Green Goddess Dressing

WHAT? Retro ranch. Unlike some other famous foodstuffs named for actors (Shirley Temple), singers (Peach Melba), and dancers (Pavlova), Green Goddess Dressing is actually named for a play, The Green Goddess, written by Scottish playwright William Archer in 1920. The play—about a plane crash in India, whose English passengers are taken hostage by a group of Rukhians who believe in the “Green Goddess”—was the toast of the 1920-21 Broadway season, and it was subsequently made into a silent movie in 1923 and a talkie in 1930. Actor George Arliss portrayed the Rajah in all of the productions (he was nominated for an Oscar in 1930). While touring with the play in San Francisco, Arliss took up residence at The Palace Hotel, where the chef created the dressing—a combination of anchovies, mayonnaise, vinegar, green onion, garlic, parsley, tarragon, and chives—in honor of Arliss’s performance.

WHEN? August 6, Claude Chassagne, Chubo


Huckleberries

WHAT? Berry trails. Perhaps more associated with Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn than with fine cuisine, huckleberries grow most widely in the West, and along Midwestern rivers, like the Mississippi, on which Huck spent so many days lazing. Huckleberries come in many shades, including pink, white, blue-black, and purple, with the blue-black variety being the firmest and most widely available in the marketplace. James Beard was a fan, writing in American Cookery that they were “wonderful to the taste.” Unlike their close relatives, blueberries and cranberries, which have a multitude of soft, little seeds in their center, each huckleberry contains ten hard, small seeds, and their flavor is more tart. Huckleberries are not cultivated; their growing season is typically from June through August. According to Beard, they “make good pies and cakes and other typically American delights.”

WHEN? August 31, Jon Bonnell, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine


Romesco Sauce [roh-MEHS-koh]

WHAT? Catalan hodgepodge. This classic sauce is a specialty of the Tarragona province in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain. About the only ingredient chefs can agree on is the special red pepper that gives the sauce its name. Some contend the formula should be nothing more than a simple mixture of olive oil, red pepper, and bread, while others liven it up with flavorful ingredients, such as garlic, wine, chili powder, paprika, almonds or hazelnuts, and vinegar to the blend. Regardless of the recipe, the final product is usually a smooth paste, typically served with grilled poultry or fish. Each spring, there is a competition among fishermen in the Serrallo district of the province to produce the best Romesco. Before thousands of spectators, the Romesco-masters—who only pass their secret recipes on to their sons—set to work with their mortars and pestles to compete for the championship title.

WHEN? August 16, Rafael Nazario, Hnoi Latthitham, and Ignacio Uribe Moreno, Daiquiri Dick’s