Summer Time is Salad Time
The weather is finally getting warmer. That means it’s time to eat more salad. I thought I’d talk about homemade dressings. I have a special place in my heart for homemade dressing because that is what inspired me to really learn to cook.
I was visiting a friend over July 4th for a big party when her mother opened a three ring binder full of recipes. Some of them were handwritten, others clipped from newspapers and magazines. She pointed to one and said, “You’re making that.” It was a green salad with dressing.
Growing up, there were always three bottles of Wishbone dressing in the fridge: Ranch, French, and diet Italian. Salad was iceberg lettuce with tomatoes, or if Mom was feeling fancy sliced radishes or shredded carrots. The salad I made and its dressing were a revelation. I never knew salad could taste so good, the dressing was tart and fresh and garlicly. I’ve made my own dressing ever since.
I save small jars, like caper jars or glass spice jars. They’re the right size for making small amounts of dressing and they are easy to clean in the dishwasher. They are also small enough to put in my salad container and take to work.
I think they are far superior to this plastic crap. I used these once and was never able to satisfactorily clean them. The only reason they are still in my house is that my mother gave them to me and she might visit.
Basic Vinaigrette
Let’s start with a basic vinaigrette. A vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part acid. If you want to make a low fat version (unlikely on this web site), use two parts oil to one part acid. I say acid instead of vinegar because you can use a dry wine or citrus juice instead of vinegar.
Start by choosing a vinegar and oil. I have red wine, balsamic, white wine, apple cider, rice and white vinegar on hand.
I also have a variety of oil on hand. Olive, canola, peanut. Using a neutral oil like canola or peanut makes the vinegar the predominant flavor, using something like olive oil, changes the taste. While I don’t have any on hand right now, you could also use walnut or macadamia nut oil. Sesame oil is used as a flavor, I really don’t recommend using it for the dressing. It is overwhelming.
I just do the three to one ratio by eye. Using a small, narrow jar makes that easy. Pour some vinegar into the jar and add salt and pepper.
If this is the first time you’ve made your own dressing, you might want to stop there and add the oil – three times as much as the vinegar. Then shake well and taste. This lets you see how the vinegar and oil tastes. Experiment to find what you like. Remember you could also use citrus. I suggest adding a pinch of sugar or a little honey to balance the sour when using citrus juice. I accidentally added too much mustard, so I added more vinegar and oil and saved the extra for another day. It will separate, so take it out early and let it reach room temperature and shake it again.
Always add the seasonings to the vinegar, then add the oil. This lets the salt dissolve and flavors of herbs infuse into the vinegar. Although most dressing recipes say to add the oil in a thin stream while whisking continuously, you really can just add it, cap and shake. It will separate more quickly than if you whisk, but you’re only making enough for one or two servings and you are going to serve it shortly, so it doesn’t really matter. If you make enough to keep it for a few days, you might want to do the thin stream while whisking.
Once you know what kind of vinegar and oil you like, you can start adding other flavors. For example, add chopped garlic, or shallots or onions. You can also add fresh or dry herbs. Many classic dressing recipes call for mustard. I prefer dijon. Mustard is an emulsifier. If you use it, it helps the dressing to stay blended, and makes it creamier. For quick dressings for side salads, I often just use salt, pepper, mustard and a few pinches of either Italian or Provence blend dry herbs.
I have used tahini instead of mustard to give the dressing a Mediterranean flair. If you want to take the dressing in an Asian direction, use rice wine vinegar and add ginger in place of, or in addition to the garlic. I have also dropped the garlic and mustard and used serrano peppers to make a spicy version. This kind of vinaigrette is a low stakes opportunity for experimentation. Just try whatever you like. You’re only making a small amount, so if you don’t like the result, just start over. I hope, by writing these posts, that I encourage people to just try new flavor combinations and gain confidence in the kitchen.
Warm Vinaigrette
A fun variation on the basic vinaigrette, and my current obsession, is warm vinaigrette. Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette, is probably the most familiar of the warm vinaigrettes. A spinach salad is spinach, red onion, sliced mushrooms, hard boiled eggs and bacon. Make some bacon, and when done, let it drain on some paper towels. Toss spinach with the red onion and mushrooms, then crumble bacon over it. Add a sliced hard boiled egg. Spoon out a little of the bacon fat and add it to some red wine vinegar seasoned with salt, pepper and dijon mustard. Whisk and pour over the salad; toss and enjoy.
Pan sauces are also close to warm vinaigrettes. The biggest difference is that you don’t reduce the sauce. Sometimes, instead of deglazing with wine, I use a vinegar to deglaze and serve it over a salad. This sort of dressing is great over grilled romaine or radicchio.
Creamy Dressings
If you like a creamy dressing, they are also easy to make. Creamy dressings usually use buttermilk, cream, mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream or even cream. Sometimes, they use more than one. Blue cheese dressing over a wedge of iceberg lettuce is a classic. An easy blue cheese dressing combines blue cheese, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, and lots of fresh ground black pepper. I start by putting some blue cheese in a bowl and mashing it with a fork.
Then I add mayonnaise and buttermilk. I add salt and pepper, then thin it a bit with a little (like, ½ to 1 tsp) apple cider vinegar.
Then I serve it over an iceberg lettuce wedge with a pan fried pork chop. If I had bacon, I would crumble a little over it.
You could alter that basic recipe by using lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar. Use sour cream or yogurt instead of (or in addition to) mayonnaise. Again, this is a canvas for experimentation. Make a creamy dressing thicker by adding more mayonnaise or sour cream, and you have a dip.
So, here is that salad I made for fourth of July years ago. I lost the actual recipe years ago and I never measure when making it so all the quantities are estimates. Years later, this is still my go to dish for taking to potlucks.
Dressing:
2 -3 cloves of garlic chopped
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
about ½ tsp of honey (I think the original used 1 tsp of white sugar).
juice of one lemon
¼ cup neutral oil
Combine first five ingredients, then pour in the oil in a thin stream while whisking. Then make the salad.
9 cups of mixed salad greens – use both red and green lettuce – torn into bite sized pieces.
3 cups of fresh basil leaves – torn into bite size pieces.
½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half.
¼ c shredded parmesan.
1-2 T toasted pine nuts.
Toss all with the dressing and serve.
Comments
114 responses to “Spontaneous Cooking: Homemade Salad Dressing”
I LOVE salad. Great post, Tulip, thanks!
And that salad recipe at the bottom looks terrific!
I suspect you’ll expect me to make it.
#notvegan so not for another 41 days!
*sigh*
I also love the tip about saving small spice jars for the purpose. Somehow this escaped me. I’m always wondering what I can use them for as I’m tossing them into the recycling bin.
That’s probably because I don’t need to take my salad anywhere, but I’m going to start mixing in those, as it’s just the amount I need when OMWC isn’t home to make his World Famous Vinaigrette for me. (Like when he’s actually working.)
I’ve also found that most of the spice stores sell bags of spices at a lower price then new jars. I’m jealous that you guys can shop at the Spice House, while I have to order online from them.
For our Canadian contingent, this spice merchant (online, based out of Calgary with Calgary and Edmonton storefronts) does a very good job, and has blends that I think are arguably superior to almost anything I’ve tried from the U.S. (such as Penzey’s in Seattle, whose spice blends make me go “meh”).
Of course, for bulk stuff, if you haven’t got an ethnic store near you, it’s hard to beat Superstore’s ethnic aisles, where you can get megatonne quantities of a lot of spices for dirt cheap.
I’ve been picking many of them up at Tenuta’s in Kenosha (which Glib Pud Paisley turned us onto), and OMWC regularly purchases spices in bulk at Indian groceries.
The spice must flow.
You don’t win friends with salad. 😉
Seriously, vinaigrettes are so easy to make and so incredibly better than bottled shit, I’m just amazed that people keep buying the bottles.
You’ve done a service.
I’d never even thought about making my own. Time to give it a shot. Thanks, Tulip.
Great article Tulip. We make salad dressings in our house; no store bought bottled stuff!
I would add one ingredient you may have overlooked, Worcestershire sauce. A dash of Lea & Perrins in your blue cheese dressing is good. It is a must have ingredient in Ranch dressing.
Tonight will be corned beef, served with braised cabbage/carrots/sauerkraut. Hard boiled eggs, cornichons, black and green olives. Romaine hearts with tomato in a homemade vinaigrette. Mini cherry cheesecakes for dessert.
I will try the Worcestershire sauce. What time is dinner? Can I bring anything?
I like this approach Tulip. Not a list of recipes, but a discussion of the fundamental components. I always like to improvise but I need some place to start.
It is not a salad unless it contains olives.
THAT IS THE LAW
Argue all you want over pizza, on this I will not bend.
Gross. Not a fan.
I have mouthfeel issues with olives.
Yes! And I don’t like the flavor on top of that.
Same with mushrooms but I got over it because I like the taste now.
Now I have a desire for salad. This morning Mrs. Suthenboy and I made baby lima bean soup – sweet onion, baby limas, and salt pork in chicken stock. She made cornbread to put it over. I am full as a tick right now. I can hardly move. I will make a salad later this evening.
“The weather is finally getting warmer.” That’s no joke. Our cool spring passed quickly and we have had a week’s worth of 95- 100 degree weather.
Did I miss it? Why dont any of you heathens put sweet bell pepper in your salads?
Millenials think peppers are for heat?
Sure, I often put red or green bell peppers in salad. I thought it was just common salad stuff like tomatoes and cucumbers.
Peppers, olives, cheese, cucumbers are all good extras in a salad.
We also like to sub in Napa cabbage instead of lettuce.
Why dont [sic] any of you heathens put sweet bell pepper in your salads?
All the time — although the spousal unit, for reasons unbeknownst to me, does not like green peppers. I suspect a bug in her domestic code.
It’s just roast chicken and roast veg tonight, ’cause the MIL-unit’s coming over for dinner. I am gonna make her eat some of my cabbage-and-glass-noodle stir-fry, though. It’s the price she pays for expecting me to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. 😉
Banana Peppers are great as well.
The wife doesn’t like them.
Salad this time of year is simple vinegar and oil with a dash of salt and pepper. The lettuce is about ten minutes from harvest and doesn’t need anything else.
Has there been any talk of the volcano leading to a cool summer?
It’s not working here.
A vinaigrette can be made more stable by using an emulsifier such as mustard or egg yolk. Commercial bottled dressing typically uses soy lecithin.
Yesterday I made some roasted herb & garlic chicken. I took some of the fat from the pan, whisked it with red wine vinegar, and poured it over the salad. It sort of ties the meal together.
Yum.
Yesterday I made some roasted herb & garlic chicken. I took some of the fat from the pan, whisked it with red wine vinegar, and poured it over the salad. It sort of ties the meal together.
That sounds delicious. Good thing I’m heading out for dinner soon.
Here is a dressing that uses miso as an emulsifier:
2 Tbs. fresh ginger root, grated
1/4 cu. orange juice
1 Tbs. wine vinegar
2 -3 tps. miso
2- 4 Tbs. peanut oil
I like it over raw cruciferous vegetables such as bok choi or shredded cabbage.
I dont know if you saw my reply yesterday to your question about pistols.
Death of Stalin review, comment 15
I see that you did.
Model 625…of course I have considered. My collection is mostly about collecting now, not practical use. I carry a Sig 938 when I am out and about and a single action Ruger in 41 or 44 when I am in the woods. The rest are just collector items really. I am a huge fan of 45LC and sometimes carry one in the woods. The mountain gun would be ideal in bear territory or for shot capsules in snake country.
Did you by any chance look at the P365 before going with the P938?
No, I am an old ‘get off my lawn’ type that wants something that operates exactly like a 1911. That is what sold me. 9mm punch in a 1911 that I can put in my pocket. It is like they designed that gun just for me.
Shot capsules. Man, I wish those things were legal here.
What? Why aren’t they? They are really just non-lethal to humans, very short range 410 shotguns.
I believe the phrase you’re looking for is “FYTW.” The RCMP move in strange and mysterious ways . . . Plus, making such things legal in Canada might encourage people to use handguns in the wild, which is also totes illegal here. (Short explanation: Canadian citizens are only allowed to use handguns at licensed ranges in Canada and absolutely nowhere else. The one exception, oddly enough, is for trappers, who are allowed open carry of handguns while traveling their traplines. Go figure.)
Yes, I saw it. Nice collection. I also wondered why you don’t have a a 45 LC, such as a 625. It has better internal ballistics than .429, and way better internal ballistics than .357 magnum (which are ridiculously long cartridges for historical and safety reasons, making them incredibly loud).
I have a bucket full of 45LCs but they are all single action pistols. I had a chance to buy a mint model 25 a couple of years ago but I preferred to spend money on a rifle. It hurt to walk away from that gun. Still does.
As far as I know, S&W is the only manufacturer that makes double-action 45LC that doesn’t weigh a ton. Redhawks are so heavy, for a few more pounds one could carry a rifle.
Winchester 94. Light and perfectly balanced. It is almost easier than carrying a pistol. The 30-30 can do anything those pistols can and more…bump up to a 356 or a 375 and you have even more.
Black Hills used to buy limited production brass and sell it pretty cheap. I bought a lifetime supply of 375 winchester from them and loaded it all up with 250 grain cast bullets at about 1800 fps. There is nothing in the world I would be afraid to go up against with that. The only reason I carry a pistol in the woods is when I need my hands free to work.
You are correct about the internal ballistics. I can load 45LC up hot and it is indistinguishable from 44 mag. I also sometimes load 230 bullets made for 45APC in LC brass. It is fairly easy to get near 44mag velocities without feeling like you are catching a fastball barehanded. That mountain gun with some of those loads would be ideal for self defense, though in the past I have usually recommended the nightgaurd in 44spl.
So many guns to want….sigh….
You can also use sesame oil, or add a dash of dark sesame oil.
That sounds delicious.
From the OP:
Many classic dressing recipes call for mustard. I prefer dijon. Mustard is an emulsifier. If you use it, it helps the dressing to stay blended, and makes it creamier. For quick dressings for side salads, I often just use salt, pepper, mustard and a few pinches of either Italian or Provence blend dry herbs.
I was going to let it go, but Thanks SP!
Warm vinaigrettes rock!
You’ve got to be VERY careful with things like rice vinegar and (especially) sesame oil. It’s way too easy to use too much of that stuff.
Uh huh. I, uh, made a mistake once. I was tasting sesame for days.
Sometimes I just open my bottle of sesame oil to smell it. It is amazing stuff.
Yes it is. We use tons of it. Speaking of which we are about due for some more sesame chicken.
Y’all are killing me here. I over ate the baby lima bean soup and cornbread but now tempted to eat more stuff.
I always drizzle that stuff into stir-fries and broth-based soups. Really pumps ’em up. Love it.
OT: Cause or effect?
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/05/18/how-heavy-use-of-social-media-is-linked-to-mental-illness
From reading McLuhan, the introduction of any new medium makes people nuts. Although it’s temporary.
The issue with many social media platforms is that they are engineered to be addictive, and not merely means of communication.
Its more like; BREAKING NEWS: “crazy people LOVE social media”
Some good ideas, thanks. I even have a little spice jar with the holes in top I can use for a strainer: I thought I would just crush some garlic and save time chopping it because I hate chopping garlic.
I have been pleasantly surprised with bottled chopped/pulped garlic (both raw and roasted). It’s my go-to now for certain dishes, although freshly-crushed still has a certain je ne sais quoi for other stuff (Caesar salad, ferinstance…).
And slightly OT: I’m even more enamoured of bottled ginger paste. Man, why did I waste so much of my life chopping/grating that stuff?
Well don’t let that wasted thyme grate you too hard.
Nice, I might try those. Yeah I went the fresh ginger root once. Jesus Christ never again.
or “route”
Either works. 😉
He could even say the ginger root routed him.
Well, lets hope Trump doesn’t ban it.
I just planted some ginger this spring. I will probably just let it grow and stick with the paste or sliced from the store.
Ginger’s very pretty as a plant.
I’m quite pleased with the jar of McCormick “California Style” minced garlic. I was very skeptical at first. I use it a lot. I still keep a bulb of garlic in my produce basket though because sometimes you just need sliced or chopped garlic.
Pro tip: fresh garlic, microplane. You make a puree quickly which also has good emulsification properties.
Duh good point. And that is in fact the only thing I have ever used mine for.
You can also make some garlic infused vinegar for use in salad dressing. So good you want to drink it straight
I have garlic growing along the back wall of my barn. There’s more there than I could ever use. It’s nice to have a steady supply of the fresh stuff.
Nice article Tulip.
I use a citrus flavoured balsamic glaze mixed in with olive oil and oregano.
If I don’t have the glaze, I use regular (good quality) balsamic and just squeeze and lemon or lime. Sometimes I’ll use a creamy dijon if I’m feeling pinchy and frisky.
Red wine vinegar, oil, parsley are divine with tomatoes and cucumbers.
I used to buy white balsamic vinegar but can’t find any these days.
The wife is an amazing salad maker. She cranked out a soba noodle salad for the weekly side dish.
Soba noodle, shredded cabbage, carrots, and scallion. Jullianed red peppers, and snow peas.
The dressing was some combination of peanut butter, soy sauce, siracha, and vinegar.
You dress it then eat it cold as a side (veg and carb) with the protein of your choice
Oil suggestion: keep around some Austrian (especially Styrian) roasted pumpkinseed oil aka “Kuerbiskernoel”, preferably in the fridge since it doesn’t last long. Only use a few drops at a time, much like toasted sesame oil, or it will take over a dressing. Super dark and toasty.
Also works great to dress spaetzle.
Nice… I really have to try to make fresh spätzle sometime. But I am terrified of messing up anything involving flour and eggs.
Input costs for home made spatzle:
Flour $0.35
Eggs $0.35
Water $0.01
Salt $0.01
Total $0.37
Don’t be afraid of messing it up. Get in there and get your hands dirty. Mess up. Do it again. By the time you’ve invested $3.70, you’ll be good at making spatzle.
All right I’ll give it a shot. My goal is to squeeze it through my potato ricer.
That’s an excellent technique. Used it several times myself.
BUT WHAT IS THE PRICE OF YOUR LABOR!?
Spätzle’s stupidly easy to make and virtually bulletproof, although I have a farmer’s market a 5-minute walk from the house where all kinds of German egg noodle products are sold dirt cheap, which is even easier, so . . .
I will be drizzling some on perogi tonight.
“The Santa Fe Shooter’s Medallions Likely Had Nothing to do With Partisan Politics But Something Else Entirely
As social media commentators battle over which political group they can link suspected Santa Fe high school shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis to, it is highly likely that his politically charged lapel pins had far less to do with an ideology than an obsession with other killers.”
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/05/the-santa-fe-shooters-medallions-likely-had-nothing-to-do-with-partisan-politics-but-something-else-entirely/
Well, the internet was fun.
I’m sticking to my theory that the pentagram-pin indicated that he killed people because of Rush’s 2112
With these sick fucks who knows. Seems legit.
“We were spit on numerous times, pushed to the ground, kicked, pushed, hit, had equipment knocked out of my hands & stomped on. I suppose those clips didn’t make the CTV @ CBC cuts re: my “appearance”. Notice how we are clearly peaceful, backing away & surrounded.”
https://twitter.com/FaithGoldy/status/997941421381431296
“Black porn star sues director for making white co-star call him N-word during racist sex shoot”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/black-porn-star-sues-director-making-white-co-star-n-word-article-1.3994883
That’s why they call it acting.
Nice article. My standard dressing is one part red wine vinegar, one part mustard, one part honey, three parts evoo, and a dash of salt and pepper. You may want to reduce the mustard and honey a little.
My favorite mustard is Sierra Nevada Stout. I do plant on making my own at some point, it’s not that difficult.
Ahhh, a tall Greyhound with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice after a day of yardwork is delightful.
That sounds like Korean food.
Tasty, tasty cocktail.
Good article Tulip.
I’m about an hour away from firing up the charcoal grill. It’s gonna be bacon cheeseburgers tonight. Poppy seed buns, bacon, pepperjack, sirloin chuck, red onion, tomatoes. It will be great.
“Doctor who made music videos in operating room facing several malpractice suits
ATLANTA – Dr. Windell Boutte’s website calls her “Atlanta’s most experienced cosmetic surgeon,” but a Channel 2 Action News consumer investigation discovered she also had plenty of experience dealing with malpractice cases.
Boutte refused to answer consumer investigator Jim Strickland’s questions about seven lawsuits against her, and more than 20 YouTube videos featuring the dermatologist dancing and singing around exposed, unmoving patients. Some show Boutte making incisions while she sings and cavorts to the camera.
One of those lawsuits was filed by 26-year-old Ojay Liburd. He agreed to talk to Strickland about his mother’s visit to Boutte’s Gwinnett County office, because his mother no longer can.
According to court records, Liburd’s mother, Icilma Cornelius, saw Boutte for a tummy tuck and liposuction in 2016. It was weeks before her wedding and she was credits away from earning her Ph.D.
“She just wanted to be perfect for her wedding dress,” Liburd told Strickland. “She had everything going for her.”
She never got the chance to wear her wedding dress. After a more than eight-hour procedure, Cornelius’ heart stopped. She suffered permanent brain damage and will need care for the rest of her life.”
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/2-investigates/doctor-who-made-music-videos-in-operating-room-facing-several-malpractice-suits/751266828
My local newsheads just characterized the Vegas Golden Nuggets as a “bunch of misfits”. Um…
today’s derp award
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/trump-protest-art/559127/
***
On Comedy Central’s Broad City, a feminist stoner found herself unable to orgasm in the Trump era until a sex therapist guided her through a fantasy including Hillary Clinton.
***
[head desk]
LOLOLOL
Way TL;DR as usual but I don’t think we have anything to worry about from these people.
She should have read some huma amd hillary Sugarfree stories. Those make me orgasm everytime.
Huh, I didn’t know orgasm was the word to use for bleeding from your eyes.
OT:
Oliver North is an ass-tarded choice of spokesman for the NRA. I don’t know who the fuck made that call but they should all be fired and replaced with some very boring and sane sounding people no one has ever heard of.
Yeah, the left is gonna have a field day with that.
No shit. Totally shot themselves in the foot with this one.
Odd OT topic on a salad dressing thread, but… Got around to watching Lomachenko vs Linares fight last week. Loma is a beast. If you like boxing, this is a must see bout. IMHO, best pound for pounder out there.
Oh, thanks for reminding me.
Lomachenko says “Golovkin is best pound for pound fighter”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrkxq2ii-ps
I havent seen Golovkin’s recent fight either. he was supposed to fight Canelo but he got suspended for doping
Interesting article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/thresholds-of-violence – hadn’t considered some of the implications. (followed a David French article at NRO that linked to this one – https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/why-do-mass-shootings-happen-best-explanation/
The framing story is very interesting and it is a good example of some police acting very professionally and a bit of needle-skipping when it comes to the narrative.
Is anyone else having trouble posting on the new article?
New article?!
*gallops off*
I started a no sugar no grain diet about 2 weeks ago. I used a store bought garlic vinaigrette on my salad and I couldn’t believe how sweet it tasted.
All you need is the right ratio (3:1) oil to acid, salt pepper and whatever else you want to add. Pour that over some greens and you are all set
Yum! OMWC taught me how to make salad dressing, and I’m still perfecting it on an almost nightly basis. I look forward to trying these and adding them to my library.