Dana Treat – Treat Yourself

Green Goddess, Indeed

Posted July 17, 2008

Green Goddess Salad with Romaine, Cucumbers, and Avocado
Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Serves 6

This is the original recipe from the book. Notice that it calls for anchovies which I did not use to no ill effect. If you are a hairy fish eater, by all means -use them! I also used a large egg yolk and it was fine.

2 large heads romaine lettuce
1 extra-large egg yolk

1 cup grapeseed oil

1 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 cup packed watercress, cleaned, tough stems removed

2 tbsp. tarragon leaves

3 tbsp. minced chives, plus 2 tbsp. 1/2 inch snipped chives

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, bones removed

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. champagne vinegar

2 large ripe avacados

3 Persian cucumbers or 1 hothouse cucumber

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the tough outer leaves of the romaine. Trim the root and core and separate the leaves. Tear the larger leaves in half. Clean by submerging in cold water. Spin dry, and chill in the refrigerator.

Place the egg yolk in a stainless steel bowl. Slowly pour 1/4 cup of the oil in the bowl, drop by drop, whisking all the time. Continue in this manner as the mixture thickens. Once the mayonnaise has emulsified, whisk in another 1/4 cup of oil in a slow steady stream.

Puree 1 cup parsley leaves, the watercress, tarragon, and minced chives in a blender with the garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 cup oil.*

Whisk the herb puree, vinegar, 2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper into the mayonnaise. If the dressign seems too thick, thin it with a little water. Taste for balance and seasoning.

Cut each avacado in half lenghtwise, remove the pit, and peel. Slice into long wedges. Taste the cucumbers and peel and seed them if necessary. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, and cut them on the diagonal into 1/4 inch thick slices. Season the avacado and cucumber generously with salt and pepper.

Place the romaine in a large salad bowl, and toss with 1 cup dressing, 1/4 tsp. salt, and some more black pepper. Gently toss in the avacado and cucumber. Arrange on a large chilled platter, and scatter the remaining 1/4 cup parsley leaves and the snipped chives over the top.

*I found it hard to get the herbs to puree in my blender with only the juice from the lemon. I added enough water to get it all going and then didn’t need to add water later.

Greek Salad
Serves 4

English cucumbers are the kind that are shrink-wrapped plastic. I like them because you don’t have to peel them or seed them and the color of the
peel is striking in this salad. If you can’t find them, use a regular cucumber and if you want to leave the peel on, just wash it well. Do seed it because otherwise the salad will be too watery.

1 English cucumber
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

4 oz. good feta cheese, cut into small cubes, or crumbled

1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (optional)

Olive oil

Lemon juice or red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Cut the cucumber in half and seed if necessary. Slice each half into three pieces and then cut cross-wise into 1 inch chunks. Place in a large bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the cucumbers along with the cheese and the oregano, if using. Mix gently, then add a generous drizzle of both the olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


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