Monday, February 15, 2010

Creamy Italian Dressing

Salad dressings are something I am passionate about.  To me, it stands as the gateway in the big picture of a food change.  You must know; even the healthiest of store bought bottles are incredibly unhealthy.  Greens should be eaten regularly, and served with ample fat to utilize the fat-soluble vitamins.  So, say buh bye to fat free dressings and makeover your fridge with jars of homemade. 

Last week in class we focused on dark leafy greens.  These winter greens are no longer common place on our tables.  It takes time to learn to enjoy something we have been estranged from for so long, but we made some good headway.  I didn’t take a poll or anything.  I just gather from the comments that the Creamy Italian was the class’s favorite dressing and tat soi was the class’s favorite winter green. 

Tat Soi is a true winter green as it can withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit and has been harvested from under snow.  Tat soi is often found in Asian cuisine and is a member of the brassica family.  It has a very faint mustard-like flavor and slightly sweet.  With a spoon-like shape, the leaves appear remarkably delicate and are delicious in a raw salad. If you want to give tat soi a try (and live in the Mesa area) shoot me an email and I will get you the latest order form from The Backyard Farmer.

I will be putting out a new schedule soon…8 weeks this time, a couple new classes and they will be held on Saturday mornings.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon shallot
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup homemade mayo

Blend in all ingredients in blender.

Great on romaine, leaf lettuce and water cress.
Creamy Italian salad toppings; cucumber, red onion, tomato, pine nuts, parmesan cheese.


I am sharing this post on Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday

11 comments:

  1. Thank you! This is quite helpful to me, as salad dressings are something I can improve on. We really like your ranch too. I assume that the dressing would be just regular Italian if the mayo was left out?

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  2. Your welcome. Using the wrong salad dressing is quite self defeating in the purpose of eating a salad.

    And yes, for a Classic Italian Vinaigrette, you would leave out the mayo and use an additional 1/4 olive oil. This is a great option if you are not up to making homemade mayonnaise since using store bought is also self defeating, though to a lesser degree.

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  3. Thanks. i wanted a good italian dressing. Have you used your beet green recipe with swiss chard? I have LOTs to use up. Hope I can catch a Saturday class!

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  4. All the winter greens are pretty interchangeable, and beets and chard are closely related. I would imagine it would work just fine.

    Are you going to start doing classes again?

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  5. I'll give it a try. I am too busy for classes right now so I will just sit back and let you do the work! I need to put your class info on my blog. As soon as you post your new schedule, I will give you a shout out. I need to get into fermenting and soaking more. It is just time....but....I totally believe in it and need to get better. Thanks for all of your work.

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  6. Kara-
    How long does a typical homemade dressing stay fresh in the fridge? A week, maybe?

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  7. Sheri, that is super sweet. When I started with soaking, I just took one recipe at a time. It is so nice to have meals planned ahead. You'll get there. You are like me; once you know it is something you will benefit from, you find a way to make it work amidst the business of everything around you.

    Carlie, homemade dressings are going to vary depending on the ingredients that go into them. In this one the mayo would limit it. Homemade mayo will last 2 weeks, so if you make it with fresh mayo, that's how long the dressing will last. Leave the mayo out and use more oil and the dressing will last 4.

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  8. Thanks for the recipe. I am always looking for a good salad dressing recipe.

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  9. I have been making my own salad dressing for years. I added this one to the mix months ago when going to your classes.

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  10. i'm in malta and preparing meals for 7. my mom sent me this link, which she got through your mom. made the dressing tonight and all my flatmates raved. thanks kara!

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  11. Word get's around! Good to hear from you, Whitney. Can't believe you are all grown up making salad in Europe :)

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It's rude to eat and run. Humor me with conversation please!

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