Happy birthday, Gregor Mendel, O.S.A.! Instead of making a cake for the Augustinian Friar’s birthday, I decided to make a recipe shared by Access Services Director Luisa Cywinski. The recipe is not from the 19th century, but does feature an ingredient special to Mendel—peas. Mendel’s pea plant experiments with hybridization led to the discovery of hereditary laws ushering in the modern age of genetics. The featured recipe is not part of the Digital Library, however Mendel’s papers on “Experiments in Plant Hybridization” are available for reading. The Mendel Collection features “first editions of Mendel’s papers and earlier works about heredity and the importance of Mendel’s works around 1900 by such scientists as William Bateson, Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns and others.”
Below is a preview of Mendel’s lecture on his experiments with hybridization of pea plants which he delivered before the Natural Sciences Society of Brünn on Feb. 8 and March 8, 1865.
Photo courtesy of Villanova University Digital Library.
Luisa Cywinski, Access Services Director, first posted the recipe for Mendel Macaroni Salad with Lemon Thyme Dressing, which she based on a recipe featured on The Cozy Apron.
Mendel Macaroni Salad
- 12 oz macaroni pasta, cooked and cooled
- 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
- 4 oz diced and crisped pancetta (can be substituted with bacon, deli ham, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
“Add the cooked and cooled macaroni to a large bowl, and add in the thawed petite peas and the diced, crisped pancetta; if serving immediately, toss with the Lemon-Thyme Dressing, and garnish with the thyme leaves; if making ahead, prepare all components and keep them separate, then toss the dressing with the pasta/peas/pancetta when ready to serve, to keep the pasta salad moist and fresh; keep cold.”
Lemon-Thyme Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
“Add all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Process the mixture until thick and completely creamy; store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve the salad, at which point you can toss the dressing with the pasta. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme.”
Check out my cooking tutorial and the finished product below.
Fore more pea-themed recipes explore Cywinski’s blog post. Additional recipes are also available for viewing in the Digital Library. Questions about the Digital Library, University Archives or Special Collections? Contact the Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement staff. Check back next month for another quarantine cooking tutorial!
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.
Visit Falvey Memorial Library’s first floor to see the new Gregor Mendel exhibit “of peas and bees: Bicentennial Exhibit” celebrating “the Father of Modern Genetics. The exhibit was curated by Michael Foight, Director of 
