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Garden Lettuces with Scallion-Buttermilk Dressing

Source of Recipe

From "Real Cajun" by Donald Link


Recipe Introduction

"A salad of tender, young lettuces and peppery radishes is part of our Sunday night dinners at home, particularly during the fall when the lettuces and radishes in our garden are at their best (in Louisiana, the midsummer sun tends to be too intense for the delicate plants). We grow a lot of herbs, which means we dry a lot of herbs, and the just-dried varieties really permeate in this creamy dressing. Crispy bacon is a delicious addition to greens tossed with buttermilk-based dressings, but the salad will also be completely satisfying without it."

List of Ingredients

Scallion-Buttermilk Dressing:
â—¦ ½ cup sliced scallions (both green and white parts)
â—¦ ½ cup well-shaken buttermilk
â—¦ ¼ cup sour cream
â—¦ ¼ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
â—¦ ½ teaspoon dried basil
â—¦ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
â—¦ Pinch of cayenne pepper

â—¦ Young lettuces
â—¦ Fresh radishes, trimmed and quartered
â—¦ Bacon slices, fried until crisp and crumbled (optional)


Recipe

Purée the scallions in a food processor, then add the remaining dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth. Alternatively, for a rougher-textured dressing, simply whisk the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Toss the dressing with the lettuces, radishes, and bacon bits, if desired.

Makes about 1 ¼ cups dressing,
enough to serve 4 to 6