Friday, July 21, 2006

Anna Neagle's Waldorf Salad



All good intentions of doing chores were swept away last night by the offer of a trip upstream to Richmond on S&N’s boat. It was a beautiful evening for a little chug past Eel Pie Island, multiple swans’ nests and riverside loafers. Still, I did manage to rustle up a Waldorf Salad when I got back which I ate on the roof. Alas, no time to attempt the home made mayonnaise that Anna recommends but Hellmann’s came to the rescue.

I can’t eat Waldorf Salad without thinking of Fawlty Towers. I’m sure there wasn’t any beetroot mentioned back then…

Monday, July 17, 2006

Psycho Salad

"You're beautiful. You're a beautiful kid!"

Rita Hayworth threw a "pot luck" party on Friday night for the writing circle. We all had to bring a little something to eat so I though it would be a chance for a Silver Screen Somethingoranother.

As I was out all day being filmed by those lovely people at the BBC, I needed something I could rustle up at Rita's. That gorgeous boy Anthony Perkins came up with the ideal dish. His Tuna Fish Salad (renamed by us as "Psycho Salad") fit the bill perfectly and we ate it ALL with tortilla chips. The evening was most entertaining and thought provoking. The outrageous Rita had me laughing like a drain but of course, now I cannot remember what it was that tickled us so. I blame the booze.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Jimmy Stewart's Chicken Breast Italiano

"Not all of us were working at the same time, but enough of us.
Hank Fonda knew how to cook rice.
We lived pretty much on a rice diet."


On Friday Rosalind came over to the tub bringing her lovely new beau Jimmy Stewart. I thought I should cook him something by his namesake but couldn't find anything amongst my heaving shelf of vintage cookbooks and 1940s film fan mags. I therefore resorted to the world wide interweb machine to source a recipe and stumbled upon Jimmy Stewart's Chicken Breast Italiano. This could of course be any chef by the name of Jimmy Stewart or indeed just someone's neighbour who is a dab hand in the kitchen, but I am sincerely hoping it is a personal recipe from the stove of "Zuzu's Petals" Jimmy.

I rustled it up despite only having UHT cream from Mr Riverside and we ate it on the roof. To my mind it was pretty curdled but luckily it was eaten by candlelight and my two guests returned clean plates with compliments (they can come again).

On Sunday Rosalind was on a cleaning jag and not only cleaned but also reorganised all my kitchen cupboards and fridge putting "like with like". Now of course I am engaged in a slapstick comedyesque opening and closing of a million cupboard doors in order to find what I am looking for but I DO love her for it.

The search begins for Henry Fonda's rice recipe. Rice, water and salt I guess but maybe he had some kind of Fonda family secret ingredient...

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Joan Bennett's Beetroot Salad


“I turned my hair dark and
have received much better parts ever since."

Omigoodness the day I had yesterday. I know just how Joan felt having to drag that dead body up the beach in "The Reckless Moment". I was completely shattered by a combination of tellings off, crying jags, getting lost in Isleworth and ear bashings about the property ladder. I could quite easily have got straight into bed to listen to the football on my transistor radio but instead decided to follow the original plan of rustling up a Silver Screen Supper for me, myself and I.

The resulting violet tinted salad was actually quite delicious. I had a few teaspoonfuls before laying my weary head on the polka dot pillow putting my thumb in my mouth and deciding that the world and his wife could just KMSWA.

Joan was of course Constance’s sister. Unfortunatly, don't think the Beetroot Salad and Spanish Chicken would go well together. Love this quote from Joan though.

“That beautiful sister of mine was an overwhelming and volatile mixture. One had the feeling that she'd been shot from a canon and showered her sparks over an incredulous world with no thought or care where they fell, a carbon copy of father.”

So not only did Constance trail her cometary glory all over Scotland she showered her sparks all over the world. What a gal!

Hunting down recipes from her father and the third of the acting sisters begins right now.