A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
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What's Your Favorite Salad ?
We usually start our meals with a simple green salad. In the old-timey French tradition the salad was one of the last courses; after the roast but before the cheese. The French were all about digestion, which the salad was supposed to aid. I don't know how we in 'Murca got the order mixed up. Here's what Escoffier has to say:
Salads are of two kinds: simple or compound. Simple, or raw salads always accompany hot roasts; compound salads, which generally consist of cooked vegetables, accompany cold roasts.
I'm not talking about simple green salads. This diary is about
special salads, salads with names. The
Caesar Salad is really just a simple green salad with a special dressing. I want to talk about
Salat Olivier and
Salade Niçoise.
Salat Olivier is interesting to me for the history of it. Here's Anya Von Bremzen, from Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking:
Sine qua non of socialist celebrations, this salady Soviet icon actually has a fancy, bourgeois past. The name? Derived from one Lucien Olivier, a French chef who wowed 1860s Moscow with his swank L’Hermitage restaurant. The Gaul’s original creation, of course, had almost nothing in common with our Soviet classic. His was an extravagant still life of grouse, tongue, and crayfish tails encircling a mound of potatoes and cornichons, all doused with le chef’s secret Provençal sauce. To Olivier’s horror, Russian clients vulgarized his previous arrangement by mixing up all the ingredients on their plates. And so he retooled his dish as a salad. Then came 1917. L’Hermitage was shuttered, its recipes scorned. All Soviet children knew Mayakovsky’s jingle: “Eat your pineapples, gobble your grouse / Your last day is coming, you bourgeois louse!”
The salad gained a second life in the mid-1930s when Olivier’s old apprentice, a chef known as Comrade Ivanov, revived it at the Stalin-era Moskva Hotel. Revived it in Soviet form. Chicken replaced the class-enemy grouse, and potatoes and canned peas took center stage—the whole drenched in our own tangy, mass-produced Provansal mayo.
Meanwhile, variations of the salad traveled the world with White Russian émigrés. To this day, I’m amazed to encounter it under its generic name, “Russian salad,” at steakhouses in Buenos Aires, railway stations in Istanbul, or as part of Korean or Spanish or Iranian appetizer spreads. Amazed and just a little bit proud.
I made this one once, just because I'm into Russian history. I even chased down some Russian mayo which is made in Ukraine now. I didn't see the attraction, but I'm sure some restaurants are doing good Russian salads. Here's Escoffier:
2021—RUSSIAN SALAD
Take equal quantities of carrots, potatoes, string beans, peas, truffles, capers, gherkins, sliced and cooked mushrooms, lobster meat, and lean ham—all cut julienne-fashion, and add some anchovy fillets.
Mix the whole with mayonnaise sauce (126); put on a dish, and decorate with some of the ingredients of the salad, together with beets and caviar.
Salade Niçoise is a different matter. I often make this one and we eat it all by itself as dinner. Here's the classic, again from Escoffier:
2015—NICOISE SALAD
Take equal quantities of string beans, potato dice, and quartered tomatoes. Decorate with capers, small, pitted olives, and anchovy fillets.
Season with oil and vinegar.
Many chefs use tuna now, instead of the anchovies, and some use hard-cooked eggs. We had one recently at a frou-frou restaurant that had a little slab of seared tuna and cute little purple Peruvian potatoes. The one in
Larousse has lettuce, tomatoes, eggs, little onions, anchovies, bell pepper, celery, artichoke, tuna and back olives. Here's mine:
On a bed of lettuce I put a can of Italian tuna in olive oil, some cherry tomatoes, hard-cooked eggs, artichoke hearts and avocado slivers. No potatoes. I squeeze lemon juice on everything and add a dollop of mayo and some olives, here a few kalamatas and some big green ones stuffed with blue cheese. A few crackers and some white wine and we got ourselves a meal.
How 'bout you, got a favorite salad ? Let's talk salads, dressings or whatever else is on your mind this morning.
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
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Connecting Kansas:
Democrats Unite in Emporia
by tmservo433 ♥ for Kansas & Missouri Kossacks
So our latest hero, tmservo433 provides a great re-cap to the event we promoted here for him.
At the time Paul Davis spoke, I had an in room headcount of 166, which is a heck of a turnout. Sam Brownback couldn't bring in 200 in the Kansas City Metro when Rick Santorum came to town.
Kossacks showed up. Several Kossacks were in the hall, as well as individuals who noticed I still had on my Netroots gear, and were happy to come and tell us how they are working for change in our communities.
tmservo433 is doing great work seeking out Kossacks and moving his state's progressive agenda forward.
Please visit tmservo433's diary for more photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Kansas & Missouri Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to tmservo433.
Los Angeles Kossacks June 28th Meetup Report
by susans ♥ for Los Angeles Kossacks
The Los Angeles Kossacks ranks have increased by 40% in the last few months. New members attended the latest recreational field trip to see the retired space shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center in Exposition Park near downtown Los Angeles.
Back Row L-R: Vyan, Chiwere, susans, Otoelbc, mommyp00ka, Ducktape
Front Row L-R: Robin, 714day, Little Loner, Moody Loner, jakedog42 and grandaughter, SanFernandoValleyMom
Please visit susans's diary for details on the Space Shuttle. You can still REC it. You can join Los Angeles Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to susans.
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast the date of your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Monday, August 4th
Asheville Kossacks Connect for Lunch Before Moral Monday's Event with Reverend Barber!
Followed by a stroll through downtown to the Mountain Moral Monday event
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Rosetta's Kitchen
111 Broadway St • Asheville
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. DawnN
5. Lamont Cranston
6. Gordon20024
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Saturday, August 9th
Northern & Central Florida Kossacks Meet-up
with (D) DC Koller who is running for House Representative against Rich Nugent
TIME: 10:00 AM
LOCATION: Vetwife's Home
Kosmail Vetwife for address • Inverness
ORGANIZER: Send Vetwife a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Vetwife
2. Vet
3. Gordon20024
4. nancyjones
5.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Attention Florida Kossacks !!!
Saturday, August 9th
Kansas Missouri Kossacks Picnic - Local Candidate Speaks
Meet at the Hays city park to enjoy a free hamburger/hotdog/watermelon feed. Jim Sherow along with other local candidates will be speaking.
TIME: NOON
LOCATION: Municipal Park
1st and Main • Hays, Kansas
ORGANIZER: Send tmservo433 a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. tmservo433
2. Skohays
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Major Kansas Events: Your Chance to Change a State
Saturday, August 9th
LA Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Guild Restaurant
611 W. 7th St • Downtown Los Angeles
ORGANIZER: Send susans a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. susans
2. Shockwave
3. navajo
4. Meteor Blades
5. Knucklehead
6. SanFernandoValleyMom
7. Otoelbc
8. Chiwere
9. Vyan
10. 714day
11. Ducktape
12. Mugwump Blues
13. Just Saying
14. Just Saying's friend
15. Panorama City Chick
16. jakedog42
17. Santa Susanna Kid
18. La Gitane
19. Susan from 29
20. gmats
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Los Angeles Kossacks June 28th Meetup Report
Saturday, August 16th
DC Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: National Mall
at the Smithsonian Metro stop • Washington DC
ORGANIZER: Send NinthElegy a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. NinthElegy
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Sunday, August 24th
NYC Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington Street (Ludlow) • NYC
ORGANIZER: Send kathny a kosmail to RSVP
RSVPs:
1. kathny
2. belinda ridgewood
3. rubyr
4. joanbrooker
5. mconvente
6. ericlewis0
7. No Exit
8. sidnora
9. gchaucer2
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Maybees:
BaritoneWoman
jfdunphy
David Nir
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Latest diary: NYC Meetup Sunday August 24 at Spitzer's
Pikes Peak Region Kossacks
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Saturday, September 13th
Pikes Peak Region Kossacks Inaugural Meet-up!
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Panera Bread
7344 North Academy Boulevard (general address) or 7351 Atlas Walk Way (mall address) • Colorado Springs
ORGANIZER: Send thanatokephaloides a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. thanatokephaloides
2. tmservo433 (visiting from Kansas)
3.
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Latest diary: Our First Meeting: An Announcement
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.