Friday, April 4, 2014

Ina Fridays: Bibb Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing

It's Ina Friday time again!  This is my third month participating, and the recipe I chose this month was a big hit at our house.  The recipe category this time was Appetizers/Drinks.  There are lots of tasty looking Ina Garten appetizer recipes, but this one for Bibb Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing immediately caught my eye.

For some reason the idea of green goddess dressing has always intrigued me.  I've only had it once before, on a large lunch salad at a restaurant.  Unfortunately, the combination of herbs they used was extremely off putting and strange tasting, to the point that I couldn't force myself to eat it!  Lucky for us, though, this recipe was pretty amazing and unlike any other dressing I've had.  The basil is incredible and the flavors all just work together perfectly, especially after spending a couple of hours in the refrigerator.  It reminds me a bit of a good caesar dressing, but the basil really sets it apart.  It was great on salad of course (I used bagged butter lettuce), but I think it would also be good in pasta salad, potato salad, or with fish, shrimp, or chicken.  I also had some as a snack with baby carrots and cucumber and it's great that way, too.

Quick Note:  This recipe makes a lot, about 3 cups!  I halved it (though wrote the full amount of ingredients below) and it turned out great.

Edit: I've found the green onion intensifies quite a bit after the dressing is in the refrigerator for a couple of days, so I usually cut back the green onion to 1/2 cup and bump up the basil to 1 1/2 cup.  This has become one of our favorite salad dressings.


Basil Green Goddess Dressing

1 C chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1 C chopped green onions, green and white parts
1 C mayo
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp anchovy paste
1 C sour cream

Place everything but sour cream in a blender, the bowl of a food processor, or in a bowl compatible with an immersion blender.  Blend until smooth.  Scrape down sides, then add sour cream, and blend until completely incorporated.  Taste the dressing and add more salt if necessary.  The dressing will look a bit thin, but should thicken nicely in the refrigerator.

Refrigerate dressing for a couple of hours before serving so the flavors can develop.  A few other blogs that have shared this recipe say the dressing stays good in the refrigerator for 3 weeks, but I'm skeptical and think 1 week sounds more likely!

To make the salad, just arrange washed, dried, and torn bibb or butter lettuce on plates, then top with tomato wedges and dressing.

Yield: About 3 cups


12 comments:

  1. I LOVE Green Goddess dressing! Sounds yummy. I did deviled eggs this time. They were good.

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    1. Mm, deviled eggs! I actually made this on Wednesday, and last night had a big salad for dinner. It was just the lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing like in the recipe, but with the addition of 2 cut up hard boiled eggs. Went very well with the rest of the salad!

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  2. What an off putting experience not to be able to eat the salad because that dressing was that bad. Good for you to give it a second try. I'm really a vinegar and oil user myself but this sounds really good and I'm going to have to give it a try.

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    1. Yeah, normally even if I don't like something, I can still manage to choke it down. Not that time! I really wonder what combination of herbs they used. It tasted like there was a bit of mint and cinnamon in it. Now I love mint, and a little mint mixed in would probably be okay, but mint plus ground cinnamon, plus a bunch of other herbs? I even like cinnamon in some savory dishes, but apparently not that particular salad dressing.

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  3. I have never made the Green Goddess dressing! sounds delicious. I love to try different kinds of dressings for salads. will give this a whirl soon

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    1. If you like herbs and creamy dressings, you will probably enjoy this one. I think it would be good with a good quality Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, too. Will have to try that.

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  4. Green Goddess is one of my favorites, this looks wonderful!

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    1. It really is! We had this salad with dinner for the third night in a row tonight and are not getting tired of it at all. What herbs are in the kinds you've had?

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  5. I love basil green goddess. This would make a nice dinner with the shrimp cocktail I made this month! Alas, my supply of basil has seen better days. See you next month!

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    1. Hi Mary! Yes, I keep thinking that cold, cooked shrimp would be a fantastic addition. My husband loves shrimp and I doubt the would be too opposed! Going to go check out your shrimp cocktail.

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  6. One of my favorite dressings! Ina's recipe is great!

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  7. Beautiful dressing--I love the salad dressing. Melissa Clark (New York Times) makes a wonderful dip called Greek Goddess, which is much l like this with the addition of Greek yogurt and feta to thicken it. Perfect for veggie dip. Happy Thursday!

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