I am quite aware that ‘Catalina’ – in this case – does not, in ANY way, shape or form, refer to any foodstuffs from the Catalan region of Spain – so if you’re thinking about getting into a medium or, even a high, dudgeon about how this in no way, shape, or form reflects Spanish cuisine, save your spleen and chill out (you would not believe some of the comments I’ve come across on other sites).
This is a really cool, REALLY easy, and TOTALLY tasty take on the famous tangy red French dressing from our friends down the road at mega food and cheese producer (I am assuming I can use the name Catalina – mentioning the company by name might just be pushing my luck).
Don’t be put off by the ketchup.
In truth, I’ve had this stashed in my ‘let’s try this’ folder for a while; it was truly only sheer laziness on my part that I actually took the little time it takes to toss it all together.
I was planning a salad as a side course for dinner, and I was running low on my new favorite REALLY GOOD Blue Cheese Dressing. Spiced Dressing sounded good, but I wasn’t feeling the love for all the ingredients called for.
What to do?
I decided to make this riff on an old school French dressing (remember French dressing means simply – no cooking) that just happens to be a snap to toss together. I THINK ‘Catalina’ is meant to evoke the island in California – maybe some restaurant there came up with the original recipe before it got took multi-national by the folk down the road. In any event – I now have a NEW FAVORITE dressing, and can scratch yet another bottled 
product off my market list.
INGREDIENTS
•1/4 cup sugar
•1/4 tsp salt
•1 dash paprika
•1/4 tsp chili powder
•1/4 tsp celery salt
•1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
•1/2 onion, or to taste
•1/4 cup cider vinegar
•1/3 cup ketchup (try my take on ‘sup! here)
•1/2 cup canola oil
Place all ingredients, except the oil, into a blender and pulse to combine and mince the onion. Stream the oil in slowly while the blender is running to emulsify. Store in a jar in the fridge.
This dressing, once it’s been emulsified in the blender, doesn’t seem to separate the way other home made dressings will, so that’s a good thing; we’re also thinking that this may well become the go-to sauce for chicken on the grill next summer.