At some point during the middle of last summer I
noticed that my blog posts all seemed to be revolving around one particular
topic: salad. I didn't seem to be able
to get enough of salads filled with an abundance of seasonal vegetables and
fruits. This year I have noticed another
trend: mayonnaise based dressings. And they all happen to be green. In June it was the mint aioli to go with
roast rack of lamb. In July, it was a
roasted garlic and basil mayonnaise to accompany a roasted garlic and basil
smeared roast chicken. And today, it is
that classic herb-laden dressing known as Green Goddess Dressing.
As a kid (and probably for a few years after that) I
thought that Green Goddess Dressing included avocado purée. I don't know if this is because of the color
of the jars/bottles of the dressing I saw on the shelves at the grocery store
or if I had some vague notion that the original Green Goddess salad included
avocadoes. I sort of doubt it was the
latter since up until I was well into my adult years my knowledge of food was
pretty rudimentary. Since during my
childhood I would only have eaten an avocado under duress (I didn't have a very friendly relationship with vegetables...or fruit, for that matter), and then when
I learned that they were delicious I was afraid they would make me fat (they
won't, by the way), Green Goddess dressing wasn't something that I had ever
looked into too deeply.
Then, a few years ago, I had reason to make some
Green Goddess dip. I discovered that it
is simply a friendly, creamy dressing/dip made with loads of parsley. (It also has anchovies...something else my
younger self would have avoided...but by the time I learned this, I was already
in love with the subtle savory saltiness that anchovies impart when used
properly.) I believe the original
version of the dressing includes all of the fines
herbes—parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon—and you may add any or all of
these if you like—but parsley is the most important addition and the chives,
tarragon and chervil should all be added with a lighter hand. My recipe includes scallions. I'm not sure where I came by this addition,
but I like the sharpness that it adds.
Green Goddess dressing is very easy to make. Simply make it in the food processor,
building a whole egg mayonnaise on top of a fine mince of the herbs, scallions,
garlic and anchovy. Season to taste with
salt, vinegar and lemon juice. The
dressing should be lively and acidic. It
will take more salt and lemon than you expect...so season fearlessly, tasting
as you go. You'll know you've gotten it
right when you start looking around for more things with which to sample it...a
spear of romaine...a cherry tomato...a carrot stick... a spoon...
Many variations of Green Goddess are made by folding
the minced herb/anchovy/garlic mixture into a mixture of half prepared
mayonnaise (you may make your own, or use a good quality commercial brand) and
half sour cream. This version is
slightly thicker and it is the version I make when I need a dip for a crudité
platter. If you make it this way, you
will need to reduce your vinegar and lemon by quite a bit since mayonnaise is
already acidic and sour cream has its own pleasant tang.
This week I made a batch of dressing for a salad I found
in Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.
I had had in mind a salad for a summer salad class that was to be a
study in greens...avocado, cucumber, Romaine and Green Goddess Dressing...when
I saw that Goin had already done the work for me and published a recipe that
included all of these elements—called, of course, Green Goddess Salad. I have added thinly sliced radishes to the
mix—copying my friend Nancy's addition to Caesar salad. The radish adds a pleasing splash of color,
zip and even more crunch.
Since the recipe makes more than we could possibly consume
in two small dinner salads, I have been coming up with ways to use my Green
Goddess dressing all week long.
Thinned with a little water, I drizzled it over a
lunchtime platter of vine ripes and avocado...
I also used it to dress a salad of Romaine featuring
roasted corn, avocado and wedges of tomato...
And today I used it as a smear on a sandwich of
thinly sliced steak, yellow tomatoes, arugula and shaved sheep's milk cheese...
All were delicious.
In addition to vegetables, I'm certain it would be wonderful with fish,
chicken or lamb. Frankly, it would be
hard to come up with something that wouldn't be improved by a little parsley
and onion...some salt and acidity...and of course, some fat. I still have a small amount left and am sure
I will enjoy it no matter how I choose to use it. Even after a week of eating it almost every
day....I'm still not the least bit tired of it.
Green Goddess Dressing
1 c. flat-leaf parsley leaves
(about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 oz.)
2 to 3 scallions, white and
some of green, roughly cut into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 1/2 cup)
2 to 3 anchovy filets—preferably
salt-packed—deboned and rinsed
1 clove of garlic, smashed to
a purée with a pinch of salt
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
1 T. plus 1 t. champagne
vinegar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice—plus
more as necessary to balance
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Place the parsley, anchovies and
scallions in the food processor and pulse until finely minced. Add the garlic and egg and process until homogenous. With the
machine running, add the oil in a slow stream through the feed tube. A thick emulsion will form. Add the vinegar
and lemon juice and process in. Taste
and adjust the lemon, salt and pepper...the dressing should be vibrant, tangy
and salty. If it is too thick, adjust
the consistency with warm water. Makes a
generous 1 1/2 cups of dressing. Cover
and chill until ready to use.
Note: For a more traditional—and thicker version appropriate for a dip—omit the
oil and egg. Add a half cup of
mayonnaise (homemade or your favorite commercial brand) and a half cup of sour
cream along with the garlic to the minced parsley, scallion and anchovy. Add vinegar and lemon juice to taste...you
will need less since a commercial mayonnaise already has vinegar and lemon in
it. Start with a tablespoon of lemon
juice and increase to taste.
Green
Goddess Salad
2 large Romaine hearts,
trimmed (about a pound, trimmed weight)
1 large (or 2 or 3 small) cucumber (about 1 lb.)
2 large avocados
5 to 6 radishes, trimmed and scrubbed
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 c. Green Goddess Dressing.....using more or less, to
taste
Wash and spin dry the lettuce. Tear any larger leaves into two or three
pieces, leaving the small inner leaves whole.
Cover with a barely damp towel, cover tightly with plastic wrap (or
store in a container with a sealable lid) and chill.
Taste the cucumber and peel if the skin is at all
tough. Halve lengthwise and scrape out
the seeds with a spoon. Cut cross-wise
on a slight diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices. Halve, pit and peel the avocados. Cut into lengthwise wedges. Thinly slice the radishes (use a mandoline
slicer).
To finish the salad, place the greens in a large
bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the dressing and toss until all
the romaine is well coated. Season the
cucumber and avocado with salt and pepper and add to the bowl along with the
radishes. Gently toss to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning. Arrange on a large platter or individual
plates and serve. Serves 6.
(Recipe adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by
Suzanne Goin)
Variation: For a "chopped"-style salad, cut the
romaine leaves cross-wise in 3/4-inch ribbons.
Cube the avocado and quarter the cucumber lengthwise before slicing
crosswise. Dress and serve as
above.
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