Family recipe -- how bad can it be?
Yesterday was Labor Day in the US, and because it was a Monday holiday, there was a Sunday shift at the newspaper. And because we don't do Sunday shifts very often, we usually have some sort of potluck dinner to liven up the day. Usually, I bring a veggie tray, but this time, I decided to try a family favorite recipe: Cindy Salad.
The recipe comes from my aunt Cindy, my stepdad's sister. She and her husband had a pool, and every once in a while my mom, stepdad, siblings and I would visit for a swim and dinner. It's basically a sweet-and-sour dressing, poured over broccoli and other veggies. Mom's tried it over macaroni salad and has speculated it might be good over potato salad. In her estimation, one could serve it over erasers and make them taste good. I'm not feeling that experimental, however.
The recipe:
1 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp each paprika, salt and celery seed
Mix them all together, then pour over veggies. I made it with broccoli, carrots and green onions; Mom has started putting green pepper in it, which is an abomination. Cindy used to include mushrooms. Either way, it's a good way to enjoy some veg, even if it does seem to have too much oil. I might experiment a little with the oil-to-vinegar proportions.
First off, I should have bought some vegetable oil at the grocery store. The only oils I had were ancient sesame oil, which I tossed, and olive oil, which I used but which proved overpowering. The !!!OLIVE!!! taste smacked me in the head before I even tasted the subtler sweet-sourness. Ick. No matter what else I did (added more vinegar, added more sugar, added more paprika, begged and pleaded with it ...) would alter the !!!OLIVE!!! flavor.
Secondly, I should have remembered to whisk in the oil slowly in hopes of emulsifying the lot. Instead, I dumped everything into the bowl and frantically tried to get it together. Gave myself a repetitive stress injury from all the whisking. Had to take ibuprofen later in the evening ...
Thirdly, I should have remembered to read the labels on the herb jars. Since I didn't have onion powder, I figured I'd add chives to provide the oniony notes. Instead, I grabbed the jar of herbes de provence and had put in a liberal shake before I realized the error. Whoops. Lavender is not a flavor I want in this dressing.
So I was grossed out by the whole mess, but I didn't have anything else to take and no time to stop at the grocery store, so off it went. And do you know? People liked it. *whew* I did have a token spoonful myself -- it looks bad not to eat what you've brought -- but I tossed out the rest of the leftovers. Will try again later in the week, WITH the proper ingredients.
The recipe comes from my aunt Cindy, my stepdad's sister. She and her husband had a pool, and every once in a while my mom, stepdad, siblings and I would visit for a swim and dinner. It's basically a sweet-and-sour dressing, poured over broccoli and other veggies. Mom's tried it over macaroni salad and has speculated it might be good over potato salad. In her estimation, one could serve it over erasers and make them taste good. I'm not feeling that experimental, however.
The recipe:
1 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp each paprika, salt and celery seed
Mix them all together, then pour over veggies. I made it with broccoli, carrots and green onions; Mom has started putting green pepper in it, which is an abomination. Cindy used to include mushrooms. Either way, it's a good way to enjoy some veg, even if it does seem to have too much oil. I might experiment a little with the oil-to-vinegar proportions.
First off, I should have bought some vegetable oil at the grocery store. The only oils I had were ancient sesame oil, which I tossed, and olive oil, which I used but which proved overpowering. The !!!OLIVE!!! taste smacked me in the head before I even tasted the subtler sweet-sourness. Ick. No matter what else I did (added more vinegar, added more sugar, added more paprika, begged and pleaded with it ...) would alter the !!!OLIVE!!! flavor.
Secondly, I should have remembered to whisk in the oil slowly in hopes of emulsifying the lot. Instead, I dumped everything into the bowl and frantically tried to get it together. Gave myself a repetitive stress injury from all the whisking. Had to take ibuprofen later in the evening ...
Thirdly, I should have remembered to read the labels on the herb jars. Since I didn't have onion powder, I figured I'd add chives to provide the oniony notes. Instead, I grabbed the jar of herbes de provence and had put in a liberal shake before I realized the error. Whoops. Lavender is not a flavor I want in this dressing.
So I was grossed out by the whole mess, but I didn't have anything else to take and no time to stop at the grocery store, so off it went. And do you know? People liked it. *whew* I did have a token spoonful myself -- it looks bad not to eat what you've brought -- but I tossed out the rest of the leftovers. Will try again later in the week, WITH the proper ingredients.