[Sca-cooks] OT, OOP--Happy Holiday!

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Friday, July 4, 2003, at 10:18  AM, Aurore wrote:

> Faux Watermelon (mod allergy to the melon family, so yes
> I can't enjoy watermelon today), and watermelon.  Tomorrow, Newcomers'
> potluck is Spanish Chicken-Rice Salad.

Okay, so this has been asked before, but just in case you missed it, 
how does one accomplish faux watermelon?

Also, can you describe the Spanish Chicken-Rice Salad? Is it a 
combination of elements of Spanish Rice/Rice Salad/Chicken Salad, or 
something else?

Your menu got me to thinking about the whole concept of the cold rice 
or pasta salad, and how, as far as I know, these are almost exclusively 
an American thing (Asian cold noodle dishes excepted). I kind of figure 
that macaroni salad with that white boiled dressing is probably a 
synthesis of PA Dutch and American South. Maryland, maybe? Rice Salad 
seems to be a Southern thing, presumably originally from the Carolinas 
(James Beard popularized it immensely; his family was from Georgia, I 
think, originally).

But I've never heard of any kind of rice salad, with or without 
chicken, being eaten in Spain. Which is not to say it wouldn't be good, 
only that I'm curious about its origins.

I made a matambre the other day (Argentine stuffed beef roll, this 
being the first thing that popped into my head the other day after 
discovering a flank steak in the freezer, that could be cooked in 
advance and eaten cold). Recipe: marinate steak with salt, pepper, and 
garlic for several hours before cooking, stuff with whatever you want, 
options including chorizo, ham or bacon, boiled eggs, onion, carrots, 
and/or bread chunks. I used roasted red peppers, boiled eggs, onion, 
carrot, and celery strips. Sew or tie up tightly in a roll, simmer for 
an hour or so, until tender, semi-cool in the liquid, chill under a 
weight (I put it in a loaf pan, covered with a broken piece of an old 
wooden cutting board, and put an assortment of heavy items on top. 
Serve cold in thin slices; I'll be making a green sauce later.

Adamantius