Southern Style Potato Salad Recipe: Virginia Community Cookbook Edition

It's officially summer, which means cookouts, picnics, family reunions, outdoor grilling, and 4th of July festivities, and I can't think of a better addition to any table spread than a big bowl of Southern style potato salad. While everyone has their own unique take on this popular side dish often from recipes handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter, I just love noshing on the Southern classic version made with hot potatoes doused in a bit of vinegar (it gives them depth of flavor) that are mixed with mayo, onions, celery and a couple of spoonfuls of sweet pickle relish or homemade chow chow relish which is a little secret ingredient I like to add.

In the past, I've always made my mom's potato salad recipe, but this time I decided to crack open an old friend, my copy of Green Springs Country Cooking, a community cookbook published in 1975 by the Historic Green Springs society from Louisa County, Virginia. Historic Green Springs is a national landmark in the heart of Virginia's Piedmont that carries a fascinating history dating back to the pre-Civil War era with protected property spanning over 14,000 acres. Many family plantations and farms still stand in their original form here, allowing visitors a rare glimpse into the oldways of Virginia life during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The beauty of this cookbook, in addition to the fact that many of the recipes are heirloom ones generously shared by family and friends who have lived in this area for hundreds of years, is that each one has been painstakingly handwritten in the original author's best penmanship. Some even include campy sketches.

From Jell-O salads and sausage balls to how to properly soak and season a country ham, it's all in here. There are even recipes for making your own hard soap and some key advice on distilling your own moonshine. Just don't get caught with the latter.

There's nary a drippy close-up of some perfectly sauced meat or any expertly staged photos of chocolate cakes or parfaits in this cookbook since it doesn't boast a single photo. What you get instead are what these kinds of cookbooks are really about, collections of tried and true recipes generously shared by home cooks just like you and me. This is why I am constantly drawn to church and community cookbooks over the flashier contemporary ones. Perhaps it's the simplicity of being so proud of your special dish that you can't wait to share it with the rest of the world, and isn't that what cooking, cookbooks and recipes are really all about?

So, here's my share or should I say Mrs. Paul Farley's share from "Ben Lomond" in Gordonsville, Virginia. If you ever happen to see her, please tell her I said thanks for the great recipe.

Potato Salad
By Mrs. Paul Farley from "Green Springs Country Cooking" (1975)

2 1/2 cups diced cooked potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise

Sprinkle potatoes with vinegar. Add all other ingredients and toss lightly. Chill. Serve in lettuce lined bowl and garnish with parsley, sliced radishes, cucumbers and hard-boiled egg slices, if desired.

For a change of pace and extra crunch, add 1/4 cup sliced sweet pickles*.

*Kendra's note: Try adding chow chow relish instead. Adds an amazing sweet tang to the salad.

©2013 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Conch Salad Recipe

Even the queen of fatback needs to eat healthy every now and then, and I can think of no better recipe to satisfy a craving for a flavorful low-fat dish than conch salad.

I first tasted fresh conch (as in pulled straight from the waters in front of you while you stare in complete awe) when my husband and I eloped to the Turks and Caicos islands to get married on the beach at sunset with a couple of witnesses, a minister and a photographer. (I have never been a big wedding kinda gal.) At any rate, we spent one afternoon touring a small conch farm and finished up our day with a lunch of fried conch fritters, lime-enhanced conch salad, and a couple of Heineken's on the beach. It was one of the best meals I ever had, so when I had the opportunity to visit Pink Sands Resort on the small yet mighty Bahamian outcropping known as Harbour Island, Eleuthera, to take a cooking class with the resort's Executive Chef James Van Dyke, I was all over it.

First off, the beaches of Harbour Island are mind-blowingly gorgeous. The water right outside my cottage looked exactly like this. If I recall correctly, when I first stepped out onto this deck, I wept.

Now this is a room with a view.

While one could easily hole up at Pink Sands for at least a month life, any visitor to this friendly island would be remiss if she didn't take a lunchtime stroll to the other side of the island (it's only a half-mile wide) to sample some local street fare. One of my favorite stops along this route was a waterside shack simply known as Queen Conch.

No cars on Harbour Island, so I recommend brushing up on your golf cart driving skills.

Talk about devoting your cooking prowess to one item and making that one dish spectacular. This is what Queen Conch is all about-- conch salad, and doing it up right. Served paper and plastic spork-style at outside tables right along the Harbor, this is probably the best conch salad you'll ever eat.

Rustic, simple and utterly divine, this fresh-from-the-water delicacy made from chopped conch mixed with onions, peppers, lime juice and hot sauce is best washed down with a cold Kalik lager (a Bahamian tradition) which can be conveniently purchased across the street for one whole dollar. As you can see, this is some seriously good gastropod. If you're lucky, while you wait for your salad, you can step around back and witness Queen Conch owner Richard Percentie pull a conch from his underwater cage and literally knock the sweet, white meat (still moving) right out of the shell. Told you it was fresh.

If you want to learn how to make your own conch salad, I highly recommend taking one of Chef Van Dyke's cooking classes at Pink Sands which are offered al fresco overlooking that stunning beach.

Conch salad is super easy to make. The hardest part, at least for us Mid-Atlantic folk, is getting a hold of fresh conch. You can order it online, but alas, it ain't cheap and arrives frozen in large quantities (usually 5 pounds or more). If you plan ahead, you can place an order with your local fishmonger or even go in on a larger order with a couple of friends. However, your best bet is just to pony up the cash and visit the Bahamas firsthand or at least put it on your bucket list.

As you can see from Chef James' recipe below, conch salad is awfully similar to ceviche except instead of fish, scallops or shrimp, your working with tougher conch meat. With this in mind, a nice, flaky whitefish would work very nicely in this dish as would scungilli, whelks or calamari. Just make sure your fish is super fresh and marinate "cook" it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Fresh Briland Conch Salad with Sweet Pepper Confetti
Recipe courtesy Chef James Van Dyke of Pink Sands Resort, Harbour Island, Bahamas
Serves 4

For Salad:
Two freshly cleaned diced conch*, cut into small dice
¼ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
¼ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup red onion, diced
½ large tomato, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon Conchy Joes Bahamian Hot Sauce or other favorite hot sauce
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Pinch of salt and black pepper
4 fresh corn tortillas
Oil, for frying

For Confetti:
½ red bell pepper, seeded
½ green pepper, seeded
One cup ice
½ cup cold water
Pinch of salt

Method:

For the salad, add all the salad ingredients into a medium sized bowl through to the hot sauce and then toss to combine. Then, add the fresh lime juice, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cut the corn tortillas into triangles.  Gently fry tortillas in hot oil for about 60 seconds or until crispy. Drain and then lightly salt the chips.  Set aside.

For the confetti, cut the peppers into quarters and then lay skin side down on the cutting board. Gently press the peppers flat with the palm of your hand. With your knife held horizontally filet the bell pepper to ½ of its original thickness and discard top layer. Lay the pepper flat on the cutting board and slice paper thin along the grain of the peppers. Put peppers in a medium sized bowl and cover with ice and water. When time to serve, drain peppers and then cut them into a very fine dice.

To serve, place the conch salad into four small serving bowls, martini glasses or coconut shells and garnish with sweet pepper confetti and chips. 

©2012 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Marinated Bean Salad Stands Up to Summer's Heat

Kendra Bailey Morris

I suppose it's the searing temperatures that have left me with cold salads on the brain -- cider slaw, potato salad, pasta salad. Not only are these summery dishes easy to make, but they're just made to stand beside a platter of pulled pork barbecue or a freshly grilled burger. And, when it comes to hosting an afternoon picnic, cold salads are not only super-portable, but they get better with age, making them an ideal do-ahead food.

One of my all-time favorite cold salad dishes is bean salad. It's refreshingly piquant and healthy.

Whether you prefer your bean salad as a three-way or five-way, this is a side dish that not only keeps the whole gang happy, but has a lasting shelf life and gets better with time. From beachside barbecues to family reunions, a big bowl of marinated bean salad is built to satisfy and last.

The jury is still out on how many beans actually make for a classic bean salad. The Internet runs amok with three-bean salads using red pinto beans, yellow wax beans and green beans. Others prefer a four or five-bean salad with the addition of black beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas. Debates further continue between those who insist on using fresh green beans versus canned and drained. Toss in a difference of opinion when it comes to herbs and spices (dill versus basil versus cilantro) and you're faced with an overwhelming surplus of options.

Kendra Bailey Morris

I prefer to go classic with a mixture of green, wax and pinto beans. But the many other variations that make their way onto the dinner table shouldn't be discounted.

A Mexican bean salad is a great alternative to the traditional and makes an excellent accompaniment to grilled steak fajitas or fish tacos. Often including freshly shucked corn, black beans, minced cilantro and lime juice (instead of or in addition to vinegar), a Mexican bean salad is well worth the effort.

Black-eyed pea salads are another way to use those beans. This gem is made with onion, celery and bell peppers and gets plenty of spunk from the addition of cayenne pepper. All you need is a piece of freshly grilled catfish and some sweetened cornbread to complete this comforting meal.

And we can't leave off Italy. White bean salad is another favorite. Made from cannellini beans (a large white bean), red onion, red wine vinegar, fresh parsley and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil, this side can easily be turned into a full-fledged entrée. Just add a piece of grilled tuna or some canned white tuna packed in olive oil.

Because most bean salads are simple to make and tend to involve similar ingredients (beans, oil, vinegar and/or sugar) much of your success lies in the little things. Here are a few tips to make the most of your next bean salad.

If you decide to use fresh green or wax beans instead of canned, be sure to lightly blanch them in salted water for just a minute or two (once they hit the marinade, they will soften even more). Be sure to plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process.

When it comes to canned beans, instead of using the lid of the can to drain (which will smash them in no time), drain the beans in a colander, running them under water to remove as much of the bean "goo" as you can.

If you're watching your sugar and/or calories, simply use less sugar and oil and more fresh herbs, garlic or onions. Adding a couple tablespoons of honey instead of sugar is another way to add a touch of sweetness without the refined sugar factor.

Finally, this salad is meant to be marinated for a long time -- at least 24 hours -- so plan ahead. I make mine at least two days ahead since it will keep for up to a week and simply get better with time. Also, be sure to stir the bean mixture periodically (at least every several hours) so the marinade permeates as much of the salad ingredients as possible.

Kendra Bailey Morris

KB's Summertime Five-Bean Salad
Makes 8 to 10 servings.

One 15-ounce can cut green beans, drained
One 15-ounce can yellow wax beans, drained
One 15-ounce garbanzo beans, drained
One 15-ounce black beans, rinsed and drained
One 15-ounce kidney beans, rinsed and drained
One large green bell pepper, diced
One large onion, sliced thin
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup white wine vinegar (cider vinegar works well, too)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Freshly chopped dill, to taste

In a large bowl, mix beans, green pepper and onions. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic salt and black pepper until the sugar is dissolved. Pour dressing over beans and toss well. Cover and store in the fridge at least 24 hours. Stir bean mixture from time to time during this period to make sure the dressing evenly coats the salad. -- Kendra Bailey Morris

Note: This article originally appeared in The Richmond Times Dispatch  as part of Kendra's weekly food and cooking column The Accidental Chef. Kendra Bailey Morris is a Richmond-based food writer, culinary instructor and author of "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining" (Ten Speed Press). Send ideas, tips or culinary questions to info@theaccidentalchef.com or chime in on www.twitter.com/accidental_chef.

©2010 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission Pin It Now!