Courtesy photo Harris' Pelham Inn bottles and sells its family recipe for salad dressing and meat seasoning.
MORE INFORMATION
Harris’ Pelham Inn is at 65 Ledge Road, Pelham. It can be reached at 898-7311 or www.harrispelhaminn.com.
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By ANNETTE GALLAGHER Correspondent
A storybook setting for a wedding or other important occasion, the century-old Harris’ Pelham Inn offers lovely views, delicious food and an interesting sideline: its own special recipe salad dressing and meat seasoning, both available for purchase.
Owner George Harris, the fourth generation to run the inn, said the salad dressing recipe was crafted by his mother, Annette Harris, and when people would ask for some, she would pour it into whatever container was handy. When Harris’ sons, who are now in their mid-40s, were middle-schoolers, the family decided to officially bottle and sell the sweet and sour dressing.
“My boys wanted a project to help at the inn, but the rule was that homework came first,” Harris said.
In the beginning, the dressing was sold discreetly, on a side table in the lobby of the inn. Over time, word spread, local markets started asking to sell it and production gradually increased from 6 quarts at a time to 16 gallons.
“We’re still not automated,” Harris said, and there are no plans for any other dressing recipes right now. “It’s going so well, we’re going to stay with what we’ve got.”
His mother’s original recipe – which Harris said contains sugar, oil, vinegar, paprika, garlic and other spices and seasonings – is impossible to duplicate.
“We had a gentleman from California who would come here and buy gallons of it to use in his own restaurant,” he said. “He swore to me that his chef would be able to duplicate it, but so far we’ve stumped him.”
Besides the dressing, the Harris family makes a dry meat seasoning, which they use along with the dressing to marinate meats of all kinds.
“The seasoning compliments the dressing,” Harris said. “A lot of people use them together, and we use them a lot here at the inn. Some of the local butcher shops use them for marinating, as well.”
Several area markets carry the Harris’ Pelham Inn salad dressing and meat seasoning; both products are also available for purchase at the inn.
Harris said a pint bottle of the dressing sells for $3.50 at the inn and the quart is $6.50; the meat seasoning is $4.50 for a 4-ounce bottle. Prices will vary at retail locations.
Area retailers selling their products include Gage Hill Farm, Hillside Country Store, R&B Superette and Ray’s State Line in Pelham; Prime Butcher in Windham; and Shaw Farm Dairy in Dracut, Mass.
Other locations are listed on the Web site, www.harrispelhaminn.com.
The recipes below are courtesy of the staff of Harris’ Pelham Inn:
HARRIS’ PELHAM INN GRILLED MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS
Serves 6-8.
6-8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon Harris’ Pelham Inn Meat Seasoning
2 cups Harris’ Pelham Inn Salad Dressing & Marinade
¼ cup minced onion
Sprinkle chicken lightly with Harris’ Pelham Inn Meat Seasoning. Tenderize chicken with a handheld needle tenderizer, or use a mallet tenderizer first, then score both sides with a sharp knife in a cross-hatch pattern about 1⁄8 inch deep.
Place chicken inside large zip-lock bags or covered plastic containers, and pour in Harris’ Pelham Inn Salad Dressing & Marinade and minced onion. (Harris has used different seasoning options: freshly smashed garlic, cilantro or thyme, or even just mixed honey and Harris’.) Mix well to coat. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is best), turning once.
Grill first on medium high to sear and seal in juices, then cook slowly on low heat, turning often, making sure not to overcook.
HARRIS’ PELHAM INN HOT MARINATED GREEN BEANS
Serves 4-6.
1 pound green beans
2 slices bacon (optional)
¼ cup Harris’ Pelham Inn Salad Dressing & Marinade
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Boil or steam the green beans until they are tender but still firm. Drain and set aside.
Fry the bacon crispy, drain on paper towels and crumble into small bits. Set aside.
Pour the Harris’ Pelham Inn Salad Dressing & Marinade over green beans, and simmer until beans are tender. Add the bacon while still hot.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.
Harris said that the salad dressing is great on salads as is, and also it makes for a flexible “base” for virtually any kind of creamy dressing.
Combine it with sour cream, ranch dressing, creamy Caeser dressing, etc., for a kicked-up creamy flavor. He usually combines ingredients in a ratio of about three parts salad dressing to one part creamy ingredient.
For thicker or thinner dressings, adjust as desired. It makes wonderful dips for raw veggies, or dressings on roasted veggies, too, he said.
Annette Gallagher can be reached at annettegallagher@gmail.com.
