Salad dressing

I bought a salad dressing from Meerendal, Durbanville, Cape Town and when I wanted more I was informed that they do not sell it anymore. It was pink, light and absolutely summery, devine. Does anyone out there have a lekker(nice) recipe for a citrussy salad dressing, it is summer here in good old South Africa and i would love to splash a home made dressing onto my salad. Thanx.

W.T.
I just checked my "go to" recipe site & they listed 12 different dressings. You'd have to look at the list of ingredients to see which ones look closest to the dressing of your dreams.

allrecipies.com

I just searched Citrus Salad Dressing.

It's not pink, but little lemon zest, a little orange juice, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, some Dijon mustard, rice vinegar and walnut oil makes a really nice, light summer dressing. Rub your salad bowl with a cut garlic clove, mix the dressing in the bottom of the bowl and you're good to go. Proportions of liquid are 1:4--1/4 cup acid to 1 cup oil--but don't use that much for one salad!

Thanx to you both, sounds good. I am still trying to get the Meerendal recipe from the chef and when I do I will share it asap, it was past devine.

Oooooh! That would be wonderful! Looking forward to it.

Whale Tart:

Finally!! A topic with serious political implications.

One of my favorites is a Mango and Arugula salad dressing. Just make it like you would any other;

Mango
Arugula
Lemon juice
EVO
Salt & Pepper.

Oh dear, Mango, Lemon juice, Salt & Pepper all available here but you will have to explain the ingredients, I have never heard of Arugula and EVO, me love Mango so looking forward to trying this one.

[Deleted by the author on Nov 12, 2009 9:44 PM PST]

I just looked up "Meerendal" and there are a bunch of websites. Arugula is a slightly bitter lettuce and EVO is extra virgin olive oil.

Thanx for that, blushing going on here, I feel bit silly for not figuring the EVO out.
I contacted Meerendal and managed to track the supplier of the original Citrus Salad Splash (Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek) and I have ordered some more. I will have to do some trials and see if I can create a version close to the original, it was perfection.

Hi to you all, this is the first link I have ever created and I love the dynamics and mental stimulation of internet relationships.
I have been busy all day trying to get the inside info of this recipe and
YEBO YES, at last, I have it and here it is!
Enjoy and give me feedback please!

Oranges
Limes
Lemons

Use the juice and the zest of these fruits. The zest must be chopped very finely. Mix it all together.

Add
2 splashes of white wine vinegar
Sugar
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Depending on the amount you are making you adjust the quantity of oil & sugar, just like a normal salad dressing.
And that's it!
Looking at the recipe I cannot figure out why it is pink in colour, lets see.

Whale Tart:

Ask yout produce guy to point out the Arugula and taste a leaf; if they don't have it in bunches then you will usually find it in the bulk "spring mix". Our grocery sells it in pre-sealed bags now. It tastes fantastic......I fell in love with it after the 1st time.

http://www.yoursmilingchef.com/easy-recipe/wp-content/uploads/Arugula.jpg

Arugula is a spicy little leaf, which some describe as bitter and others characterize as having a "peppery-mustardy" flavor. Because it is so potent on its own, it is often mixed with milder greens to produce a nice balanced salad. It can also be sautéed in olive oil. You can substitute most any green for arugula, but the closest matches are Belgian endive, escarole, and dandelion greens.

Part of a typical Roman meal was to offer a salad of greens, frequently Arugula ( spelled Arugola), romaine, chicory, mallow and lavender and seasoned with a "cheese sauce for lettuce"

Arugula Pesto
1 bunch arugula, stems removed (about 4 ounces)
2 3/4 teaspoons of coarse or Kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Fill a large bowl with ice and add water, set aside. Fill a medium sized saucepan with water and the 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the arugula and as soon as the water returns to a boil, remove the arugula with a slotted spoon and place it immediately into the ice water to stop the cooking process.

Transfer the arugula to several layers of paper toweling or clean kitchen towels and allow to drain. Roll up the towels and squeeze as much moisture as possible from the arugula.

Place the arugula in a blender jar and add the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the pepper and puree until the mixture looks like thick pesto. There will be a small amount of oil on the surface. Use immediately or transfer the mixture to a jar with a tight fitting lid if you are going to store it. This will keep for at least 5 days, refrigerated. Before using, stir the pesto to incorporate the oil accumulated at the top.

Serve the pesto over some freshly cooked pasta or boiled potatoes

;~)

WT,

Arugula is known as "Rocket" in Europe so perhaps you know it by that name.

Also, the vinegar used may have been RED wine vinegar. I know it turns MY salad dressings pink.

WT,

About your dressing recipe.....do you mean use the zest & juice of ONE orange, ONE lemon, & ONE lime?

WOO-HOO! Thanks so much for this recipe--sounds delicious. I'll try it out at dinner tonight and let you know how it is.

Hi GW, you are right, it is called Rocket here in South Africa and I love it and use it instead of lettuce. It is peppery and I love ze pepper, even throw some pepper in my red wine.
I will get back to you re the quantities, my source didn't say.
We tried it out anyway yesterday, managed to come up with a lekker version but it was still not THE ONE. I think the Red Wine Vinegar is a good idea, the salad dressing is made on a nearby wine farm.
I noticed on another thread
>>Ever made your own vinaigrette? I need your help!>>
the suggestion of Orange muscat champagne vinegar. I have never heard of it before but I am dying to try it, that will become my next hunting and gathering mission. I will get back to you re quantities as soon as I can.
Stevign, thanx for that delicious Arugula Pesto recipe, I will be making it this weekend. So now how about my other link, Whacky Cakes, and no, I don't want to make a cake with dope, how about a Arugula cake?

Ever try Sweet Rice Wine Vinegar for salad dressings instead of other Vinegars?

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1767,132178-240194,00.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-rice-vinegar.htm

[Classic Spinach Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette]

1 can (11 oz.) Mandarin orange segments in light syrup
10 cups small spinach leaves (about 6 oz.)
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, cubed
3 Tbsp. dried cherries, dried cranberries or golden raisins
3 Tbsp. toasted walnut pieces
2 to 3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Pesto Vinaigrette:
3 Tbsp. NAKANO Seasoned Rice Vinegar Pesto
2 Tbsp. reserved Mandarin orange syrup
2 Tbsp. salad oil
1 tsp. Dijon style mustard

Drain Mandarin oranges, reserving syrup. Cut orange segments into halves, if desired. In a large bowl, combine oranges, spinach, onion, avocado, dried fruit, nuts and cheese; toss. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together rice vinegar, reserved Mandarin syrup, oil and mustard. Pour over salad; toss to coat.

Serves 4 to 6.

WT,
Glad we got the Rocket/Arugula thing straight.

Tell me, Is Capetown still a beautiful city?
I was there is the 70's & thought South Africa was one of THE most beautiful countries in the world. Very much like California, where I live.

Political climate was much different then, of course.

Hi GW,
I am sorry about the delay in replying, I had to go and do a top up, kids computers ate up all my surf time, something to do with spyware.

I live in Hermanus, it is just a bit more than an hour's drive from Cape Town. I love it here, its got
sunshine,
wine,
sea,
wine,
whales,
wine,
mountains,
did I mention wine..........
it is very beautiful.
I am a small town gal, Cape Town is too much like a beeg city for me, it is near enough to visit and enjoy but also far enough here from that rat race.
I live in a house that is on a whale watching spot, the whales lie so close that you feel as if you can touch and tickle them, its magnificent. When it is quiet you can hear them breathe, that is the best.
I am in the process of selling though as I want to swing to a small house with mountain views, I feel the need to bring new experiences into my life.
As for the political climate, I love my new South Africa, I did not agree with the old system at all, the chances of course caused its own new problems but overall we are doing really well with unity, the soccer cup will show that. I really did not enjoy the time when we were cut off from the rest of the world by the sanctions, it is so wonderful to be part of the rest of the world after the swing in 1994 and I have supported most of the concerts that have come our way as I missed that the most during the dark ages. I wish Fleetwood Mac would come.........
I am still working on improving our salad splash as it is not altogether there, I will keep you posted, apparently it also has Orange oil and pomegranites something in it.
To stevign,
thanx for your lekker recipe, yum yum. Surely you have not given up on the whacky cake link,
freudian slip kicked it up to the next level, we have to better her, come on!!!

WT,
I am so happy that South Africa has emerged from that unhappy time.
I couldn't help but think, at that time, that it would end in a bloodbath.
It is a credit to all your people that it didn't.

My daughter was there 2 years ago & fell in love with the country & the continent as well.
There is something very special about Africa that makes one yearn to return.

GW,
I was in America July 1994, Buffalo Springs to be exact, very excited and felt as if I am visiting another planet. 15 hours after we had landed we went to a pub and at the end of the evening the band started playing Paul Simon and Ladysmith Mambaza's Diamonds on the soles her soles and I started crying I was missing home so much already. I had a fabulous time but I have an African soul.
Africa has a beating heart, it pulsates all the time, in the old times it was reflected in the drums but I didn't hear it in America.
Oh well, I better get back to the topic or I will earn the bad cookie award. I will take the risk to add that we are very spoilt for choice when it comes to tasty fresh ingredients, and the wines from this region are difficult to beat. It must have been the spectacular Cabernet at Meerendal that made the Citrus salad splash so memorable, two glasses and I was Alice in Wonderland. The hardest thing here is to not drink and drive, we always have to appoint a designated driver as the wines are so more-ish.

I agree WT, there IS such a thing as an African soul. I was fortunate to spend 6 weeks on the continent. From Cape Town to Addis Ababa.
That trip changed my life.

By the way, as you well know, South Africa's wine region is beautiful AND world class.

Good luck in duplicating that salad dressing.