gypsy

Reprinted from "The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook" by Mary Donovan, Amy Hatrak, Frances Mills and Elizabeth Shull

Use all lettuces, sorrel, salad burnet, tarragon, lovage, shallots, garlic, chives, chervil, watercress and parsley

"To make this condiment, your poet begs,
the powdered yellow of two hard-boiled eggs.
Two boiled potatoes passed through the kitchen sieve,
smoothness and softness to the salad give.
Let onion odours lurk within the bowl,
and half suspected animate the whole.

Of wondrous mustard add a single spoon.
Distrust the condiment that bites too soon.
But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault,
to add a double quantity of salt.
Fourtimes the spoon with oil of Lucca crown,
and twice the vinegar procured from town.
Lastly o'er the flowery compound, toss
a magic soupspoon of Anchovy sauce.

Oh green and glorious, oh herbacious treat.
T'would tempt the dying authority to eat.
Backward to earth, he'd turn his weary soul,
And plunge his fingers in the sallad bowl.
Serenely full, the epicure would say,
"Fate cannot harm me - I have dined today!"

-- Sidney Smith, 1780

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"Please, sir - may I have some more?"