I have no problem taking purchased rotisserie chicken or a a jar of pasta sauce, but the thing I’m religious about making from scratch …
… is a salad dressing. I find this to be one of the bases where the least effort gives maximum flavor, raising salads and vegetables of sour brightness with which their bottled bottles simply can’t be measured. You don’t even need a huge amount of dressing recipes in your culinary repertoire – mostly these are five that I use over and over again.
Multi-purpose vinaigrette
When in his mind “simple vinaigrette” quick dinner posts, that’s usually what I’m talking about. I would say some of his versions are on my dinner table 90% of the night. The formula for that comes Silver palate, one of the first chefs I ever owned. I was so young that I didn’t even know the dress was in anything other than a bottle with Paul Newman’s face on it. I love it because it’s so flexible – you really can’t go wrong if you use any vinegar and any plant on hand.
Make: In a small jar or measuring cup, shake or whisk 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup vinegar (red, white, white balsamic, sherry), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper, fresh chopped herbs (parsley) , chives, tarragon, dill, basil). Once mixed, shake or whisk 1/2 cup oil (1/3 cup if you like your topping to be “more aggressive”) in a jar in an even stream until emulsified. (Vegan)
Lemon-Dijon
I use this alternately with the above Multipurpose – but usually when I want to add brightness without adding too much flavor.
Make: In a small jar or measuring cup, shake or whisk 1/4 cup of lemon juice (of about 1 1/2 lemons), 1 1/2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard (I like gray bud), 1 1/2 teaspoons of honey, salt and pepper. Once mixed, shake or whisk 1/3 cup of olive oil in a jar in a steady stream until emulsified. (Vegan if you replace sugar with honey)
Sesame and soy topping
I usually use this dressing with straws, when the main purpose is to reduce the richness of meals. It is so bright and contagious. You can also add herbs – chives, cilantro, dill – and absolutely substitute tamari for soy sauce to make it gluten-free.
Make: In a small jar or measuring cup, whisk 1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, squeeze fresh lime juice, a pinch of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of ground shallots or spring onions. cups of grape seed oil (or other neutral oil) in a jar in a steady stream until emulsified. (Vegan)
The classic Caesar
In our house this is like fairy dust. Drizzle it with any salad – not just Caesar – and you can count on the triumph of the kitchen table. Julia Turshen was the first to tell me to skip a raw egg (as most traditional Caesars invoke) in favor of mayonnaise, which is, of course, just emulsified oil and egg. I don’t like my super heavy garlic or anchovies, but if you do, you can increase the garlic to two cloves and the anchovies to three fillets.
Make: In a blender or food processor puree 1 small clove of garlic (minced), 1 fillet of anchovies (drained), 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, ¼ cups of finely grated Parmesan cheese , salt and pepper.
Creamy Herby green topping
This is another topping that is worth throwing out the blender for. I especially love it at this time of year, when you have a surplus of herbs and when you want to double the green factor with greens or produce. (Try topping it with toasted beets or broccoli.) It’s amazing and served with grilled fish or chicken.
Make: In a blender, add 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup parsley (coarsely chopped), 2 tablespoons chives (coarsely chopped), 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/2 medium avocado, 1/4 cup olive oil 3 spring onions (only light green and white parts, chopped), squeeze honey or 1 teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper and about 2 tablespoons of water. Process until it gets a consistency-like consistency, ie. Creamy, but not too thick and liquid, keeping in mind that you may need to add more water, one tablespoon at a time. (Vegan if you replace yogurt with Indian cream, just use a little less, like 1/3 cup)
What did I miss? What’s your dressing?
PS Summer sauces that do not cook i how to turn almost rotten products into gold.
(Photo: Christine Han for Vegetarians on weekdays.)
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