Dressing A Salad

Green salad season is here at our house. Summer salads, especially when local tomatoes are peaking, are more exciting, but good greens are a staple in cooler weather.

My usual choice is a mixture of romaine and Boston or Bibb lettuces, the one crisp, the other tender. Properly dressed, that’s often enough. But add-ins are fun. Cruising the fridge and pantry often yields the extra handful of something that moves a salad into the memorable. Around here, you might find things like

- frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and allowed to marinate in the salad dressing made as I start my dinner prep

- a handful of leftover pasta or rice

- ditto snacky things like cashews or Indian hot mix

- a strip of bacon cooked and crumbled

- a single egg, hard-cooked or gently microwaved

- a few thin slivers of spicy salami

- and of course the perpetual favorite, salt-packed anchovies.

The salad, however, regardless of additions, is only as good as its dressing. I’ve rarely bought bottled dressing since I began making my own. I’d been intimidated about trying it for a long time, and then, finally, a pal took me by the hand and walked me through this version.

My general technique is to peel a clove of garlic and spear it with a fork. Use that as a tool to dip into Dijon mustard and pick up a blob. Plop the mustard in the bottom of the salad bowl. (Some mustard will remain on the clove; that’s okay.)

 

Add a couple of shakes of vinegar (I use red wine vinegar, or occasionally lemon juice) to the mustard. Stir them together, using the garllic-tipped fork, until they’re smooth.

Continue to stir as you dribble in a little olive oil. Slowly the mixture will absorb the oil; the vinegar acts as an emulsifier. This isn’t making mayonnaise; you don’t have to dribble and stir at the same time, just put in tablespoonful or so, and stir, stir until it’s emulsified. Add a little more oil and repeat.

A salad for the two of us will take a little over a tablespoonful of oil, but you can use this method for as much as you need. I’ve found no problems with adding more vinegar or oil later in the process if the quantity is insufficient, even after you've added the add-ins.  The amoutn of dressing I've shown here covered a near-full basket from a salad spinner.

Eventually, it will look pretty much like this:

  although not quite so dark. (Lighting problems....)

If you want to add a soft cheese, like gorgonzola, mash it into the dressing at this point. If I’m using anchovies, I mince them and add them to the bowl as I begin to make the dressing. They break up slightly, more if they’re packed in oil rather than the salt-packed ones I usually use, and their flavor is more widely dispersed.

Once you put in the greens, toss them. And then toss some more. It’s pretty well impossible to over-toss a green salad. Once you’ve finished, throw in the add-ins and re-toss it.

Finally, and only now, add salt, and if you think it needs it, pepper. No surprise that we grind the pepper fresh. But what may surprise some is my insistence on kosher salt. Kosher salt is now much easier to find in stores, and the slightly larger flakes add more than just saltiness. They contribute a texture as well, a final finishing flourish that sits happily on the tongue.

Serve it forth with a happy heart.

-Ann

Comments

[AmandainTN]

Does the garlic break down into little pieces or does it simply flavor it by being a whole piece to stir with? I like your method.

[Ann]

Nope - the garlic remains whole, adding a subtle note. If I want more flavor, I'll scratch the surface of the clove with the fork or the tip of a parking knife. Thanks for reading!