Ranch-obsessed tourists, I see youLast Christmas, I had a harrowing experience with T.S.A. As I packed, I didn’t doubt whether a small (albeit four-ounce) jar of specialty mustard for my father would make it through security. I’d had no issue traveling with it the year before. Then an agent pulled my bag. She rummaged through it, extricated the mustard and declared it a liquid. Bleary-eyed and foolishly defiant, I replied: “No, it’s mustard.” “If I open it and turn the jar over,” she said, “you’re telling me it won’t pour out?” I shook my head. “It’s pretty thick.” Open the jar she did, holding it above her gloved palm. Nothing came out. She looked me in the eye, shook the jar until a bit plopped out and held out her hand. “See?” Humiliating. Consider this a show of solidarity with the World Cup tourists who have become entranced by one of America’s greatest exports, ranch dressing, and are trying and failing to get large bottles of it through airport checkpoints. “If you’re visiting for a very large sporting event and you happen to discover RANCH while you’re here,” the T.S.A. warned on X, “pls pack it in your CHECKED BAG on the way home.” Eleanore Park’s classic ranch dressing is here to soften the blow. It is decidedly better than the store-bought stuff and easy to make, as it relies entirely on dried herbs (chives, parsley, dill) and aromatics (onion and garlic powders) to recreate those Hidden Valley flavors. Classic Ranch DressingStill, fresh chives and mint really upgrade this ranch dressing with fresh herbs, adapted by Julia Moskin from the pizzeria Emily in Brooklyn. I’ve always found pizza and ranch to be a controversial combination, though I know I’m in the minority. Would you put ranch on this five-star pizza margherita? What about on Melissa Clark’s sheet-pan pizza al taglio? Ranch is for vegetables! The backbone of a good ranch is tangy buttermilk. But that tartness can be achieved by other means, like through the creamy Greek yogurt in Naz Deravian’s thicker fresh ranch dip. Make that the day before you hit the beach or pool, pack it in the cooler and enjoy it with Ali Slagle’s buffalo crudités. There are myriad other ways to freestyle your ranch, whether you’re a new convert or a lifelong lover. Alexa Weibel’s chopped salad with jalapeño-ranch dressing makes the case for a dressing with heat, a welcome contrast to the sweet corn and mild avocado throughout. Lex has done all sorts of things with ranch, frankly. She’s replicated buttermilk’s tang with feta and mayonnaise in her feta-ranch wedge salad. She’s made pickle ranch! And Ali Slagle has gone so far as to make this vegan avocado ranch dressing, so that everyone can enjoy the creamy, herbaceous qualities of this darling sauce. Serve any one of these dressings with Ali’s buffalo grilled mushrooms or buffalo cauliflower, with Millie Peartree’s fried green tomatoes or as the binder of a simple chickpea or potato salad. You know what will always make it through T.S.A.? Ranch seasoning mix. Combine 1 ½ teaspoons dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. If you have them, ¼ teaspoon mustard powder and 2 tablespoons buttermilk powder will add some zip. Store in the refrigerator forever. Double ranch mozzarella sticks, anyone? Finally, a very important PSA: My cookbook, “Veg Everything,” is on super sale with Barnes & Noble — 50 percent off from now until the publication date, Sept. 15. No special terms, no secret membership. That’s $19. You can’t even buy a Sweetgreen salad for $19 anymore. The powers that be have told me they don’t do this often. I have no choice but to believe them. This discount is available online and in physical retail stores. The tiny Tanya who used to go to Barnes & Noble to “hang out” — drink a Frappuccino, flip through magazines and buy the latest book in “The Clique” series — would never believe this. I hope you’ll preorder it today!
Chopped Salad With Jalapeño-Ranch Dressing
Sheet-Pan Pizza al Taglio
Fresh Ranch DipOne More Thing!Bleak: Where has all the cottage cheese gone? Chic: Ranch water. Thanks for reading, and see you next week! For a limited time, you can enjoy free access to the recipes in this newsletter in our app. Download it on your iOS or Android device and create a free account to get started. Email us at theveggie@nytimes.com. Newsletters are archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at cookingcare@nytimes.com if you have questions about your account.
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