When Paul Bonarrigo’s grandfather came to America from Sicily, he brought his recipe for a salad that became famous as a wedding proposal salad. Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, owners of Messina Hof Winery, show restaurant journalist and radio talk show host Cleverley Stone, how to prepare the secret recipe for the Proposal Salad.

For more information about food, wine and dining in Houston, listen to Cleverley’s radio show on Saturdays at 12 p.m. on KIKK CNN-650 AM. (By the way, she gives out free restaurant gift certificates on every radio show!) Cleverley’s radio show will be live on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Flavors Festival, Discovery Green, from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m.

The Proposal Salad
Source: Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, owners of Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas

Story Behind Salad
When Paul’s grandfather came to America from Sicily, he brought his recipe for a salad that became famous as a wedding proposal salad.
In 1860 in Messina, Sicily, a small village on the northeast coast of Sicily, Paulo Bonarrigo III, a prominent family winemaker, was madly in love with Antoinette Borghia, the most beautiful woman in all of Sicily. Paulo wanted to ask Antoinette’s father for her hand in marriage. So he invited Antoinette and all of her family over for dinner on a Saturday evening. He was going to ask Antoinette’s father for her hand at the dinner.

Since Paulo was a winemaker and it was the beginning of the grape harvest, he was extremely busy. To make matters worse, some of the vineyard workers didn’t come to work that day, so Paulo had more work to do than expected.

Late that Saturday afternoon, Paulo realized he hadn’t gathered any of the food for his very important dinner that evening. In fact, Antoinette’s family would arrive at Paulo’s house in less than a half hour. He had little choice so he dashed into his garden to see what he could find that was unique, creative, and took less than 30 minutes to prepare.

This is when he created Paulo’s Salad. He chose anchovies to represent the depth of his love for Antoinette, since anchovies symbolically represent the great depths of the sea. Garlic stood for courage and strength and the Port wine was produced from his own vineyard. Soy sauce offered an exotic saltiness and mustard was the symbol of faith. The olive oil was made from his own olives and represented peace and healing, while the balsamic vinegar was made from his own grape juice. The egg represented fertility and lemon fidelity in love. He chose romaine lettuce to represent the freshness of Antoinette’s beauty.

Antoinette and her family came for dinner that night and Paulo prepared the food before their very eyes. Antoinette’s father was so impressed that when Paulo asked for his daughter’s hand, he gladly blessed their marriage.

When Paul’s grandfather came to America from Sicily, he brought his recipe for a salad that became famous as a wedding proposal salad.

Paulo’s Salad
Source: Paul Bonarrigo and Merrill Bonarrigo, owners of Messina Hof Winery, Bryan, Texas
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 anchovies
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons Messina Hof Port wine
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 12 whole romaine leaves
• ¼ cup croutons
• 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

Directions

1. At tableside, rub the bowl with ½ clove of garlic and mash the anchovies into a paste in the bowl.
2. Combine the anchovies, garlic, wine, soy sauce, mustard, oil, vinegar, lemon juice and egg in the bowl & mix well.
3. Add romaine and toss.
4. Top with croutons and Romano cheese. Intended to be eaten with fingers instead of a fork.