August 8, 2008

Best Creamy Salad Dressing on a Home Grown Salad Ever

So, yeah, creamy salad dressing is one of the greatest things about life. It took me quite a while to come to this conclusion, what with my fear of white creamy foods and all... but let me assure you -- it's true.

I'm sure you agree with this, or at least admit it might be true, because, really, I'm so boring, that there's really no other reason to read this blog unless you subscribe to my particular food opinions, in some form or another.

It's convenient really, because I don't even feel guilty... So, annyways...

Tonight, we had a meeting with a friend of a friend who needs some pro-bono help on his charitable organization -- and, conveniently, they need legal help I'm actually somewhat qualified to provide. What a great feeling!

As he told us all about his efforts, I slowly chopped my way to the homemade and home-grown dinner, because, technically, he was a dinner guest, even though he just ate good cheese and left before we devoured everything else.

So, as he described his project, I chopped our latest huge harvested japanese cucumber. We've finally learned that the stem-ends are bitter. VERY BITTER. Think Lye. So, after many slices and tastes, it turns out, you need to throw out (or at least into the compost) at least 1.5 inches from the stem for an 18 inch Japanese cucumber. Finally. Done.

As he described his project, I chopped 7-8 middle-sized home grown tomatoes from our plants. We've gotten in the habit of harvesting red/orange/yellow and letting them shelf-ripen 'til soft. Amazing. To date, the 7 tomato plants we've been caring for have been one of the greatest efforts of my life. I'm SO PROUD! Particularly of the huge black krim fruits, which are all so green, but huge and waiting for ripening, after the great fungal infection, pruning, treating, and medicinal treatment from earlier this summer.

He kept talking. 5 cloves of garlic: ends and skins removed. 1 cup of basil, harvested 4 days prior and wilting in the fridge. I avocado, sliced, and removed from the skins. I took these 3 prior ingredients and put them in the cuisinart. I added olive oil around the dish a few times. I added rice vinegar around the dish a few times. I added floral honey from baja, at least a minute of pouring. I added red pepper flakes and sea salt. And then, I pulsed. I pulsed again. I pushed down with the spoon, and then I puréed.

And all of a sudden, the pro-bono client left. And we were left with the best creamy salad dressing ever: a combo of vinegar, olive oil, avocado, red pepper flakes, vinegar, garlic, artisanal honey, and sea salt.

If you can toss it over your home-grown tomatoes and cucumbers, all the better. And now, my friends, we're full!

Enjoy!

4 comments:

Arvay said...

It does sound delicious! But as to your "particular food leanings" in general, you don't like pulp in orange juice, you heathen!

Anonymous said...

It's true. I don't. I admit it. Oh well...

-bt

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I don't think I've commented before, though I read your blog fairly regularly (leaning towards getting a law degree).

One trick for cucumbers that I learnt as a child (in India) - cut about an inch off the end, and rub the cut end in circular movements over the other cut surface of the cucumber, until you get some frothy liquid. Wash. Repeat on other end of cucumber. This was held to remove the bitterness of cucumbers. I didn't bother with this technique in the US as I found cucumbers weren't bitter, but the ones we grew at home tended to be unless we did this.

HTH,

M

Anonymous said...

Wow M,

Thanks for the cool tip!

Good luck in your potential legal endeavors.

-bt