Penni, I bought the organic catsup because the tomatoes are grown without pesticides, not because of the preservatives issue. Well, really I bought it because it was on sale, but still I think it is a good idea to avoid poisons wherever possible.
I think you have a bottle of inferior salsa in your possession!! I am surprised that a woman of such obvious taste and refinement would buy a meager store brand. Mine happens to be La Victoria salsa, made in southern California, which of course is a very salsa kind of culture. When I was a small child living there, we drank Mexican hot chocolate, went to Mexican plays, and had pinatas at birthday parties. Of course, my mother was very weird in an intellectual way, so I am not sure all the other children had such a wide variety of experiences.
I somehow totally forgot to carry on these traditions with my own child. I have gently informed her that her fifteenth birthday party WILL be a pinata party, since it seems like my last chance. I wonder how much it will cost to hire a mariachi band to serenade her out on our patio? What do you stuff a pinata with for teenagers? Oranges and hard candy probably isn't the solution. I somehow put it out of my mind that she is growing up fast, and now am running from behind to cram in all the wonderful stuff I planned for her childhood.
Well, anyway, the La Victoria salsa has no sweeteners at all, Penni. Besides that, the label says it is thick and chunky, a combination that in my mind is hard to beat! ;^)
Incidentally, your Fourth of July present to the thread, of those historic recipes, was very much appreciated. I am going to try the ginger salad dressing. I am sure that with all that peanut oil, it will be wonderful. The Japanese fried rice looked very good, too. As a small token of my appreciation, please accept this recipe in return. We don't normally eat meat, but the Fourth is really not a very vegetarian holiday, so I bought Polish sausage. Now we have tons of them left over. Coincidentally it was the weekend of my daughter's first cooking lesson, and I ran a search for Polish sausage recipes and found this one. It is really, really wonderful. Even Briana thought so, and cabbage is a stretch for most teenagers. It is really nice comfort food. We accessorized it with peas! The bright green contrasted with the long burn on her upper arm, since she backed right into a steaming pot. The last minute coordination, keeping everything warm and serving it, is really hard even for adults, so I am very proud of her.
KIELBASA WITH SMOTHERED CABBAGE AND MASHED
POTATOES
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 pound smoked kielbasa (Polish sausage), cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups chopped cabbage
1 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound yellow-fleshed or russet (baking) potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits
In a large heavy skillet heat the oil over moderate heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it
brown the kielbasa. Add the cabbage and the onion and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally,
until the cabbage is browned. Add 1 1/2 cups water and simmer the mixture, covered partially,
for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.
While the mixture is simmering, in a steamer set over boiling water steam the potatoes, peeled
and cut into 3/4-inch pieces, covered, for 12 minutes, or until they are very tender, transfer
them to a bowl, and mash them with a potato masher. Add the milk, scalded, 3 tablespoons hot
water, the butter, and salt and pepper to taste and stir the potato mixture until the butter is
melted. Serve the kielbasa mixture on the mashed potatoes.
Serves 2
Gourmet
September 1991
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