Tuesday, August 10, 2010

ono-ono dressing

i've been trying to be a bit more creative in the kitchen these days. over the last month i've attempted at least one new recipe each week, with varying degrees of success. i find that salad dressing recipes are super easy to make, and usually i'm quite pleased with the result.

tonight, i made the ono-ono salad dressing.

before you accuse me of being pretentious by naming a salad dressing "onolicious," (meaning "good to eat" in hawaiian) i assure you that it really is the name. i don't recall where on the vast internet i discovered this recipe, it's from the royal hawaiian restaurant in laguna beach, california, but i do know it's been languishing in the coffers of my recipe box for at least two years.

recipe:
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Coleman's Dry Mustard
1/2 cup Best Foods mayonnaise
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled, plus additional for garnish
Chilled lettuce, such as Bibb lettuce or Hawaii Manoa lettuce

1. Mix all ingredients except cheese and lettuce in food processor.
Blend thoroughly.
2. Place mixture in bowl and gently add the crumbled cheese. Cover and
chill well.
3. Serve on Bibb lettuce with an extra sprinkle of cheese on top.

i used butter lettuce and tossed in some chicken. i feel that the amount of sugar can easily be reduced without a noticeable difference in flavor, and i added more salt, pepper and garlic to suit my tastes. it makes quite a bit, and i will definitely be making this again.

so it is with little fanfare that i present a crappy cameraphone photo of something that is really quite delicious.

9 comments:

  1. Looks yummy and cute bowl. Would love to try some of that soon!

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  2. Sounds delish! Experimenting in the kitchen is always fun, especially when you come up with a signature dish that you can call your own.

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  3. I have a question for you...did this taste exactly like the original? I really hope it did because it's our favorite salad dressing on the planet!!!!!!!! Hands down!!! I know people who have tried it with little success.

    Thanks!

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    1. This recipe is not it the Royal wine dressing is much thicker I think I figured it out but I don't have the exact quantities yet mostly mayonnaise with soy sauce sugar garlic a little salt maybe a little pepper a little mustard a little sesame oil in a little lemon it should be real thick this recipe is too thin and the white wine vinegar takes over

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  4. As far as I know the people at the Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach never gave out the recipe for their Ono Ono dressing. I used to eat there all the time since the late 60's and this is a recipe I came up with and sent to the Register in 2007. It also posted on some Tiki websites. Hope you liked it. I threw in the manoa lettuce suggestion to make it more Hawaiian. Susan Anderson Bender formerly of Tustin, CA

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  5. We've been eating at this restaurant for 50 years and I can't wait to try this recipe. You wouldn't have the rib sauce recipe would you? So sad to see it gone.

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  6. I am also desperate to get the rib recipe. I never ate anything other than the spare ribs there because they were that good!

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  7. I made the dressing. it's not as thick as the original

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  8. Yeah it's definitely not as thick. I just made it when I would go to the Royal Hawaiian and ask for extra dressing they would bring it out and it was thick like mayonnaise maybe this recipe needs more mayonnaise seemed a little more tart than the original I think it's a good starting point though I'm going to try some Worcestershire in it too to tone down tartness there's Worcestershire in a lot of blue cheese recipes and this is basically a blue cheese kind of dressing

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