Welcome to My Kitchen

Welcome to My Kitchen

Springtime salads are a refreshing change from winter stews and casseroles. Fresh greens, young onions and radishes topped with a flavorful dressing and served with a dinner roll make a light meal. Add diced cooked chicken, well trained tuna, cooked shrimp or ham for a full meal salad.

Salad dressing is nearly as important as the salad ingredients. From simple oil and vinegar to elaborate ingredient mixtures, the dressing flavor enhances the salad ingredient flavors while melding all into a savory dish.

Raspberry Dressing, attributed to the late Helen Pierce of Odessa, is a sweet, yet savory blend, excellent for any green salad with a bit of fruit added. Ham is a complimentary meat to add to salads along with this dressing.

Raspberry Salad Dressing

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 Tbsp hazelnut or grape seed oil

1/2 tsp honey Dijon mustard

1 1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely ground

Combine all ingredients and let stand 1 hour. Shake well before serving. Yield: about 2 cups dressing.

My favorite salad to serve with this dressing includes leafy salad greens, sliced green onions, tossed together and scattered with 1 cup fresh raspberries and 1/2 cup feta cheese.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing, popular in the 1960’s and 70’s, is making a comeback in the current salad dressing lineup. This dressing is ideal for salads including shrimp, avocado or sweet onion.

Green Goddess Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp milk

2 anchovies, finely minced

1 Tbsp tarragon vinegar

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup parsley sprigs

2 Tbsp chopped chives

Combine all ingredients in blender and whirl until smooth and parsley is chopped very fine. Yield: about 1 cup dressing.

Tangy Buttermilk Dressing is similar to ranch dressing, but more mildly flavored. This dressing goes well on any green salad. For a change of pace, try this as the dressing on a salad made with red or Yukon Gold potatoes or salad macaroni.

Tangy Buttermilk Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup finely minced onion

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 tsp ground paprika

Combine all ingredients and let stand about 30 minutes to blend flavors. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups dressing.

If you wish to make a potato salad, 2-3 pounds red or Yukon Gold potatoes, or one pound salad macaroni for a creamy pasta salad.

Note: if creamy pasta salads become too dry, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk.

Catalina Dressing is a universal dressing, good on all kinds of ingredient mixtures. From fruit salads to meat filled salads, the tangy sweetness of this French style dressing brings out the flavors in greens, fruits, nuts and meat.

Catalina Dressing

2/3 cup salad oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup tomato ketchup

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Dash ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Cap tightly and shake vigorously until sugars dissolve. Chill until serving time. Shake well again before serving. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups dressing.

Catalina dressing is very complimentary to any salads including heated meats or other warm ingredients.

Catalina meatball salad consists of warm savory meatballs tossed with salad greens and dressing with Catalina dressing.

Thousand Island Dressing, is a savory, pickle based dressing, ideal for salads including chopped or sliced eggs. It is the traditional dressing for a shrimp or crab Louis salad, bringing out the delicate flavors of the seafood.

Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp catsup

1/4 cup chopped olives

1 hard-cooked egg, finely diced

1 tsp finely grated onion

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients and chill 1 hour before serving. Mix well again before serving. Yield: 1 1/4 cups dressing.

Note: savory egg salad sandwiches may be made when Thousand Island Dressing is used in place of mayonnaise. Use about two tablespoons dressing for each egg in the filling.

Salads are not always a lettuce based mixture. Corn salads are good dressed with either the Catalina or Tangy Buttermilk Dressing.

Corn Salad

4 cups well drained corn kernels, (about 3-15 ounce cans)

1 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Combine salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl, dress with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of either dressing. Chill 1 hour to blend flavors. Turn into a pretty salad bowl to serve. Yield: 5-6 servings.

Note, chopped celery, red or green sweet pepper, sliced olives and well drained black beans are other options to add to this salad. Toss in 1-2 cups of your favorite diced meat for a full meal salad.

– Share your favorite salad, salad dressing and other springtime recipes with your fellow readers by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Record-Times, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in the Odessa Record-Times office. Weather may have warmed enough to plant some early leaf lettuce and set out cabbage starts.