Green Goddess Dressing...or Dip...

At some point during the middle of last summer I noticed that my blog posts all seemed to be revolving around one particular topic: salad.   I didn't seem to be able to get enough of salads filled with an abundance of seasonal vegetables and fruits.  This year I have noticed another trend:  mayonnaise based dressings.  And they all happen to be green.  In June it was the mint aioli to go with roast rack of lamb.  In July, it was a roasted garlic and basil mayonnaise to accompany a roasted garlic and basil smeared roast chicken.  And today, it is that classic herb-laden dressing known as Green Goddess Dressing.

As a kid (and probably for a few years after that) I thought that Green Goddess Dressing included avocado purée.  I don't know if this is because of the color of the jars/bottles of the dressing I saw on the shelves at the grocery store or if I had some vague notion that the original Green Goddess salad included avocadoes.  I sort of doubt it was the latter since up until I was well into my adult years my knowledge of food was pretty rudimentary.  Since during my childhood I would only have eaten an avocado under duress (I didn't have a very friendly relationship with vegetables...or fruit, for that matter), and then when I learned that they were delicious I was afraid they would make me fat (they won't, by the way), Green Goddess dressing wasn't something that I had ever looked into too deeply.

Then, a few years ago, I had reason to make some Green Goddess dip.  I discovered that it is simply a friendly, creamy dressing/dip made with loads of parsley.  (It also has anchovies...something else my younger self would have avoided...but by the time I learned this, I was already in love with the subtle savory saltiness that anchovies impart when used properly.)  I believe the original version of the dressing includes all of the fines herbes—parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon—and you may add any or all of these if you like—but parsley is the most important addition and the chives, tarragon and chervil should all be added with a lighter hand.  My recipe includes scallions.  I'm not sure where I came by this addition, but I like the sharpness that it adds.

Green Goddess dressing is very easy to make.  Simply make it in the food processor, building a whole egg mayonnaise on top of a fine mince of the herbs, scallions, garlic and anchovy.  Season to taste with salt, vinegar and lemon juice.  The dressing should be lively and acidic.  It will take more salt and lemon than you expect...so season fearlessly, tasting as you go.  You'll know you've gotten it right when you start looking around for more things with which to sample it...a spear of romaine...a cherry tomato...a carrot stick...  a spoon...

Many variations of Green Goddess are made by folding the minced herb/anchovy/garlic mixture into a mixture of half prepared mayonnaise (you may make your own, or use a good quality commercial brand) and half sour cream.  This version is slightly thicker and it is the version I make when I need a dip for a crudité platter.  If you make it this way, you will need to reduce your vinegar and lemon by quite a bit since mayonnaise is already acidic and sour cream has its own pleasant tang. 

This week I made a batch of dressing for a salad I found in Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.  I had had in mind a salad for a summer salad class that was to be a study in greens...avocado, cucumber, Romaine and Green Goddess Dressing...when I saw that Goin had already done the work for me and published a recipe that included all of these elements—called, of course, Green Goddess Salad.  I have added thinly sliced radishes to the mix—copying my friend Nancy's addition to Caesar salad.  The radish adds a pleasing splash of color, zip and even more crunch. 

Since the recipe makes more than we could possibly consume in two small dinner salads, I have been coming up with ways to use my Green Goddess dressing all week long. 

Thinned with a little water, I drizzled it over a lunchtime platter of vine ripes and avocado...

I also used it to dress a salad of Romaine featuring roasted corn, avocado and wedges of tomato...

And today I used it as a smear on a sandwich of thinly sliced steak, yellow tomatoes, arugula and shaved sheep's milk cheese...

All were delicious.  In addition to vegetables, I'm certain it would be wonderful with fish, chicken or lamb.  Frankly, it would be hard to come up with something that wouldn't be improved by a little parsley and onion...some salt and acidity...and of course, some fat.  I still have a small amount left and am sure I will enjoy it no matter how I choose to use it.   Even after a week of eating it almost every day....I'm still not the least bit tired of it.

Green Goddess Dressing

1 c. flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 oz.)

2 to 3 scallions, white and some of green, roughly cut into 1/2-inch pieces   (you should have about 1/2 cup)

2 to 3 anchovy filets—preferably salt-packed—deboned and rinsed

1 clove of garlic, smashed to a purée with a pinch of salt

1 egg

1 cup vegetable oil

1 T. plus 1 t. champagne vinegar

1 1/2 T. lemon juice—plus more as necessary to balance

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Place the parsley, anchovies and scallions in the food processor and pulse until finely minced.  Add the garlic and egg and process until homogenous.  With the machine running, add the oil in a slow stream through the feed tube.  A thick emulsion will form. Add the vinegar and lemon juice and process in.  Taste and adjust the lemon, salt and pepper...the dressing should be vibrant, tangy and salty.  If it is too thick, adjust the consistency with warm water.  Makes a generous 1 1/2 cups of dressing.  Cover and chill until ready to use.

Note: For a more traditional—and thicker version appropriate for a dip—omit the oil and egg.  Add a half cup of mayonnaise (homemade or your favorite commercial brand) and a half cup of sour cream along with the garlic to the minced parsley, scallion and anchovy.  Add vinegar and lemon juice to taste...you will need less since a commercial mayonnaise already has vinegar and lemon in it.  Start with a tablespoon of lemon juice and increase to taste. 

Printable Dressing Recipe

Green Goddess Salad

2 large Romaine hearts, trimmed (about a pound, trimmed weight)

1 large (or 2 or 3 small) cucumber (about 1 lb.)

2 large avocados

5 to 6 radishes, trimmed and scrubbed

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 c. Green Goddess Dressing.....using more or less, to taste

Wash and spin dry the lettuce.  Tear any larger leaves into two or three pieces, leaving the small inner leaves whole.  Cover with a barely damp towel, cover tightly with plastic wrap (or store in a container with a sealable lid) and chill.

Taste the cucumber and peel if the skin is at all tough.  Halve lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.  Cut cross-wise on a slight diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices.  Halve, pit and peel the avocados.  Cut into lengthwise wedges.  Thinly slice the radishes (use a mandoline slicer).

To finish the salad, place the greens in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add 1 cup of the dressing and toss until all the romaine is well coated.  Season the cucumber and avocado with salt and pepper and add to the bowl along with the radishes.  Gently toss to combine.  Taste and correct the seasoning.  Arrange on a large platter or individual plates and serve.  Serves 6.

(Recipe adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin)

Variation: For a "chopped"-style salad, cut the romaine leaves cross-wise in 3/4-inch ribbons.  Cube the avocado and quarter the cucumber lengthwise before slicing crosswise.  Dress and serve as above.  

Printable Salad Recipe

A Celebration of Black Olive Tapenade

One of my favorite condiments is olive tapenade.  I love olives, period.  Chopping them up and combining them with anchovies, capers, garlic and herbs only serves to make them even more lovable.  Tapenade is delicious with an innumerable list of foods, but I would be happy simply eating it all by itself....spread on a slice of toasted baguette (crostini)....or even on a cracker.  You can purchase tapenade, already made.  But like just about everything, it is so much tastier when made fresh, by you.  And since it is one of the easiest things you will ever make, you have no excuse not to (at least once) make it yourself.

I have already listed the ingredients for the most basic tapenade.  The only thing I left off the list is olive oil, which serves to hold all the minced ingredients together in a rough paste. 

This simple recipe is the way I usually make it...after the recipe in Lulu's Provençal Table.  But the list of interesting and complimentary ingredients that can be added is long.  You will find recipes that include Dijon mustard, lemon juice, red wine vinegar or brandy.  Green olive tapenades often include almonds.  Toasted fennel spice can be added...as well as cayenne, and orange and/or lemon zest.  Frank Stitt includes a chopped hard cooked egg in his version (and it is wonderful).  

As far as the olives themselves are concerned, you can use anything you like...all black, all green or a mix...oil packed or in brine.  One cautionary note:  Even if you buy your olives already pitted, double check them for pits.  You will almost always find a stray pit or two.  It is much easier to quickly go through them before you throw them in the food processor than to try to fish the bits out of the food processor after you hear a pit come into contact with the blade.

As I mentioned, tapenade has many uses.  I made a batch for a class this past week and used it to stuff under the skin of some bone in chicken breasts prior to searing and roasting.   

Tapenade-stuffed Chicken Breast with
Arugula dressed with lemon and olive oil
and a Provençal Gratin of Fresh Tomatoes and Eggplant

It is also good with lamb—smeared over the interior of a boned out leg before roasting...or thinned with a bit of oil and drizzled over a grilled or pan-seared chop.  And its salty, pungent tang is perfect with fish...perhaps smeared on before baking in parchment or used as a sauce or finishing touch. 

I made more tapenade than I needed for my class (one recipe of chicken only uses about a third of a cup).  I could have made a smaller amount, but it's no more work to make a full recipe...and I knew I would use it up.  I have been happily consuming tapenade every day since.

For lunch the day after my class I made a goat cheese and tapenade tartine.  

To make it, simply toast a large slice of a nice artisanal loaf, drizzle with olive oil and slather on a thick layer of goat cheese (plain or seasoned as you like...garlic, herbs, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, etc.).  The tapenade is also delicious, spread between two slices of bread as in a sandwich...with tuna...or egg...or thinly sliced cold beef or lamb...or roasted vegetables (roasted red peppers are  particularly good with the tapenade...add a smear of goat cheese...and maybe some arugula.....)....or...  Well, I think you get the idea.     

As I was considering what to cook for dinner on Saturday, I was having the difficulties of abundance.  The farmers' market is at its summer peak and I came home with a mountain of beautiful produce.
  

The temptation to make a big pile of raw, blanched and roasted vegetables and serve them with bread, baked goat cheese and tapenade was great.  But then I remembered that I had some salad greens left from my class too.  With this, I realized I had the makings of a Niçoise-inspired salad.  

The classic Niçoise salad includes greens, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, hard cooked eggs, olives and canned tuna.  Each of the vegetables is dressed individually with the vinaigrette and then arranged on a bed of dressed greens.  The greens and vegetables are then garnished with the tuna (dressed in some of the vinaigrette if you don't have oil-packed), wedges of hard cooked eggs and olives.  For my salad, instead of garnishing with plain olives, I thinned some of the tapenade with some of the vinaigrette and daubed this concoction over everything.  I didn't include any tuna (wasn't hungry for it), but you could of course include it.  Need I say it?...it was delicious.

I still have a few tablespoons of tapenade left.  I wonder how I will enjoy it next? 

Black Olive Tapenade

8 oz. (1 2/3 cup) pitted Kalamata olives
4 anchovy filets (from two whole salt packed anchovies...or you may use four oil-packed filets)
3 T. capers, rinsed
1 clove of garlic, smashed to a purée with a pinch of salt
1/2 t. each minced thyme and rosemary, or 1 t. minced winter savory
1/4 c. olive oil

Place the olives, anchovies, capers, garlic and savory in the food processor and pulse to produce a coarse purée.  Add the olive oil and pulse a couple of times to incorporate.  

Makes about 1 cup tapenade.  Will keep for at least 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator (keep covered).

(Tapenade recipe from Lulu’s Provençal Table by Richard Olney)

Printable Recipe 

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Tapenade

3 lbs. Chicken breast halves, bone-in, skin-on

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

6 to 8 T. black olive tapenade

white wine or water

Loosen the skin on each breast being careful not to tear or detach the skin from the breast.  Rub each breast with olive oil and season sparingly with salt and pepper.  Using your fingers, spread some of the tapenade under the skin of each breast.  Massage the skin to spread the tapenade evenly.  (Chicken breasts may be stuffed several hours ahead.  Refrigerate until 1/2 hour before ready to use.)

In a sauté pan, carefully brown the chicken breasts in a little olive oil over medium-high heat.  If the pan is not large enough to hold all of the chicken at once, brown in batches.  Transfer the chicken to a 375° to 400° oven and roast until cooked through (depending on the size of the breast, this will take 15 to 30 minutes).  Place the breasts on a clean plate and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.  Tip the excess fat out of the roasting pan and deglaze with a splash of white wine or water.  Set aside.

Remove the meat from the bone and slice the breast meat, cutting across the grain.  Serve with the drippings poured over the chicken.  Serves 4 to 6.

(Recipe inspired by The Food & Flavors of Haute Provence by Georgeanne Brennan)

Printable Recipe
 

Niçoise-style Salad with Tapenade

8 to 10 oz.. Small New Potatoes, scrubbed
6 oz. Green Beans, topped and tailed and cut into 2” lengths
1/2 lb. Vine-Ripe Tomatoes (about 8 to 12 oz. total weight), cored and sliced 1/3-inch thick
3 Hard-Cooked Eggs, sliced cross-wise
3 or 4 T. black olive tapenade (or more, if you like)
Red Wine Vinaigrette (see below)
2 or 3 small handfuls arugula

1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced and tossed with a splash of red wine vinegar

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender; drain and set aside to cool slightly.  When cool enough to handle, peel and slice 1/4-inch thick.  Toss in some of the vinaigrette while still warm.

Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water until tender.  Drain and spread on kitchen towels to cool.

To assemble the salad:
Place the tapenade in a small bowl and stir in enough vinaigrette to thin to a thick drizzling consistency.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the greens, red onions and green beans with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat.   Divide half of the egg, tomato and potatoes between two plates...arranging attractively.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with some of the tapenade mixture.  Dived half of the lettuce/green bean mixture between the two plates.  Arrange the remaining eggs, tomatoes and potatoes over the greens and season with salt and pepper.  Top with remaining lettuce/green bean mixture.  Drizzle more of the tapenade mixture over all.  Serve right away, passing more of the tapenade mixture separately if you like.  Serves 2.

Red-Wine Vinaigrette:
2 T. Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed to a purée with a pinch of salt
1 t. Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper, to taste
6 to 8 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a small bowl, whisk together until smooth, the vinegar, garlic, mustard, a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper to taste.  Drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly.

Printable Recipe

Olive oil and balsamic dressed vine ripes with Tapenade
(served with a cheese quesadilla for lunch).

 

Pasta Puttanesca...and the Superiority of Salt-packed Anchovies

For all of my professional career whenever a recipe called for anchovies, I always reached for a tin of the oil-packed variety. At the restaurant where I received the bulk of my training we had access to an astonishing array of the highest quality ingredients...and we used oil-packed anchovies. The food we made there was truly excellent so I never felt very motivated to use anything else. Recently however, I made the switch to salt-packed anchovies...and I will never go back.

I made the decision to give salt-packed anchovies a try during a cooking class that I was co-teaching with a chef friend. She was making Caesar salad and had pulled out her big jar of salt-packed anchovies and was taking a moment to expound on how vastly superior they were to the oil packed variety. I have always thought my friend made a pretty tasty Caesar salad, and as I listened to her I began to wonder why I hadn't ever bothered to seek out salt-packed anchovies. I am, after all, a true believer when it comes to the superior results achieved when cooking is done with really good ingredients. I guess I had just never really believed that salt-packed could be that much better—at least not so much better that it would justify purchasing such a large amount. But I decided then and there to take the plunge and give them a try in my own cooking.

My experience with my new anchovies was completely unlike my disappointing experience with the supposedly superior imported oil packed tuna. When I opened my jar of salt-packed anchovies, I was first struck by the fact that there was no strong odor. The contents actually had a faint briny smell. When I pulled out one of the anchovies, it was immediately apparent that I was looking at a fish(!)...not a mystery strip of flesh that I had to take on faith as having once been a fish. After rinsing and deboning (easily done—gently pull each filet away from the skeleton, beginning at the head end), I found the individual filets to be plump and firm.

2 salt-packed anchovies (4 filets)

1 de-boned anchovy (2 filets)

The first thing I made with my new anchovies was Pasta Puttanesca. On the off chance that someone reading this has never heard of this rather unfortunately named dish, it is a highly seasoned pasta that can be made very quickly with the standard items on hand in an Italian pantry. The most frequent explanation of the name is that the ladies of the evening, for whom it is named, favored this dish because making it didn't keep them away from their clients for long. I found what sounds like a more likely explanation in Diane Seed's The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces. She explains that at one time brothels in Italy were owned by the state. Women who worked in the brothels were only allowed to shop once a week...making a repertoire of dishes that could be made with non-perishable items a necessity. This tomato sauce, heavily seasoned with garlic, anchovies, capers, olives and hot pepper flakes, fills the bill nicely. 

It was this dish that really convinced me to make the permanent leap to salt-packed anchovies. I have been making Pasta Puttanesca for years. And while always good...it had never been this good before. All of the ingredients blended together into a flavorful, harmonious whole....whereas before, occasionally the anchovy taste was out front and center, screaming for attention. I couldn't believe the difference they made.

Salt-packed anchovies can be used exactly as you would use oil-packed—use one filet (half a fish) as you would use a single oil-packed anchovy. But since you will like them so much better...you will probably want to use more. The salt packed anchovies impart the salty richness that one wants from an anchovy, without any of the faint rancidity that often accompanies the oil-packed variety (particularly those that have been opened and sitting for a while in the refrigerator).

As far as storage goes, salt-packed anchovies should be kept in their salt. If the ones you buy come in a tin, repack them in a jar (adding more salt to cover, if you like) for long-term storage in your fridge. Most sources will tell you that you can keep them for a year. Although, it seems to me they might keep indefinitely if kept chilled and well-covered with salt.

Besides the Pasta Puttanesca, I have used my new anchovies in one other pasta from my regular rotation—one that features broccoli. It was also excellent. I can't wait to try them in other old favorites. Perhaps I should make a Caesar salad next.





Pasta Puttanesca

1/4 c. Olive Oil
4 to 6 anchovy filets, minced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. Red Pepper Flakes (or to taste)
28-ounce can Italian Plum Tomatoes, passed through the coarse disc of a food mill (or pulsed in the food processor)
2/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and cut into quarters
2 T. capers, drained and rinsed
1 lb. Penne pasta
1/4 to 1/2 c. minced flat-leaf parsley

Place the olive oil, along with the anchovy, garlic & peppers in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir to coat everything with the oil and cook until the garlic is beginning to turn golden, but is not brown—2 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes with the olives and capers. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.

Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of water to the boil in a large stock/pasta pot. Add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well. Add the parsley and toss again. If you like, drizzle in a bit more olive oil to give the sauce a nice sheen. Serves 4 to 6

Notes:
• Most of the flavors in this dish are “to taste”—so, add anchovy, garlic, pepper flakes, capers and olives in quantities to suit your taste.
• During the growing season, use fresh tomatoes that have been peeled and chopped. You will need about 2 pounds of tomatoes.

(Recipe adapted from Trattoria by Patricia Wells)

Printable Version