My Goodness, That's GOOD! Basil Green Goddess Dressing...

I don't normally post during the middle of the week, but I have one last Barefoot Contessa recipe that I made over the weekend that I really wanted to make sure I shared with y'all before the weekend arrives and I focus on other recipes. I've started making my own salad dressings lately, because most bottled dressings just don't cut it for me...the only bottled salad dressings I buy are Newman's Own. To me, they taste most like something I could have whipped up in my kitchen. If I have time, I really enjoy making my own flavored vinaigrettes.

When I was looking at Ina Garten's recipes last week to plan Saturday night's dinner, I came across a recipe for a gorgeous Basil Green Goddess dressing. Green Goddess was evidently a very popular dressing back in the day. Then Ranch came along and sort of pushed it aside, and its popularity has gone down in recent years. However, I'm going to stage my own personal one-woman campaign to bring it back!! Last year, Michael and I were fortunate enough to eat at Thomas Keller's amazing ad hoc in Napa Valley. The salad course that night featured an Avocado Green Goddess dressing that Michael and I went absolutely crazy for.

Ina's recipe doesn't have any avocado, but it is the most lovely shade of green thanks to the basil! I might tweak the recipe next time and add a half of a ripe Haas avocado to see if I can replicate the dressing we had at ad hoc. But...for now, we really loved the great, bold flavors in this dressing! I made a half batch, which is 1 cup of salad dressing. After using it on our salad that night, I've been using the leftovers as a dip for snacks this week.

One caveat: this dressing has a very pronounced garlic flavor. If you're not a garlic lover, you might want to cut the amount below in half!

Basil Green Goddess Dressing

adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup good mayonaise (I only use Hellman's)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I use Daisy Light brand)
• Milk
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 3-4)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Step 1:  Place the mayo, sour cream, green onions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. 

Step 2:  Blend until combined and the dressing is a lovely shade of green. I found it effective to pulse at the start, and then let it go on regular speed for about a minute. If it looks a little thick, add a bit of milk until you get the consistency you're looking for. I think I added about 1/3 cup of milk to make it pourable. It all depends on the thickness you prefer!

Step 3:  Place the dressing in a plastic container and refrigerate until you're ready to use. I think that preparing the dressing a few hours ahead is best, because that will allow all of the flavors to combine well.

When you're ready to serve, put some salad greens in a bowl and toss well to combine. The original recipe recommends using Bibb lettuce and diced tomato. I simply tossed some organic baby field greens with the dressing, along with a bit of good parmesan cheese.

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