I have been watching my box set of Fawlty Towers DVDs and have found they are still amusing after more than 40 years.
When an American guest asks for a Waldorf salad and Basil Fawlty replies “I think we’re just out of waldorfs” – I thought – I have never actually had that – must look it up and make it!
Waldorf salad was created by Oscar Tschirky, a Swiss – American, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York in 1896.
The original was made with celery, apple and grapes – nuts were added a bit later.
Either use green skinned apples for an all green look or red skinned for a nice contrast.
Toasted walnuts are delicious – just take care and watch them so you do not burn them!
Ingredients
- 6 sticks of celery
- 2 eating apples – Braeburn are good
- 100g walnuts – toasted
- 100 – 150g seedless green grapes
- 2-3 tablespoons of full fat mayonnaise
- Juice of half a lemon
- *
- Crispy lettuce leaves to serve
Method
- Thinly slice the celery stalks
- Core the apples and chop into small pieces
- Chop the toasted walnuts into small pieces
- Cut the grapes into halves
- Mix the celery, apples, nuts and grapes together
- Mix the mayonnaise with the lemon juice
- Mix the dressing with the salad
- *
- Hand shred the lettuce leaves and put them in the at the bottom of a shallow bowl
- Heap the salad on top of the lettuce.
Serving Variation
For individual servings put one or two lettuce leaves per person in a small dish and spoon some salad in the middle.
