A while ago somebody made the offhand comment that they always bought
salad dressings, having had little luck making their own. No one
commented (because the thread topic was more interesting, I suppose).
But that experience is the opposite of mine, our salad dressings are
nearly always homemade. Usually I wing some kind of French-style
vinaigrette but there are really no limits. Yesterday the NY Times
food section had this one, along with a chicken schnitzel recipe, and
I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I made it for our
dinner salad last night. Delicious. I give it below in hopes that
whoever that was who buys dressings will try it.


6 anchovy fillets
1 small garlic clove
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (microplaner works well)
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Mince the garlic, then mash it together with the anchovies and a pinch
of coarse salt. Add the zest, the fresh lemon juice and another pinch
of salt and pepper . Then drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go.
Set aside while you make the rest of the dinner.

2 quarts mixed baby greens
2 cups soft herb leaves, like a combination of mint, tarragon, basil,
parsley, cilantro, chervil, chives (try to use at least 3 kinds)
1 scallion, thinly sliced, including greens.

Toss the salad ingredients together, lightly dress, toss again,
serve. Save the extra dressing in a covered jar, it will be better
the day after tomorrow....... -aem

"jay" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:04:52 -0700 (PDT), aem wrote:
>
>> A while ago somebody made the offhand comment that they always bought
>> salad dressings, having had little luck making their own. No one
>> commented (because the thread topic was more interesting, I suppose).
>> But that experience is the opposite of mine, our salad dressings are
>> nearly always homemade. Usually I wing some kind of French-style
>> vinaigrette but there are really no limits. Yesterday the NY Times
>> food section had this one, along with a chicken schnitzel recipe, and
>> I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I made it for our
>> dinner salad last night. Delicious. I give it below in hopes that
>> whoever that was who buys dressings will try it.
>>
>>
>> 6 anchovy fillets
>> 1 small garlic clove
>> Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
>> Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (microplaner works well)
>> 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
>> 7 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
>>
>> Mince the garlic, then mash it together with the anchovies and a pinch
>> of coarse salt. Add the zest, the fresh lemon juice and another pinch
>> of salt and pepper . Then drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go.
>> Set aside while you make the rest of the dinner.
>>
>> 2 quarts mixed baby greens
>> 2 cups soft herb leaves, like a combination of mint, tarragon, basil,
>> parsley, cilantro, chervil, chives (try to use at least 3 kinds)
>> 1 scallion, thinly sliced, including greens.
>>
>> Toss the salad ingredients together, lightly dress, toss again,
>> serve. Save the extra dressing in a covered jar, it will be better
>> the day after tomorrow....... -aem
>
> Nice! <snippednada>
>
> We always make it also. Guests always comment that the salad is SO good.
>
> Minced fresh garlic
> Couple anchovies (or not) (mashed in bowl with the garlic and salt)
> Salt
> 1 portion.. vinegar and sometimes 2 or 3.. like good balsamic or apple
> cider or wine vinegar.
> 2 portions .. Good olive oil
> Emulsify
> Tossed fresh greens of choice
>
> I haven't tried that many bottled dressings but have never tasted one that
> I liked and the price of some of them are ridiculous.
>
> jay

I always make mine too, but I'm a one-trick pony. I always mix 1 part Dijon
with 2 or 3 parts balsamic, sometimes a bit of oil (sometimes not), S & P,
and some fresh chopped herbs.

People like it a lot but I'm going to try both yours and the NY times to
have something to change up with.

Anyone else have some dressing combo's they want to share?

Jon

"aem" > wrote in message
...
>A while ago somebody made the offhand comment that they always bought
> salad dressings, having had little luck making their own. No one
> commented (because the thread topic was more interesting, I suppose).
> But that experience is the opposite of mine, our salad dressings are
> nearly always homemade. Usually I wing some kind of French-style
> vinaigrette but there are really no limits. Yesterday the NY Times
> food section had this one, along with a chicken schnitzel recipe, and
> I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I made it for our
> dinner salad last night. Delicious. I give it below in hopes that
> whoever that was who buys dressings will try it.
>
>
> 6 anchovy fillets
> 1 small garlic clove
> Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
> Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (microplaner works well)
> 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
> 7 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
>
> Mince the garlic, then mash it together with the anchovies and a pinch
> of coarse salt. Add the zest, the fresh lemon juice and another pinch
> of salt and pepper . Then drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go.
> Set aside while you make the rest of the dinner.
>
> 2 quarts mixed baby greens
> 2 cups soft herb leaves, like a combination of mint, tarragon, basil,
> parsley, cilantro, chervil, chives (try to use at least 3 kinds)
> 1 scallion, thinly sliced, including greens.
>
> Toss the salad ingredients together, lightly dress, toss again,
> serve. Save the extra dressing in a covered jar, it will be better
> the day after tomorrow....... -aem
>

Here's a no-brainer Italian dressing. For creamy Italian, add one part
Italian to one part Mayo.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Dressing: Italian From Scratch

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Sauces & Dressings

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tblsp onion -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic -- crushed

Combine all and shake. Refridgerate at least 2 hours.

aem > wrote:

> our salad dressings are
> nearly always homemade.

Here is a mixture I've been making lately. Amounts are approximate.

For a metric cup (250 ml), a bit more than US cup:

1 part tarragon vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared hot mustard
1 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste
salt
pepper
1 part extra-virgin olive oil
1 part first-press sunflower oil

Combine the first five ingredients in a small bottle and shake well to
blend. Add both kinds of oil and shake well again. Use at once, as the
ingredients separate very fast and have to be blended again.

Sometimes I add a bit of Hungarian hot paprika paste and a few drops of
nam pla or nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Dress a salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, dill,
ramsons, radishes, lamb's lettuce, curly endive and Swiss chard.

Victor

French dressing, very similar to Catalina...

1/4 c catsup
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion flakes

Let it rest for a few hours.

aem wrote:
> A while ago somebody made the offhand comment that they always bought
> salad dressings, having had little luck making their own. No one
> commented (because the thread topic was more interesting, I suppose).
> But that experience is the opposite of mine, our salad dressings are
> nearly always homemade. Usually I wing some kind of French-style
> vinaigrette but there are really no limits. Yesterday the NY Times
> food section had this one, along with a chicken schnitzel recipe, and
> I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I made it for our
> dinner salad last night. Delicious. I give it below in hopes that
> whoever that was who buys dressings will try it.
>
>
> 6 anchovy fillets
> 1 small garlic clove
> Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
> Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (microplaner works well)
> 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
> 7 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
>
> Mince the garlic, then mash it together with the anchovies and a pinch
> of coarse salt. Add the zest, the fresh lemon juice and another pinch
> of salt and pepper . Then drizzle in the oil, whisking as you go.
> Set aside while you make the rest of the dinner.
>
> 2 quarts mixed baby greens
> 2 cups soft herb leaves, like a combination of mint, tarragon, basil,
> parsley, cilantro, chervil, chives (try to use at least 3 kinds)
> 1 scallion, thinly sliced, including greens.
>
> Toss the salad ingredients together, lightly dress, toss again,
> serve. Save the extra dressing in a covered jar, it will be better
> the day after tomorrow....... -aem
>
Saved. That does sound good!

--
Jean B.

aem wrote:
> A while ago somebody made the offhand comment that they always bought
> salad dressings, having had little luck making their own. No one
> commented (because the thread topic was more interesting, I suppose).

I was busy building a post with my favorite salad dressing recipes. ;-)

We make almost all our own salad dressing, just as you do. I'll make a
post soon with my favorite recipes, and I plan to make the one you
posted, only with limes, because that's what I have on hand. Thanks for
the idea.

Serene

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