Jenny's Lebanese Fattoush... or Peasant Salad

 

This is one of Donna's favorites from the Magic Lamp Mediterranean Restaurant in OKC. Serve with warm Pita Bread.

 

Salad:
2 cups shredded lettuce (romaine and/or iceberg)
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, small dice
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley, leaves only, no stems
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, no stems
1/2 to 1 green pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon sumac

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper

In a small bowl mix all dressing ingredients well. Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 to 1 cup dressing. Serve immediately.

Jenny's Cheese Potatoes

 

2-3 large Potatoes, peeled, cut in cubes, boiled in salted water

2 Cups Cheese Sauce with chopped Onion

1 C Grated Cheddar Cheese

 

Make cheese sauce by taking 2 tbsp butter and melting it in the bottom of a heavy sauce pan. Add 2 tbsp all-purpose flour and stir, cooking a couple of minutes - add ½ C chopped onion and cook a few minutes longer - the mixture should be bubbling pretty good. Add 2 C milk, stirring constantly. Cook on medium heat until thickened. Add 1 C grated cheddar cheese and stir 'til melted. Remove from heat.

 

Arrange potatoes in baking dish and pour on cheese sauce. Top with additional grated cheese and bake at 400º 'til lightly brown and bubbly.

                                                                                                             

Jenny's Potato Salad

 

Mom used to make potato salad with potatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, Miracle Whip, celery seed and chopped up boiled eggs. I did, too, until one of those Xerox potluck luncheons showed me how wild - and wonderful - potato salad could be.

 

4-5 large potatoes - I use white, even though you're supposed to use red because they're firmer. If you don't like semi-mushy potato salad, use red. Peel, cut in cubes and boil 'til just fork tender in salted water.

 

1 medium yellow Onion, chopped

1 bunch Green Onions, chopped

1 bunch red Radishes, sliced

1 small can sliced Black Olives

½ C sliced green Salad Olives, with pimento

3 boiled Eggs - two roughly chopped, one reserved for slicing to garnish top

2 large Kosher Dill Pickles, chopped

2 stalks Celery, sliced

Mayonnaise (No Miracle Whip for me, thanks!)

Mustard

Celery Seed

Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Combine vegetables, mix. Add enough mayonnaise to get desired consistency - some like their potato salad 'loose', some like it dry. Add mustard to taste - again, some like it more tart, which means more mustard. Some don't like any mustard at all... though I don't think they're in *this* family.  Sprinkle in some salt  - be careful, the pickles and olives contain a lot of salt - and pepper and some celery seed. Add chopped egg and stir gently to keep from turning the egg to goop. Taste for seasoning. When you've got the salt and the mustard 'right', transfer to serving bowl and garnish top with sliced boiled egg - Mom used to cut the end off to make the center, then slice the remainder of the egg into sections - like an orange - and arrange them around the end of the egg with the yolk side up to make it look like a daisy. Pretty artistic stuff, considering Mable didn't do much in the way of garnishes.