Essentials: Green Goddess Dressing
The first time I dared to (knowingly) eat anchovies was in Suzanne Goin’s green goddess dressing, after a few transportingly delicious dishes from Sunday Suppers at Lucques convinced me that she would not lead an open-minded cook or eater astray. I had never tasted green goddess before, but come on, how can you resist an emulsion with a name like that? Before I knew it, I was dipping anything and everything into the tangy, vibrant, verdant sauce. Raw vegetables? Check. Croutons? Probably. My finger? I’m telling you, no shame.
This recipe is marvelous for late summer when herbs are cheap and plentiful and the market is full of candidates for crudité. Goin suggests using it to dress a salad of romaine, cucumbers, and avocado. It also might do amazing things for a BLT, though I haven’t put that theory to the test yet. Ranch may be America’s favorite salad dressing, but green goddess is the classy cousin who still knows how to have a good time.
About the author: Robin Bellinger recently escaped a career in book publishing, which was cutting into her cooking time. Now she's a freelance editor and can bake bread on Tuesday afternoon if she feels like it. She lives in Midtown Manhattan with her husband and blogs about cooking and crafting at home*economics.
Green Goddess Dressing
- makes enough to dress 6 salads -
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin.
Ingredients
1 extra-large egg yolk
1 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup packed watercress, cleaned, tough stems removed
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons minced chives
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, bones removed (I use oil-packed)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Procedure
1. Put the egg yolk in a bowl (preferably stainless steel, but I use glass). Slowly pour 1/4 cup oil into the bowl, drop by drop, whisking all the time. Continue this way as the mixture thickens. Once the mayonnaise has emulsified, whisk in another 1/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream.
2. Puree the parsley, watercress, tarragon, and chives in a blender with the garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 cup oil.
3. Whisk the herb puree, vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into the mayonnaise. If the dressing seems too thick, thin it with a little water. Taste for balance and seasoning.
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8 Comments:
Awesome post!! I was looking for a good green goddess recipe to try over the weekend.
johnnytakes5 at 12:21PM on 08/22/08
This is a great example of what anchovies can do. If you didn't know they were there--you wouldn't know they were there. There's a subtleness to them, used as an ingredient, that's amazing. My only quibble would be towards just a tad more tarragon, and then some summer tomatoes to dribble it over.
lemons at 2:16PM on 08/22/08
oooh la la! i have a jar of good anchovies in the cupboard and will have to give this a go.
cybercita at 2:30PM on 08/22/08
i love her recipe & it's great on a salad of butter lettuce, grilled spot prawns and radishes. yum!!!!!
(and regular ole chilled prawns when i'm lazy)
dmarina at 4:34PM on 08/22/08
This dressing is seriously the best green goddess recipe I have ever tried.
PattyCho at 12:39AM on 08/23/08
Green Goddess dressing was big in the late 70's. I can remember eating this with my parents in that time frame. I can find this occasionally now in stores. But the product in the stores doesn't hod a candle to homemade. Since moving to Utah I have turned many people on to this dressing.
bobows at 5:31PM on 08/24/08
Does anyone know how long this will keep? I made it and it's delicious but I now have the leftover in the fridge and am not sure at what point to chuck it. Thanks :)
abbyroad at 5:40PM on 09/07/08
This recipe looks great- I love green goddess dressing, but hate how often they include lots of dairy products. I host an online cooking show and we did a bunch of different colored "Goddess Dressings". My favorite is White Goddess Dressing, for Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion.
sophia kitchencaravan at 11:50AM on 09/19/08