DINNER BELL : Error, omissions put Dog Days Salad on short leash
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
I’ve been dogged by Dog Days. In last week’s Dinner Bell column, we used a recipe called Dog Days Salad. It was from my daughter, who, I’m proud to say, is an excellent cook. She’s just not quite as good at writing down recipes. (Don’t tell her, but sometimes we lovingly call her Lucy, as in the television program, I Love Lucy. )
The recipe for her salad, which I liked so much she served it to me at least twice during a recent visit to her home, called for 1 / 2 cup Italian salad dressing mix. She failed to explain, however, that you use 1 / 2 cup of the salad dressing made from the mix according to package directions. (She used a 0. 7-ounce package of Good Seasonings salad dressing mix, which makes 8 ounces of salad dressing, enough to prepare the salad twice. ) But she adds that you don’t have to mix your own — you can use any ready-made Italian dressing. Part of the confusion is my fault; I should have recognized, but didn’t, that the half-cup dry salad mix was way too much to combine with only 1 / 4 cup vinegar and 1 / 4 cup vegetable oil.
But that wasn’t the only issue with the recipe. She left out a couple of ingredients — sliced green onions, and peeled and chopped cucumbers. She assured me that it doesn’t really matter because you can add anything to the salad that you think would be good or leave out anything you don’t care for. I can attest to that because I’m sure that when she served it to me, it did not include green onions or cucumbers and it was still delicious.
Apparently she is still getting a lot of mileage out of the salad. She’s had several houseguests recently and says that she has served it to them as often as she did to me.
Here is the revised version.
Revised Dog Days Salad 1 (16-ounce ) package mixed greens OR other salad greens of choice 1 / 2 cup dried cherries OR cranberries, or to taste (see note ) 1 / 2 cup toasted slivered almonds 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half 1 / 2 cup garlic-and-herb-flavor feta cheese, or to taste 3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1 / 2-inch slices 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped 1 / 2 cup Italian salad dressing of choice 1 / 4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 / 4 cup vegetable oil In a large salad bowl, place mixed greens. Top with cherries, almonds, tomatoes, feta cheese, onions and cucumber. Place Italian salad dressing, balsamic vinegar and vegetable oil in a small jar with a lid. Shake well to combine ingredients. Pour over salad ingredients and toss to coat greens. Serve immediately. (To make individual salads, divide mixed greens among 4 to 6 salad plates; arrange cherries, almonds, tomatoes, feta cheese, onions and cucumber on top. Drizzle with salad dressing. )
Makes 4 to 6 generous servings.
Note: Dried cherries are delicious, but dried cranberries are almost as good and considerably less expensive.
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