Mama said it was an old Southern recipe that she grew up eating. You'd take hot bacon grease and pour it over a simple salad of lettuce, radishes, and scallions. The lettuce gets a little soft and wilty, thanks to the hot oil. It sounded weird but good. So I thought I'd veganize it.
For my vegan version, I used olive oil and Liquid Smoke to mimic the bacon grease. I heated a tablespoon of oil in a little skillet for about 3-5 minutes, and then I added a splash of Liquid Smoke and a splash of red wine vinegar (not even enough to measure).
For the salad, I use the fresh romaine and radishes, plus a little chopped green onions and some salt and pepper. After heating the oil, I immediately tossed it with my salad. The result was a light and bacony side dish that put a nice spin on my usual side salad.
I'm surprised that you didn't use the magic vegan bacon grease.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea! I have never heard of this salad either and the way you thought to veganize it is so smart!
ReplyDeleteI remember years ago I ha a spinach salad and the dressing was warm and it was really amazing. I actually get cravings for that salad and have never thought to try it myself. I'm going to try this soon!!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting, I want to try this! Glad you had a non-Magic vegan bacon grease option, as even if I could get that here it is too much coconut oil
ReplyDeleteI never had the version of spinach salad with hot bacon dressing so i never thought to try a vegan version- this sounds so good! I love a mix of greens that are semi wilted. Using liquid smoke is such a good idea-i swear i’ve had my bottle of it for a year, i only ever need a few drops per recipe!
ReplyDeleteTtrockwood
Sounds similar to the recipe that Alton Brown had that I wanted to try. He took bacon grease (I would like to do this with vegan magic bacon grease) and coated wedges of raddiccio. Then he grilled the wedges. It looked pretty tasty!
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