Homemade Italian Dressing

[Chris Hennes]

I've got a recipe I want to make that calls for a bottle of "Italian Dressing" — not being much of a salad eater, I of course don't have any, but I've probably got the ingredients to make something like it. A cursory search with Google yields almost entirely recipes that call for dried basil, which as far as I'm concerned means the recipes are garbage (given the amount of flavor in dried basil). Does anyone have any better ideas?

[Shel_B]

I've got a recipe I want to make that calls for a bottle of "Italian Dressing" —  A cursory search with Google yields almost entirely recipes that call for dried basil, which as far as I'm concerned means the recipes are garbage (given the amount of flavor in dried basil). Does anyone have any better ideas?

 

Why not use fresh herbs?

[djyee100]

I'm curious what recipe calls for a bottle of Italian dressing. Is the dressing supposed to be a quick and dirty way to marinate an ingredient?

 

I suggest the usual garlic vinaigrette, oil and vinegar of your choice in 3:1 proportion, with a sprinkling of finely crushed, dried Mediterranean herbs of your choice: oregano, marjoram, rosemary, etc. Fresh basil and parsley are also possibilities, and a squirt of lemon juice depending on what you're cooking. If there's grilling somewhere down the line, the fresh herbs will cause black blotches on your food when cooked. Hence, the commercial dressing ingredient (my guess).

 

Commercial dressings have a fair amt of sugar and sometimes a sweet-sour profile. If a sprinkle of sugar is appropriate for this dish, go for it.

If you're only marinating with this dressing, you can be more lax with the oil:vinegar proportions, and not picky about the quality of the oil. The oil is only supposed to be a carrier for the flavors of the marinade. As always, taste as you go.

[huiray]

..that call for dried basil, which as far as I'm concerned means the recipes are garbage (given the amount of flavor in dried basil)...

 

Have you tried adding dried basil to a pot of rice being cooked on the stove top?  You might be surprised.  Dried basil has its uses and is not devoid of flavor.  It depends on how fresh it is, as with most dried herbs.  The flavor also often undergoes a change, which should be appreciated on its own terms and not necessarily held as "defective".

 

As for the "Italian Dressing" - I myself might just whip up a vinaigrette of my choosing, of which I assume you would have various formulations too, and just add in finely chopped or minced garlic and thyme and whatnot.  I might add some nice Dijon mustard in too, plus some sugar and adjust the vinegar (boost/reduce, as desired) a bit.  Maybe add in some hon-mirin in place of the sugar. :-)

Edited August 31, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Chris Hennes]

I'm curious what recipe calls for a bottle of Italian dressing. Is the dressing supposed to be a quick and dirty way to marinate an ingredient?

No, it's a family recipe for a pasta salad.

[Dave the Cook]

What I remember from bottled Italian dressing is the oil-vinegar combination, along with fairly sharp garlic (probably from its powdered form), and general herbage -- nothing overtly basil-like. But it seems to me that there's other stuff in bottled dressings that might avail: gums and so forth that will assist in cling and assure enhanced viscosity. Those things might be as important to a recipe as any specific flavor. 

[Chris Hennes]

Viscosity and stability are pretty easy to control with xanthan gum and soy lecithin, which I usually incorporate into vinaigrettes intended for anything but immediate use anyway. I just made up a pretty decent match for my memory of whatever the stuff is my mother used by making a standard white wine and plain olive oil (not EV) vinaigrette and seasoning it with fresh garlic, dried oregano, yellow bell pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper. I think it's more acidic than the bottled stuff, but if memory serves the garlic and oregano seem to get the flavor in the ballpark otherwise.

 

ETA: Added some shallots, too. Getting closer, I think.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Chris Hennes (log)

[Anna N]

I am with Dave on this one. If you are attempting to replicate a family recipe then it doesn't necessarily pay to deviate from the bottled dressing. It may taste better but it won't be better because it won't be the same as everyone remembers. That has been my experience when I have attempted to up the ante on a remembered recipe. Kraft used to make a zesty Italian dressing (perhaps they still do). It was a family favorite. I tried and tried to replicate it with no success. Just an observation. Now of course if you are stuck inside and cannot get to a store then I totally understand the need to attempt to make your own version.

[Chris Hennes]

I'm making it for me and my wife, so while for nostalgia's sake I'd like it to taste basically like what I remember, it's not that important for it to be exact. After all, the dressing isn't the only ingredient anyway. And I've already subbed out the canned olives with real ones, and the bottled parmesan with real. It seems reasonable to try to make an improved version of "Italian Dressing" while retaining the basic flavor profile.

[Anna N]

Well, Chris, if you only have to please your wife and yourself.... My impression was otherwise--that you were preparing the dish for a gathering of family who would have certain expectations of a family recipe. Apparently I was wrong. I'm sure you'll succeed in making a great pasta salad that pleases the two of you.

[Lisa Shock]

Here's a site that shows ingredient labels. My guess is that, in some cases, the zesty part is lemon juice concentrate. Since that's not something most of us have around the house, I'd try adding lemon juice and a pinch of citric acid, if you have it. -That's in addition to vinegar.

 

Also note the dehydrated spice lists, bell pepper shows up very frequently in addition to garlic, onion, etc.

[pbear]

I'm pretty sure the strongest herb flavor in bottled "Italian" dressing is oregano (dried, of course).

[Katie Meadow]

I agree that oregano is what makes Italian dressing in a bottle taste like mid-century Americans thought Italian dressing ought to taste, which is essentially like American pizza. My mother's interpretation of Italian dressing was simply olive oil and vinegar (that would be a mouth-puckering amount of red wine vinegar in her case) with some herbs. That's to distinguish it from dressings with ketchup, mayo, buttermilk, blue cheese, etc. When she added dijon mustard and a little garlic she called it French dressing.

[Katie Meadow]

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/topofthetimes/features/la-fo-herbrec11b-2009mar11-story.html

 

This recipe can be found all over the place--I guess Nancy Silverton's Chopped Salad with Oregano Dressing has been a big hit for several years. It's a great rendition of an Italian-American classic--- sort of a sandwich without the bread. Very satisfying, and I think it meets the criteria for a nostalgic Italian salad/dressing. As usual, adjust the oil and vinegar to your taste. The original recipe is awfully heavy on the vinegar. Italian red wine vinegar can be very acidic, and I prefer generally a ratio of 1 vinegar to 4 oil. But it is kind of a fun throwback salad. I also don't use iceberg lettuce in my version, but it would certainly be appropriate. You try buying iceberg lettuce at the Berkeley farmers' market!

[Shel_B]

This morning I was cleaning out and reorganizing Toots' spice cabinet and came across a small jar of McCormick Italian Seasoning.  I thought of this thread, and decided to post the ingredients here, FWIW:

 

Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Savory, Sage, Oregano, and Basil

 

I may try this in an Italian dressing of my own, just to see what it's like. 

[mgaretz]

What I learned when I took cooking classes is the basic formula is 3 parts oil to one part vinegar, with variations built on that foundation. Mustard is used as an emulsifier as an alternative to the gums.

This is my recipe for a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette:

2 ozs vegetable oil

4 ozs olive oil

2 ozs balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning blend – or herbs to taste (I use TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute)

1 tbs cream sherry

1/4 tsp sea or kosher salt

1 clove of garlic – medium sized, minced

1 tbs Raspberry Syrup (sugar free or regular) or 1 tsp strawberry jam (or raspberry)

1 tbs honey

2 tbs mustard (I use stoneground Dijon, one with whole mustard seeds still in it)

Never fails to please.

Edited September 7, 2014 by mgaretz (log)

[Shel_B]

This is my recipe for a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette:

2 ozs vegetable oil

4 ozs olive oil

2 ozs balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning blend – or herbs to taste (I use TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute)

1 tbs cream sherry

1/4 tsp sea or kosher salt

1 clove of garlic – medium sized, minced

1 tbs Raspberry Syrup (sugar free or regular) or 1 tsp strawberry jam (or raspberry)

1 tbs honey

2 tbs mustard (I use stoneground Dijon, one with whole mustard seeds still in it)

Never fails to please.

 

Looks interesting ... the notes mentioned in the recipe didn't get posted for some reason.  Would you be kind enough to post them?

[mgaretz]

Looks interesting ... the notes mentioned in the recipe didn't get posted for some reason.  Would you be kind enough to post them?

 

I realized that right after I posted, so I added them in already, look back at it.   For the full notes see here: http://markiscooking.com/?p=14

[Shel_B]

I realized that right after I posted, so I added them in already, look back at it.   For the full notes see here: http://markiscooking.com/?p=14

 

I have TJ's 21 Salute Seasoning in both houses.  Good stuff.  Never thought to use it in a dressing, and now I'm thinking of other uses for it as well.  Your simple comment may have opened the door to some new ideas. 

 

I may try it in my baked wild and brown rice dish the next time I make it, and maybe use it in my next batch of spaghetti sauce, or maybe as a dry rub ... Thanks!

Edited September 8, 2014 by Shel_B (log)