This recipe comes from my favorite magazine, Saveur. I saved it in my recipe folder where it remained for quite some time. One day I was sifting through my magazine rack and I came across this folder, stuffed with recipes I had every intention of trying but somehow had been forgotten about, until today.
The ingredients were intriguing. Thousand Island dressing with finely chopped beets? According to Saveur this particular recipe is based on one used at the now defunct Filene’s Restaurant in Boston. Does anyone remember Filene’s Basement? My sister used to live in Boston and the one time I visited her more than 40 years ago, she took me to Filene’s Basement. What a revelation! Filene’s sold designer clothing at discounted prices. There was no time to think about whether or not you wanted an item. If you didn’t grab it you were out of luck. There was no time to wait in line for a dressing room, you just tried on the item on the spot! I found the most gorgeous pink sandals and brought them home with me.
Oddly enough, I had all the ingredients except for the chili sauce which was easily found at my local grocery store. I rarely buy pimiento but had a small jar that I was planning to use for pimento cheese spread (more on this later). I added Sriracha sauce which gave the dressing a subtle zing to it. I found this on-line:
In the early 1920s Filene’s department store in Boston issued a 38-page booklet called “A Few Favorite Dishes from The Filene Restaurant.” This salad dressing was included, as were chop suey, chicken a la king, and maple layer pie. Be prepared to mince.
Iceberg Lettuce with Thousand Island Dressing
Adapted from Saveur Magazine
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/2 cup regular and 1/2 cup light)
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon each, finely chopped:
white onion
dill pickle
cooked beets
pimiento
chives
flat leaf parsley
1/2 finely chopped hard-cooked egg
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
wedges of iceberg lettuce
Preparation
Fold mayonnaise, chili sauce, onion, dill pickle, beets, pimiento, chives, parsley, egg, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha sauce if using in a bowl with a rubber spatula. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over wedges of chilled iceberg lettuce.
***If you plan to have leftover dressing be aware the beets will change the color if not used right away. You can leave them out or love the pink tint they give the dressing.