast of the North Sea to the steppes of Russia.  “Warmer Salat” most likely originated when the followers of Menno Simons were still living in Friesland, an ideal place for growing beautiful lettuce.

When Jerri was a little girl she thought that her mother was saying that the family would have “vatima salat” because W’s are pronounced as V’s and Esther rolled her R’s so decisively, but however you pronounce the words, Esther’s Warmer Salat is delicious.

Esther taught her how to make this version of “warm salad” which we both like a lot.  It makes a good lunch accompanied with bread and butter, or you can serve it with boiled potatoes as the main dish for dinner.  It is quick and easy to make.  The only downside of this recipe is that it has more calories and fat than plain lettuce.  On the upside, it tastes a lot better than plain lettuce.  If you always eat your lettuce without dressing, you might want to skip this recipe, but if you occasionally drizzle oil and vinegar over it, be sure to try it.

INGREDIENTS:

5 or 6 cups leaf lettuce (not iceberg lettuce)
3 or 4 strips bacon
3 or 4 T flour
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
2 T cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water

PROCEDURE:

Wash the lettuce, separate the leaves from the stem and tear large leaves in half.  Slice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and fry it until done but not crisp.  Drain the bacon fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the pan.  Add the flour and salt and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to make a roux.  Add the vinegar and 1 1/2 cups of water and cook until you have a thick gravy.  Add the lettuce and cook one or two minutes until the lettuce is warm and wilted.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve immediately accompanied by vinegar and salt, so guests can add more if they wish.

NOTES:  If you would like the correct pronunciation, it is “VARmuh zaLAHT.”  Julia Child has a recipe for braised lettuce, so it is not only the Mennonites who cook lettuce until it wilts.  This recipe is a lot simpler than Julia’s.

Easy Beef Pot Roast

When we were growing up, we had a beef pot roast at least once a week.  Mom’s beef pot roasts were simple affairs made with chuck roast, water, vegetables, a bay leaf and salt and pepper.  Simple though they were, they tasted wonderful, especially with fresh rolls and plenty of butter.

Later, when Bob and I shared an apartment at Madison, we experimented with different spices and cooking liquids.  I blush to admit it, but we liked pretty much every variation we tried.  Perhaps we were better cooks than we thought, though it might be more accurate to say that we were better eaters.  The recipe below is one that Jerri and I have used for many years, and it still tastes good to us and our guests.

If you have to do the dishes, you will appreciate a pot roast made on top of the stove.  The meat, potatoes and vegetables cook in one pan.  By varying your cooking liquid you can achieve the flavor you like best.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 to 3 lb. beef chuck roast
1/2 cup dry red wine such as a cabernet sauvignon or merlot
1/2 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 medium onion
4 to 5 carrots
3 to 4 potatoes
1 1/2 T cornstarch

PROCEDURE:

Trim excess fat from the meat.  Put the trimmings in a skillet with a tight-fitting lid and render the fat scraps until you have coated the bottom and sides of skillet with the rendered fat.  Discard the trimmings.  Turn the heat up and brown the roast in the hot pan on all sides.  Drain any excess fat after the meat is browned.

Turn down the heat, sprinkle the salt and grind the pepper over the meat.  Add 1/2 cup wine and 1/2 cup water along with the bay leaf, cloves and bouillon cube.  Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours.  Check once or twice to make certain that the liquid does not boil away.  Add a small amount of wine or water if necessary.

Peel and cut the onion into thick slices and place them on top of the meat.  Peel and quarter the potatoes and clean and cut the carrots into 2 inch pieces.  Place them around the meat in the skillet.  Shake a little salt on the vegetables.  Cook until the vegetables are done, about half an hour.  Remove the meat and vegetables and keep them warm.  To make the gravy add water or a combination of water and wine to make about 1 1/2 cups of liquid.  Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water, stir into the pan and cook until clear.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Slice the meat and pass it with the vegetables and gravy.  Serve with more of the wine used to cook the roast accompanied by a green salad and fresh bread.

VARIATIONS:  Use red port wine and about 1/4 tsp. basil instead of the burgundy and bay leaf.  Or substitute beer for the burgundy.  If you want a little more zip, add a couple of dashes of cayenne or hot sauce.