WEDGE SALAD WITH EVERYTHING

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I still remember my first encounter with a wedge salad. It was soon after we had moved to the United States, specifically the city of New Orleans. We were invited to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse a rather upscale restaurant famous for its steaks. So we order steak, sides and salad as a starter. In an effort to try something new, I order a wedge salad. I get this chunk of salad that they had been too lazy to cut into pieces and I wondered if it was even rinsed! I was really upset that they would serve such a thing at a fancy restaurant. Coming from outside of the country, I had to learn that is what a proper wedge salad was supposed to look like - a simple iceberg salad, quartered and served with dressing. Many wedge salads later, I have come to really enjoy this unique presentation of a salad and on top of that, I found that it could come with all kinds of goodies such as cheese, bacon, and tomatoes added to it. So this is my favorite way to have a wedge salad: with EVERYTHING!

INGREDIENTS
1 iceberg salad
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
6 strips bacon (I use Applegate Organics, Hickory Smoked, No Sugar, Uncured Bacon)
6 radishes, sliced
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

for the ranch dressing:
2/3 cup homemade yoghurt (see recipe below)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly grated black pepper
2 tbsp minced chives
2 tbsp minced parsley
2 tbsp minced spring onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
if you don’t have fresh herbs, you can replace the last four items with 1 tbsp ranch spice mix (see recipe below)

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400°F / 200°C for about 10 minutes until crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool.

for the ranch dressing:
Add the yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and herbs to a bowl and mix until well combined.

Remove the outer leaves of the iceberg salad, cut off the end, and cut the salad into quarters.

Cut the bacon into small pieces.

Place the iceberg quarters onto salad plates.

Add the dressing and garnish with tomatoes, radishes, bacon, and blue cheese crumbles.

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HOMEMADE YOGHURT

For this recipe, I use a yoghurt maker to ensure that the fermentation temperature is accurate. Here are two options - I actually have one of each since the whole family enjoys the yoghurt and I make a double batch at once.

Tools:
yoghurt maker with one large container
yoghurt maker with single glass jars

INGREDIENTS
1 quart whole or skim milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream ( If you want it with less fat, you can also replace heavy whipping cream with milk)
7 oz SCD legal yoghurt or other yoghurt starter

note: For strict SCD, it is recommended to avoid yoghurt starter containing bifidus.

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the milk and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan and heat at high heat until bubbles appear on the edges. (Do not boil!) Stir often to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the pot from the stove and let cool until it has reached room temperature or below (about 64-77° F or 20-25° C).

Spoon the yoghurt starter into a mixing bowl and add one cup of the cooled milk. Mix well until a thick paste forms.

Add the yoghurt/milk mixture to the saucepan and stir well to distribute evenly.

Fill into yoghurt maker containers and place in the yoghurt maker machine. Make sure to follow the manual of your specific yoghurt maker. The mixture must ferment for at least 24 hours to ensure that all of the lactose has been broken down by beneficial bacteria.

Take out of the machine and refrigerate for at least two hours before using. Keep refrigerated!

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RANCH SEASONING MIX
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp onion flakes
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried chives
2 tsp dried dill
3 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp salt
black pepper