Tabor City Tribune

A toga'd citizen of early Rome tossed salt on some lettuce one day to make it more palatable, and the dish we now know as a salad (from the Latin "sal," for salt) came into being.

Salads were introduced into England by Catherine of Aragon, one of Henry VIII's queens and the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Catherine kept her hired chefs scurrying back to the continent for green vegetables until her English gardeners were able to produce the desired plants.

Little used in the United States until after World War I, salads are today a familiar and important item on all American menus. Modern salads are mouth-watering combinations of luscious fruits, tasty vegetables, succulent bits of meat or fish or cheese-attractively molded in gelatin or arranged on crisp greens.

When preparing a tossed green salad, rub a clove of garlic on the salad bowl, or over a crust of dried bread. This crust, called a "chapon," is tossed with the salad, but removed before serving.

For added tastiness, allow vegetables, fish, or meat to stand in a mixture of oil, salt, and vinegar (or lemon juice) for an hour or two before using in salad. This is called marinating, and the mixture is known as a marinade.

Much of the appetite appeal of a salad lies in the way it is arranged and served. Salads should have an "untouched appearance"--too much handling makes them look tired, overworked and unattractive. Have plates well chilled, and large enough to avoid crowding. Do not add dressing until just before serving. With a number of salads to fix, arrange one ingredient on all plates before adding the meat.

Use ingenuity in arranging salad ingredients. Place them in alternating rows or in contrasting circles. Make "cups" of cooked beets or ripe tomatoes. Tie asparagus with a ribbon of pimiento, or tuck green beans through an onion ring or a green pepper hoop. A dash of red in the form of tomato, radish, pimiento or paprika brings any salad to life. Crisp vegetables cut in thin slices or simple designs make meat, fish and aspic salads more inviting.

Cola Fruit Salad
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin
1/4 C. water
1 1/2 c. cola or ginger ale
2 tb. sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 c. mixed diced fruit (fresh, frozen or canned)

Mix together gelatin and sugar in sauce pan. Add water and lemon juice. Place over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat. Add cola.

Chill until mixture is the consistency of unbeaten eggs. Fold in mixed diced fruit. Turn into mold or individual molds. Chill until firm. Unmold on crisp greens. Garnish with salted nuts and serve with whipped cream dressing.

Here are some suggestions for salad garnishes which will add taste and appearance to your salads.

Parsley, carrots, sliced hard cooked eggs, celery curls and stalks, pimiento, green and red peppers, paprika, cottage, Parmesan and Bleu cheese, whipped cream, dried coconut, crisp bacon, olives green, black and stuffed, pickles, radishes and cucumbers, catsup, watercress and mint, lemon and orange rind and slices, onion rings, all kinds of berries and other raw sliced vegetables.