Our friend Emily Nunn is a People of The Bean. Her clever Department of Salad newsletter is an endless font of salad wisdom. She's written an ebook for Rancho Gordo, and she's a constant inspiration for better and better salads.
She is an advocate for this delicious version of Ranch Dressing. It's excellent, but I am lazy and left out many of the ingredients. I ended up using a spoonful of goat yogurt instead of mayonnaise, because that's what I had on hand. I am normally a strict olive oil and good vinegar kind of salad dresser, so for me, this was a leap, but I'm sure it would give Emily the vapors, so we are sharing her original recipe. —Steve
For Emily's ranch dressing:
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (I'll use homemade if I have it)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Dash of Tabasco
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
For the salad:
- 2 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo Black Garbanzos (or Classic Garbanzos)
- 1 to 1½ cups thinly sliced celery
- ¼ cup minced white onion
Serves 2 to 4
- To make the ranch: Chop the garlic roughly, then mash it together with the salt using a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon in a small bowl—until it makes a paste. Place the paste in a bowl and then whisk in the remaining ingredients. Taste for salt. Chill.
- In a serving bowl, combine the Black Garbanzos, celery, and onion. Add the ranch dressing to taste (you may have some left over). Serve.