Our friend Emily Nunn is a people of The Bean. Your clever salad department newsletter is an endless source of salad wisdom. She has written an e-book for Rancho Gordo and is a constant inspiration for better and better salads.
She’s a fan of this delicious take on ranch dressing. It’s excellent, but I’m lazy and left out a lot of the ingredients. I ended up using a spoonful of goat yogurt instead of mayonnaise because I had that on hand. I’m usually a strict sort of salad dresser with olive oil and good vinegar, so this was a jump for me, but I’m sure it would give Emily the fumes, so let’s share her original recipe. —Steve
For Emily’s Ranch Dressing:
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (I use homemade if I have some)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Shot 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 of thinly sliced celery
- ¼ cup wpickle white onion
For 2 to 4 people
- For the ranch: Roughly chop the garlic, then mash together with the salt in a small bowl with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon until a paste forms. Place the paste in a bowl, then stir in the remaining ingredients. taste for salt. Cool.
- In a serving bowl, combine the black chickpeas, celery, and onion. Add ranch dressing to taste (you may have some leftovers). Surcharge.