Elks Club

June 25th, 2007 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Elks Club
Garbage Salad & Dressing Recipe?

Does anyone have the Garbage Salad and Dressing recipe that was used at the Elk's Club in Ocala, Florida? I remember going there in the 60's & 70's with my grandparents and LOVED this salad.

It was kind of like a Greek salad (feta cheese sticks out in my memory) but there were no beans or fruit in the salad.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know the Elk's Club recipe, but I do know of one "recipe." I put that in quotes because SO much of this stuff gets switched out with other stuff, but I'll save that for after. Here's a basic recipe (and it's very close to an Italian cold antipasto salad).

Garbage Salad

Serves: 10 to 12

1 head iceberg lettuce, washed, dried, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 slices (1 ounce each) provolone cheese, cut into 2- by 1/4-inch strips
6 ounces Genoa salami, cut into 2- by 1/4-inch strips
1 can (14 ounces) hearts of palm, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
1 can (5 3/4 ounces) large pitted black olives, drained
1 jar (16 ounces) peperoncini, drained
Garlic Herb Vinaigrette (See Below) or any prepared vinaigrette dressing

1. In a very large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except
the dressing; toss to mix well.

2. Pour the dressing over the salad; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Here's the dressing they suggest:

Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
Yields: about 2 1/4 cups

1 1/2 cups olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
2 teaspoons salt

In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients until well combined. Pour
over the Garbage Salad or any tossed salad; if not using immediately,
cover and chill until ready to use, then whisk again just before
using.

You could easily switch out some of the Italian meats for Spam (this one is popular in garbage salads!), ham, bacon, or any other meat really! The cheeses can be switched out too, so feel free to add in or sub some of your fondly-remembered feta! I am a big fan of sugar snap peas, sauteed cooled mushrooms, and asparagus in mine. Oh, and if you take this salad somewhere else globally (from Italy to, say France or even China!), you can change up the spices and vinegar/acid in the dressing.

That's the beauty of garbage salad!