MORSELS

Waterville fund-raiser pairs fine wine with art

2/17/2013

Fine wine and fine art.

Both are representatives of the pinnacle of human culture. Both are acquired tastes. Both can be range from slightly expensive to ridiculously expensive.

And both will be featured at the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 13th Annual World Wines & Waterville Area Fine Arts Auction.

On the evening of March 23 (from 6 p.m. until — and this is how the Cham of Com themselves put it — 11:55 p.m.), the event will feature wines from around the world, light hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and dinner, followed by live and silent auctions of artwork.

If your taste is different from everyone else who comes to these things, you can usually pick up an excellent deal on the art. And the purchases are at least partly tax deductible, because a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the local Alzheimer’s Association.

Live music will be played, to encourage dancing and a general feeling of fellowship and pleasant times. Although the wine stations situated around the premises are theoretically meant to have educational purposes, they may also inspire the same results.

Tickets are $50, and the deadline to purchase them is March 15, which is sooner than you think. And the deadline for corporate sponsorships is March 1, which is just next week.

The wine tasting and fine arts auction will be at the Valleywood Golf Club, 13501 Airport Hwy, in Swanton. For more information, call the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce at 419-878-5188.

Fish fry

Surely, this area is awash in Friday fish fries. Surely, on any given Friday, somewhere in the area a church is selling fried fish. Surely, that is so. Isn’t it?

For some reason, though, the only one we have heard of in awhile is the one at Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, 3754 Woodley Rd. Beginning Friday, and running the next three Fridays after that, until March 15, the church will serve up plenty of fried fish, along with fries, coleslaw, dessert, and coffee or tea.

No, it’s not the healthiest of meals. But it is traditional. And all proceeds go to the church’s School Building Fund.

The fish will be a-frying from 5-7 p.m. each Friday. The cost is $8 for adults, $5 for children under 12.

For more information, call 419-475-7054.

Tuna salad days

This column does not, as it happens, remember George’s City Club on Huron Street, downtown. And it therefore does not recall the tuna salad sandwich that was served there.

But Lydia Allen does. She remembers it fondly — so fondly, she is not ashamed to call it the best tuna salad sandwich ever made. The sandwich now particularly resonates with her because of the memories it brings with it. She often would get it for lunch with a close friend, who is now deceased.

Sometimes, she said, she would even take one of the sandwiches home for dinner.

And now, the purpose of this trip down the mayo-coated memory lane: Ms. Allen would love to have the recipe for the tuna salad, and so, undoubtedly, would any number of other fans. If you happen to know the real recipe, or have cobbled together a reasonably close facsimile, please send it to food@theblade.com or Food Section, The Blade, 541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660.

If we get the recipe, we will print it in this space.

Salad days

And speaking of recipes, we have a little space left this week, so we thought we would run this intriguing recipe for a salad that combines the creaminess of an avocado dressing with the crisp crunch of an apple, plus beets, walnuts, and kale. These days, kale is what all the cool kids eat. Seriously.

Creamy Avocado Kale Salad

1 ripe avocado

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup good olive oil

Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch kale

1 large apple, sweet and crisp

2-3 raw beets

½ cup walnuts

Remove seed from avocado and combine avocado, vinegar, mustard, and oil in a food processor. Pulse to combine, but do not whip. The dressing will be thick. Season with salt and pepper. Wash and remove stems from kale. Cut into strips and place in a salad bowl. Peel and slice beets, very thin. Core and cut apple into thin wedges, add to bowl. Quickly toast walnuts in a pan and add to top of salad. Toss with dressing and serve immediately. Note: This is not the type of dressing that will keep well in the fridge. Use it all right away.

Source: Loulies

Items for Morsels should be submitted up to two weeks before an event to food@theblade.com.