Sumi Salad with Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits Make for a Family Favorite Sunday Dinner
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Every Sunday evening for the past 15 to 20 years, family gathered at the home of the late Liz Smothers, owner of the Julian Pie Company, for dinner. At least 10 to 12 family members and friends would delight in the tradition, especially some of Liz’s favorite recipes made with so much love.
Tim Smothers recalls two of these recipes that were favorites—the Sumi Salad, accompanied by his mom’s version of Cheesy Biscuits slathered with raspberry jelly.
Tim recalls “Sunday was family day, when we all came together to dine on Mom’s great cooking, and share the week’s events with one another.”
“Those were such great memories” says Tim. “We’re going to miss those get-togethers, but in Mom’s memory, we’re going to start them up again.”
These recipes have been transcribed and adapted from Liz’s personal recipe notes here for you to enjoy with your loved ones.
Intro by Noreen Kompanik. Recipe images courtesy of the Smothers’ Family.
Ingredients
Serves 6
FOR THE SUMI SALAD
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 head Napa cabbage
- 1 head lettuce (can be iceberg, butter, romaine, etc)
- 1 bunch scallions
- 2 packages Oriental Top Ramen
- 1 10.5-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained (optional)
- 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained (optional)
- ½ cup slivered almonds (optional)
FOR THE SALAD DRESSING
- 2 packets Oriental seasoning (saved from Top Ramen)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
FOR THE BUTTERMILK CHEESY BISCUITS
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 ½ cups grated white cheddar cheese
- ¾ cups grated fontina cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Steam (boil) and shred four chicken breasts and set aside. (NOTE: Or put a whole chicken in the crockpot.)
- Chop the cabbage and lettuce into bite-sized pieces and thinly slice scallions. Crush the ramen noodles and save seasoning packets for the dressing. Toss chopped cabbage, lettuce, and ramen noodles with mandarin oranges, sliced water chestnuts, and slivered almonds.
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Add ⅓ of the dressing to the shredded chicken to serve separately. Toss the remaining dressing with the salad and noodle mixture just before serving.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a food processor with cold butter. Pulse for 1 to 2 minutes to mix together until butter is pea-sized. Dump mixture into a large bowl and toss with two shredded cheeses and chives. Make a hole (well) in the middle and dump the buttermilk in and toss with your hands until you can gather the dough into a ball. Turn the dough onto a floured cutting board and flatten the dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut with a sharp knife or biscuit cutter to the desired size and shape. Place biscuits on a baking sheet less than ½" apart. Brush tops with beaten egg and bake for 8 to 14 minutes until golden brown.
