Every time I think I’ve seen the last of garlic salad, it raises its uniquely Wichita-flavored head.
During my tenure as the Wichita Eagle’s food editor (2000-2009), I received more requests for the garlic salad recipe from Doc’s Steakhouse on North Broadway than any other local dish.
But Doc’s closed for good more than a decade ago, and its heyday actually occurred back in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Garlic salad seemed more like a relic of the past than something people were interested in eating today.
Then early this year, I met Jed Portman. He’s a Kansas City-based food writer who’d become intrigued by garlic salad during visits here. In preparing an article about garlic salad for the Washington Post, Jed was coming to town and wanted to talk since I’d once described the stuff as Wichita’s signature dish.
I wasn’t sure any place except NuWay burger shops still served it. However, Jed had done some research and found it’s also available at Spear’s Restaurant & Pie Shop, B&C Barbeque, Leeker’s Family Foods in Park City and Haysville and the Oasis Lounge. We met at the Oasis, conveniently located around the corner from our office on West Street.
The Oasis garlic salad was fine — a typical green salad with a garlicky dressing — but nothing like the one or two experiences I remembered from Doc’s; that version was dense and so rich with mayonnaise that it was usually eaten as a dip, with crackers. And, oh yeah, it packed a potent dose of garlic powder. Jed and I had a great talk, then he set off to sample the city’s other garlic salads. I was impressed by his thoroughness and concerned about his fat gram intake over the next 24 hours.
About the same time as Jed’s visit, I happened to include garlic salad in a cooking class I was leading at Mark Arts called “Iconic Eats of Wichita.” I’d been given the recipe by Suzy Hill, daughter of Ken Hill, owner of a post-World War II supper club in north Wichita. Suzy believed it was the precursor of the one made famous by Doc’s. People in the class happily devoured it, but one participant, Peggy Foster, said she had a garlic salad recipe that was even better and that had been given to her older sister by an employee of Doc’s.
When Peggy emailed me the recipe, I was surprised to see that it was based on celery rather than lettuce or cabbage, as is typical. But having made it for dinner guests recently, I think it might be the best version I’ve tasted yet. The preparation was easy and the crunchy texture amazing. Only one person thought it was too garlicky. (But that’s the point!)
Jed’s article in the Washington Post appeared in May and I thought he got it just right. He concluded that garlic salad is worthy of national attention but doesn’t get it. He told me later that he hadn’t received much response to the article. Apparently, it’s just our thing. I won’t write it off again.
Ken’s Klub Garlic Salad
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1–2 teaspoons McCormick garlic salt
2 tablespoons tomato juice
1 head lettuce
1 cup grated carrot and radish
Garnish: sprig parsley, radish roses, paprika
Crackers (Club or Ritz are recommended)
Directions:
Mix mayonnaise, garlic salt and tomato juice. Refrigerate.
Remove outer leaves and core from head of lettuce (Outer leaves can be washed, drained and used to line salad plate or bowl). Chop remaining lettuce finely to fill 6 cups. Line a colander with paper towels, place lettuce in colander and top with more paper towels. Press down on lettuce to extract moisture.
Remove lettuce from colander and place in plastic bag lined with more paper towels. Refrigerate several hours. Grate carrot and radish and pat dry. Refrigerate.
Just before serving, toss chopped vegetables with dressing. Mound salad in bowl or plate and garnish with parsley, radish rose and paprika. Serve with crackers.
Washington Post Garlic Salad
Note: Jed Portman apparently developed this recipe from several versions of garlic salad he sampled in Wichita. I haven’t made it yet, but it appears to call for a little less mayonnaise than many recipes and healthy doses of garlic powder and garlic salt.
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ small head green cabbage (12 oz. total), finely chopped into confetti-like pieces (about 3 cups)
½ large head iceberg lettuce (12 oz. total), finely chopped into confetti-like pieces (about 3 cups)
2 stalks celery (3 ½ oz.), coarsely grated
1 medium carrot (2 oz.), scrubbed and coarsely grated
Crackers, such as Club crackers, for serving
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, garlic power and garlic salt until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Transfer cabbage, lettuce, celery and carrot to a large bowl and thoroughly blot with towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Toss to combine, then add chilled garlic mayonnaise and gently stir until greens are evenly coated.
Transfer salad to an airtight container, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Before serving, stir to redistribute the dressing. Serve in a large bowl with crackers for scooping. Source: Reprinted from The Washington Post
Crunchy Celery Garlic Salad
Note: I thought chopping the celery in a blender with a little water sounded messy, but it actually worked well. Peg Foster, who provided the recipe, said this step can also be done in a food processor or chopper.
4 stalks celery, including tops, roughly chopped
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
About 1/3 cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Ritz or Club crackers, for serving
Directions:
Place celery in a blender with about ¼ cup of water. Grind it finely. Drain in a colander, then wrap celery in paper towels or a tea towel and squeeze to remove remaining water. Combine celery with remaining ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Source: Adapted from a recipe provided by Peg Foster.
