salad days

Springtime Herb and Flower Salad (Scottish, Medieval)
Yield: 6 Servings

(British Measurements)
2 bn Watercress
1 pk Mustard greens & cress
2 oz Fresh parsley sprigs
1 Leek; finely sliced
6 Spring onions; chopped
1 oz Sorrel leaves; chopped
1 oz Dandelion leaves; chopped
1 Fennel bulb; sliced into matchsticks
1 oz Daisy leaves; chopped
Red sage leaves
Mint leaves
1 Fresh rosemary sprig; chopped
1 cl Garlic
1 tb Wine vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

6 tb Olive oil

Violets, primrose, daisies, blue
borage flowers, dandelions & alexander
buds to decorate

Wash and dry all the salad greens and prepare it.

Mix together in a large bowl, which has been rubbed
well with a garlic clove, reserving the flowers.

Place the wine vinegar, seasonings and olive oil
into a screw-topped jar and shake well to blend.

Pour over the salad just before serving and mix
again carefully.

Decorate with the flowers as you wish and serve
immediately.

Makes about 6 servings.

Historical note:
This is the earliest salad recipe in English.
Mixed herb and flower salads proved so popular
that they continued in fashion through to the
17th century. The salad would change according
to the season and what grew in each cook's herb
garden, so adapt and experiment with the basic
recipe as you wish, as long as the result is
colourful.

** A Book of Historical Recipes **
by Sara Paston-Williams
The National Trust of Scotland, 1995
ISBN = 0-7078-0240-7

ORIGINAL RECIPE:
Salat (dated from 1390 AD)

"Take persel (parsley), sawge, grene garlec,
chibolles (spring onions), oynouns, leek,
borage, myntes, porrettes (a type of leek),
fennel, and town cressis, rew, rosemaye,
purslayne; lave and wasche hem clene.

Pike hem.

Pluk hem small with thyme hande, and mingle
hem wel with rawe oile; lay on vynegar and
salt, and serve it forth."

The following recipe is from:
"Flowers in the Kitchen," by Susan Belsinger

Candied Flower Blossoms

Rinsed and dried flower blossoms, separated from the stem
1 extra-large egg white, at room temperature
Few drops of water
About 1 cup superfine sugar
A small paint brush
A baking rack covered with wax paper

In a small bowl, combine the egg white with water and beat lightly with a fork or small whisk until the white shows just a few bubbles. Place the sugar in a shallow dish. Holding a flower or petal in one hand, dip a paint brush into the egg white with the other and gently paint the flower. Cover the flower or petal completely but not excessively. Holding the flower over the sugar dish, gently sprinkle sugar evenly all over on both sides. Place the flower on the wax paper to dry. Continue with all the flowers. Let the flowers dry completely. They should be free of moisture. This could take 12to 36 hours, depending on the humidity. To hasten drying, you may place them in an oven with a pilot overnight, or in a 150-200 degree oven with the door ajar for a few hours. Store in airtight containers until ready to use. They will keep as long as a year.