Cook the Book: Green Goddess Dressing
It's funny to think about but salads and salad dressings are some of the most fashion-conscious foods that we eat. Remember when Chinese chicken salad was in vogue? Or the chicken Caesar rage? And who can forget the caprese trend? There were very few menus that didn't include tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. And then there are the dressings—I am still trying to forget raspberry vinaigrette.
According to Lari Robling, author of Endangered Recipes, Green Goddess Dressing was born in 1923, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The chef wanted to pay tribute to actor George Arliss and his play, The Green Goddess. Green Goddess Dressing had its heyday in the early 1970s, but it's not too common anymore. I think this is a real shame because it's absolutely delicious. In fact, I am starting a campaign for Green Goddess Dressing to be the next balsamic vinaigrette.
Win 'Endangered Recipes'
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Endangered Recipes to give away this week. Enter to win here »
Green Goddess Dressing
- makes about 2 1/2 cups -
Adapted from Endangered Recipes by Lari Robling.
Ingredients
1 cup parsley, washed, dried, and most of the stems removed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 scallion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (or more, if desired)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
Procedure
In a food processor or blender. combine parsley, garlic, scallion, vinegar, mustard, and anchovy paste until vegetables are minced. Add mayonnaise and sour cream and blend well. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to develop flavors. Use within 5 to 7 days.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
12 Comments:
I had never heard of Green Goddess dressing until about 15 years ago when I lived in Texas and took a job waiting tables in a steakhouse. I didn't remember it being very memorable but this looks good.
arm1970 at 1:37PM on 05/26/09
I recently stayed at the Palace Hotel, and had no idea that the Green Goddess dressing originated there! how fantastic.
tonks442 at 1:52PM on 05/26/09
Amy's Organic makes a great Green Goddess dressing. My fiance loves it. However, I really want to try this homemade dressing - maybe even tonight! It looks great.
lo82070 at 2:02PM on 05/26/09
Lari Robling is the coolest! Rep it up for Philly!
FeliciasMealTicket at 3:32PM on 05/26/09
i love green goddess. i think that's what i said on last summer's serious eats post about it. maybe it'll stick as a trend this time around?
dmarina at 6:37PM on 05/26/09
Team this book up with Well Preserved and we might have a big winner. I'd love to be able to bottle my own greengoddess salad dressing.
Grumpy Old Man at 7:55PM on 05/26/09
We must be on the same brain wave, I just posted about this recipe today!
cookingbooks at 8:05PM on 05/26/09
I am so glad this recipe is included. My mom's aunt made this (I think from a recipe that appeared in Sunset Magazine) for special dinners, and my mom and aunt carried on the tradition.
I always felt the bottled version had a lot to do with its fall from grace, since so much of what made it an interesting dressing was the freshness it got from the scallion (or chives in some recipes) and the parsley. It's hard to bottle that. When I was a kid, I used to love to get fish and chips and use this dressing instead of tartar sauce.
This book is going on my wishlist immediately.
CatBoy at 12:26AM on 05/27/09
Though I hate to admit my age, when I was a teenager in the 60's-70's, Seven Seas Green Goddess was my favorite salad dressing. I was heartbroken to see it go. My theory is that the popularity of Caesar dressing that led to Green Goddess' demise.
MMinNYC at 1:23PM on 05/27/09
Alice Waters' version of Green Goddess (which is also the one I make) uses avocado instead of mayo. Perfect; creamy and healthier!
Tactful_Cactus at 9:03PM on 05/27/09
I've seen two variations on this recipe very recently in Gourmet and Bon Appetit ! Maybe its time for this dressing to make a comeback!
luxie at 1:18PM on 05/30/09
Hi
I have more info on the Green Goggess dressing
My mother was there and got the recipe from the chef. The main thing is to use Best Food mayonnaise and nothing else. It does make a difference.
LarryLevene at 9:26PM on 07/27/09