Homemade Salad Dressings

[Shel_B]

I like to make an avocado dressing, especially for spinach leaves.  I use one just barely ripe avocado (i.e., not to soft, no brown spots), some fresh squeezed orange juice (Valencia when possible), a little bit of pressed  garlic, and a smattering of Diamond Crystal salt.  I mix it all together until I get the consistency I want, taste and adjust seasoning, and then pour it on the leaves.

[scubadoo97]

13 hours ago, weinoo said:

Seems like a lot of people like to use Worcestershire sauce in their salad dressings, something I've never done...I'm imagining it gives it a nice umami punch, similar to the anchovy in Caesar salad dressing?

 

Will have to give it a try. 

I did tonight and it was tasty 

[suzilightning]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Interesting.  Not quite the same but similar to the batch of Peruvian green sauce I've been working my way through.  And since I put the Peruvian green sauce on salad, I suppose Peruvian green sauce counts as salad dressing.

 

Thanks!

 

NO cilantro, though!!!  I CAN NOT stand the taste of cilantro.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 minutes ago, suzilightning said:

NO cilantro, though!!!  I CAN NOT stand the taste of cilantro.

 

 

I still like you.  Myself, I love cilantro.  Yes, I know, it tastes like soap, but such nice soap.  I just made up another batch of Peruvian green sauce for tonight's chicken.  Not to mention tonight's salad.  And French fries.

 

[gfweb]

As I age, cilantro tastes less soapy...more stink bug.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I think the cilantro in the spice mix is probably dried. I bought some dried cilantro once from The Fresh Market. It's one of those herbs that loses almost all taste if dried. I suspect it wouldn't bother cilantro haters in dried form, especially in a small part of a spice mix.

[Beebs]

Cilantro! Love a cilantro, mint, green lettuce salad! Especially with larb. 

My favourite dressing for cilantro salad is the basic Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) of lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, red thai chili.  Sometimes I'll riff on it and add toasted sesame oil, soy, shallots or garlic.

[Martin Fisher]

I like lots of dressings but my favorite two are mustard vinaigrette and blue cheese in one form or another.

Mustard vinaigrette: spicy mustard, garlic, sherry vinegar, light olive oil [hate the Canola shit almost more than Satan], a few drops of GOOD fish sauce (essential), a little sweetness for balance and black pepper.

[scubadoo97]

Cilantro to me is the flavor of Mexico.  Although now I associate it with Asian dishes as well 

[kayb]

Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano. Add a little honey if the salad calls for a sweeter dressing. Add a little Dijon mustard if it seems to "fit."

 

[heidih]

13 minutes ago, TicTac said:

My guess (and based on my experience with ramps) is that if you used a combination of fresh and pickled ramps, this dressing would be significantly improved.

 

As @Margaret Pilgrim eluded to, there is much hype over this, quite frankly, because it has Chang's name linked to it.  From the looks of it, it is certainly not groundbreaking stuff!

 

I'll take Green Goddess anyday over this.  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014134-green-goddess-dressing  https://www.splendidtable.org/story/melissa-clark-shares-recipes-that-showcase-the-flavors-of-spring

[Anna N]

25 minutes ago, TicTac said:

From the looks of it, it is certainly not groundbreaking stuff!

No it certainly isn’t groundbreaking but on the other hand it is completely doable by most people in terms of the limited number of ingredients required. Green goddess might be a better salad dressing but it’s unlikely to ever show up around here because of the requirement for fresh herbs. I was certainly not blown away by the Momofuku ranch but I will give it its due —  I could  pull it together almost any day. Might need to sub for the buttermilk mind you but I suspect I wouldn’t miss it much if I just left it out. 

 

[TicTac]

13 minutes ago, Anna N said:

No it certainly isn’t groundbreaking but on the other hand it is completely doable by most people in terms of the limited number of ingredients required. Green goddess might be a better salad dressing but it’s unlikely to ever show up around here because of the requirement for fresh herbs. I was certainly not blown away by the Momofuku ranch but I will give it its due —  I could  pull it together almost any day. Might need to sub for the buttermilk mind you but I suspect I wouldn’t miss it much if I just left it out. 

 

While doable, as many people have noted, certainly not easily replicated with the required pickled ramps...

 

I would modify a number of things in it and most assuredly produce a far more flavorful end product!

 

Pickling ramps removes much of the beauty of the ramp - the sweetness and to some extent, garlic notes are much removed.  It basically ends up tasting like a pickled onion.

[Anna N]

3 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Pickling ramps removes much of the beauty of the ramp - the sweetness and to some extent, garlic notes are much removed.  It basically ends up tasting like a pickled onion.

😂

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I like green goddess, Joy of Cooking recipe -- even Kraft.  I used to say green goddess was my favorite dressing.  But now when I lie in bed at night what my thoughts turn to is that bowl of Momofuku in the refrigerator.

 

Let me put it a different way:  a bottle of Kraft green goddess will delight me, whereas before Momofuku no ranch dressing really would.

 

[heidih]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I like green goddess, Joy of Cooking recipe -- even Kraft.  I used to say green goddess was my favorite dressing.  But now when I lie in bed at night what my thoughts turn to is that bowl of Momofuku in the refrigerator.

 

Let me put it a different way:  a bottle of Kraft green goddess will delight me, whereas before Momofuku no ranch dressing really would.

 

 

You killed it with the phrase "bottled Kraft" - not so much in the lust category

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

 

You killed it with the phrase "bottled Kraft" - not so much in the lust category

 

I like it.

 

[Anna N]

40 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I like it.

 

I will look for it.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

I will look for it.

 

Not easy to find.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I was almost surprised to find Kraft Green Goddess on amazon.  But it looks different and I'm not at all sure it is the same product I remember from the 1970's.  Apparently Kraft Green Goddess has no anchovies.

 

Oh, well, there's always Momofuku.

 

 

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I was almost surprised to find Kraft Green Goddess on amazon.  But it looks different and I'm not at all sure it is the same product I remember from the 1970's.  Apparently Kraft Green Goddess has no anchovies.

 

Oh, well, there's always Momofuku.

 

 

I also looked on Amazon.ca and it shows the bottle and then announces that it is no longer available!  Darn. I was very curious and anxious to try it. 
 

Edited to add:

 

it is available according to the Internet from Walmart.com but not from Walmart.ca. 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Anna N (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Green Goddess is so easy to make, ingredients so easy to source, unlike the elusive pickled ramp.    Just chuck it all in the blender and pour.

Back mid-Century, this used to be my cocktail party veg dip.  

 

Edited because NYT swooped in with the paywall again.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[Anna N]

12 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

ingredients so easy to source, unlike the elusive pickled ramp.   

Always provided, of course, that you have access to fresh herbs. Scallions are a much better option when you don’t. They keep far better than cut herbs and are available just about everywhere.  I have seen times when even parsley isn’t available at the grocery store and tarragon is extremely elusive. So, what is easy for some is challenging for others. Southern Ontario is not California.

[heidih]

27 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Always provided, of course, that you have access to fresh herbs. Scallions are a much better option when you don’t. They keep far better than cut herbs and are available just about everywhere.  I have seen times when even parsley isn’t available at the grocery store and tarragon is extremely elusive. So, what is easy for some is challenging for others. Southern Ontario is not California.

 

Ya think? We are so entitled. The concept is even dried - herby (hi Herb) creamy,  I often can not get to a store but I've embraced the dred guys and you can make it work  Life challenges but we adapt. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Who needs vegetables when one has a spoon?