If there were ever a cookbook written specifically for me, it would be Cuisines of the Alps, written by Kay Shaw Nelson, published in 2005. As per the subtitle – Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. The foods from these regions make me happy.
From the book over: “Cuisines of the Alps will enhance your knowledge of the region’s cookery, bringing the snow-capped peaks, with their robust, homey dishes into your kitchen.”
Now I know there’s more than cheese in these beautiful Alpine regions, but when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it first. I mean, it’s a cheese salad!
Written by the author: “This is another excellent Swiss salad made with cheese.” Yes, please.
This recipe comes after the Swiss Apple-Cheese Salad recipe, which contains apples, Swiss cheese, celery, and walnuts. I’ll be making that next!
Cheese Salad
3/4 pound Swiss cheese, cut into 1/2” cubes
1/2 cup chopped scallions, with some tops
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
Lettuce leaves
Tomato slices, for garnish
Gherkin slices, for garnish
In a bowl combine the cheese and scallions.
In another small bowl, mix together the horseradish, vinegar, oil, mustard, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix the dressing with the cheese mixture.
Refrigerate the salad for two hours to blend the flavors.
To serve, place the salad on lettuce leaves and garnish with the tomato and gherkin slices.
This salad is spectacular. I thought the horseradish might be overpowering but it isn’t.
The one region many people are surprised about are part of the Alps called the Dolomites in Northeast Italy. Here are a few pre-digital photos from our time there.
