Some times, cooking comes naturally, like breathing. Other times, cooking must be learned, like riding a bicycle. I've ridden this salad-dressing and simple-vinaigrette 'bike' for so long, it now seems like breathing.I make it every day, some times twice. I often use good ingredients, good olive oil, good vinegar; mostly I use the every day stuff. It's always the same, it's never the same, both at once except that it's always good. When I make it for others, I get quizzical looks. "What IS this?" I hear. "It's my favorite salad dressing," I answer. "I'll show you."
Many years ago, it was Ann Lemons who showed me how to make salad dressing. She and husband Joe Pollack are big shots in the St. Louis food world, with piles of credits to their names. Ann and Joe are blogging now. This post is my way of saying Welcome to the world of food blogging -- and to thank you, Ann, publicly, for teaching me how to breathe, even as I, in turn, teach others.
This salad dressing recipe was first published in a 2003 Kitchen Parade column featuring a trio of salad dressing recipes. Along with My Favorite Salad Dressing, there is Buttermilk Balsamic Dressing (easy to make ahead and store in the frig for a week or so, best of all, it's a rare salad dressing with zero Weight Watchers points) and Traditional Balsamic Dressing (delicious and worth an occasional splurge).
MY FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 minutes
This is not a recipe, per se, but a simple concept. Once you learn the concept, you'll never need a 'recipe' again and can easily adapt the ingredients for your own taste profile and the quantities for a single serving to a crowd.
For starters, use a garlic press or a fork to mash a garlic clove in a salad bowl. If you prefer a hint of garlic, rub the clove along the bowl’s sides and then discard it; you can also substitute a dollop of a garlic-ginger mixture that’s often found in produce sections near the fresh garlic. Add some salt, then a dollop of a favorite mustard. Rub these together with the fork.
Pour in a double splash of vinegar, your choice, but the less harsh the vinegar, the better the dressing. With the fork, whisk the vinegar into the mustard-salt mixture.Now add a splash of good olive oil (this is a time to bring out the extra virgin olive oil) and whisk again. The traditional proportion of oil:vinegar is 3:1 but I’ve come to prefer considerably less oil, closer to 1:3. Add some freshly ground pepper. Taste the dressing, then adjust the ingredients to mirror your own taste profile. If you wanted a simple oil and vinegar dressing, you're done!
(If you're making the dressing ahead of time, stop here for the moment, until just before serving. For supper, I'll make the dressing while the meat cooks, then continue while it rests. For parties and potlucks, everything is prepped in advance. The dressing goes in a small jar, the washed greens in a freezer bag, everything else in individual tupperware containers.)
But if you feel exotic, add chopped fresh herbs and/or grated Parmesan. Taste the dressing again. It's good, yes?Once you're ready to serve, add the salad greens and any other salad ingredients. Toss them into the dressing (your hands will be most efficient but salad servers work too) until the greens are covered, everywhere, with dressing. Grab a fork ... and enjoy!
Do experiment with ingredients: it’s fun, it's always worth eating . And in no time, you'll find yourself looking forward to an always-new, always-fresh salad.
A CHALLENGE!
~ Never Buy Salad Dressing Again! ~
~ Homemade Creamy Vinaigrette ~
~ Thousand Island Dressing ~
~ How to Make Caesar Salad ~
~ more salad dressing recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture
~ Never Buy Salad Dressing Again! ~
~ Homemade Creamy Vinaigrette ~
~ Thousand Island Dressing ~
~ How to Make Caesar Salad ~
~ more salad dressing recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture
NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2006
Your Comments:
Vanessa, great tip. Briny additions are great in salads. Last night's was kalamata olives/fresh pears with feta crumbles. (You know that old commercial, "I ate the whole thing"? I ate the whole bowl and called it supper!)
Others ~ Add your own salad tips, it looks like we have a chance to inspire lots of salad-making!
Sushma
http://www.sunkiran.com
http://www.shabbycheap.blogspot.com
You might check the salad dressing recipes from the archives and instead of trying to replace the mustard, find recipes without it that have lots of flavor. Take a special look at the Orange Cumin Dressing.
re: mustard, presumably you've been trying good mustards, not just the yellow stuff? It makes a huge difference, if by chance not. Dijon is the classic but I have a favorite Finnish mustard and love the stone-ground mustards from Germany.
Hope this helps!
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