Salmagundi

Ingredients

• anchovies
• white meat of chicken, without skin
• hard boiled eggs
• parsley
• lean ham, scraped
• inner stalks of celery
• capers
• butter
• egg

Method

Salmagundi is a composed salad built on contrast — colour, texture, and flavour held in distinct rings rather than tossed together. This arrangement depends on the serving vessel: invert a bowl on the plate to create a dome, then layer minced components around it in concentric circles. The dome itself becomes structural; the bowl's curved surface prevents collapse and holds each ingredient in place without dressing.

Begin with the anchovy base. Remove the spine and bones entirely — they'll fragment and scatter — then mince finely to create an even ring around the bowl's lowest point. Work upward in sequence: minced white chicken meat (skin and fat removed; they turn grey under refrigeration), hard-boiled egg whites chopped fine, the yolks sieved separately to avoid yellow dust, a thick ring of chopped parsley for both colour and slight bitterness, then scraped ham (scraping breaks down the stringiness and creates a paste-like consistency that holds its shape). Inner celery stalks, minced, follow next — they're tender and less fibrous than outer stalks, which would splinter and muddy your rings. The outermost circle, just before the plate's rim, belongs to capers: leave them whole for punctuation, not minced.

This isn't a casual pile. Each ring should be distinct enough to identify without blurring into its neighbour. Crowding them causes the colours to run when the plate sits at room temperature — work quickly but deliberately.

Top the dome with a small pyramid of cold butter, worked until it's just pliable. It acts as both garnish and a fat-based knife-skills test: shape it cleanly, and it communicates control.

Make a separate egg emulsion — whisk one egg with salt, mustard, and a splash of vinegar until it thickens slightly, then whisk in oil dropwise until you reach salad-dressing consistency. This cold-preparation sauce does the work of dressing without destabilising your rings. Serve it in a small glass alongside the salmagundi. Diners apply it themselves, mixing or using it as a dip. This restraint is the dish's purpose: the Salmagundi itself is architecture and colour; the dressing is optional emphasis, not the main event.