ISO Italian Salad Dressing Recipe

[deepfryerdan]

So the next thing I feel like I need to tackle is Italian salad dressing. I've made some in the past and it was alright but now I'm looking for some tried and true, some favorites, some simple but powerful recipes. My wife is picky so it's going to be tough to find one she'll like. I so like using Italian dressing to marinade my meats with often so the winner would need to be versatile.

I'll probably make a few of the recipes I find and get from this thread and I'll then write a blog post about it. So, if you want to be cited for your recipe, let me know.

[deepfryerdan]

Not to plug myself or anything, but the blog post will be at deepfryerdan.wordpress.com when it's done.

[jabbur]

The closest thing to "homemade" Italian dressing I've done is Good Seasons!! Their packet is just too easy and just right for me on flavor that I haven't bothered to do anything else. Also, I'm not one to have a lot of fresh herbs and spices around. They were not something I learned to cook with so my skills using them are pretty poor.

[Claire]

jabbur, you make me feel good. I, too, use good seasons. I upgrade from the plain oil and vinegar my mom used -- I use a good wine vinegar (if I want dark, a decent balsamic) and EVOO. If I have good garlic I might toss in a clove; if I want it zippy I might toss in a dried chili pepper. But Good Seasons is my basic starting point.

[Zhizara]

Good Seasons is also great as a seasoning for potato salad.

Someone posted a recipe for the spice mixture. I'll try to find it.

[Zhizara]

Nope, I was wrong. The recipe I was thinking of was for a Hidden Valley type Ranch Dressing mix.

[CWS4322]

For Italian Salad dressing, I like to combine:
olive oil
white basalmic (or red) vinegar
4-5 roasted garlic cloves
fresh oregano
fresh basil
grated fresh parm.
grated fresh romano
a splash of maple syrup

I use about 2/3 oil to 1/3 vinegar. To taste, use a lettuce leaf you dip in it.

[Claire]

Good Seasons is also my "secret" ingredient for my hot artichoke dip.

[msmofet]

Waring - mine is not a simple recipe but tasty. All ingredient amounts are to personal taste preference.

Italian Salad Dressing – Extra virgin olive oil (or a combo of EVOO, flax seed oil, canola oil), garlic paste, Italian herb paste (or fresh basil, parsley, oregano), anchovy paste (I use the tubes for a large batch that will sit a few days or fresh ingredients for a small batch that will be used in 1 sitting), Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute, garlic powder, onion powder, Goya adobo seasoning, accent, ground sea salt, ground peppercorns, ground red pepper flakes, cayenne, Hungarian hot paprika, red wine vinegar (or favorite vinegar. I sometimes use apple cidar, chianti or champagne vinegars or a combo) & McCormick Parmesan & herb Perfect Pinch.

[purple.alien.giraffe]

This is my favorite. It's fairly simple but takes a little time before it tastes right. I use dried herbs because I don't have ready access to fresh but I think fresh would also work well.

2 tblsp cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or even just white vinegar (cider is my favorite)
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tblsp water
3 tblsp good flavored extra virgin olive oil
1 - 2 cloves garlic (depending on how garlicy you want it)
1/4 small onion (about 1 tblsp once it's minced)
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
pepper to taste
salt to taste (optional, I don't actually use any)
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

The night before you need it, mix the vinegar and lemon in whatever container you plan to store the dressing in. Mince the garlic and onion and add to the vinegar and lemon mix. Add the oregano, basil, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Let sit overnight.

The next morning add the water and stir. If the herbs have absorbed too much of the liquid you can add a little more vinegar and/or lemon. Taste as you add the water to get it to the strength you desire. I don't like mine overly vinegary which is why I add water. Once you get the flavor balance the way you want it add the olive oil. I personally prefer an olive oil with a slightly nutty flavor for this but it also works well with one that is fruity or leafy. Make sure to stir or shake vigorously right before drizzling onto salad (or whatever else you might be drizzling it over).

The nice thing about this one is that if you test it in the morning and the seasonings aren't strong enough you have time to add more. I find leaving them in the vinegar overnight helps draw out the flavor and gives me a better idea what the end product is going to taste like. Also, because it's simple you can easily add other flavors to it as needed. So if you wanted to add grated parmesan to it the next morning you could, or if you wanted to make it creamy you could add a little sour cream. You can also add chopped olives, minced sweet pepper, minced roasted sweet pepper, avocado, finely chopped cucumber, whatever you need to get the flavor that fits.

This particular recipe doesn't make a very large amount so double, triple, etc. as needed.