the definitive guide to salads – part 2 dressing

Hands up any fellow acid addicts out there?

No I haven’t gone back to the 60s and started experimenting with tripping. I’m talking about being a vinegar junkie. Anyone else like to sneak a bit of vinegar straight up on a spoon?

If there’s one part of my pantry – apart from my spice box, that is completely non-minimalist, it would have to be my vinegar collection. Balsamic, sherry, red wine, white wine, tarragon, rice wine, champagne, chinese black vinegar. They’re all there. Sitting on my shelf.

I could make do with one vinegar, like I did in Spain – a lovely sherry vinegar. But to be honest I was itching for some variety in my salad dressings by the time I headed home. If I was staying for any longer I’m sure I would have caved and picked up a nice little old balsamic. I won’t be going minimalist on my vinegars any time soon.

I’m usually a bit more restrained with my oil. At the moment I have some inexpensive extra virgin for cooking with, a peanut oil for whenever I don’t want the flavour of olive or for frying, a good quality extra virgin for salad dressings and an expensive super intense peppery olio for drizzling.

stonesoup salad secrets – part 2 dressing

– mix in the bottom of the bowl
Occasionally I make up a jam jar of salad dressing and keep it in the fridge but mostly I’m a made-to-order gal. I generally mix my dressing in the base of whatever bowl I’m planning to toss it in. Then I add the leaves gradually so I get the ratio of dressing to leaves right. If it’s a casual meal I’ll serve the salad in the mixing bowl. But if I’m feeling a bit posher, I’ll transfer everything onto a platter.

– use a teaspoon for dressing for one person and tablespoon for more
When I started making salads for one I found myself always having way too much dressing. Not so good. Then I had the bright idea to use a teaspoon to measure things out. The simple things.

– fresh is best
Most dressings taste best when freshly made. Although a week or so in the fridge won’t be the end of the world. Just remember to let it warm up a little before you use it so the flavour is more pronounced.

– season the acid part first
Add salt to the vinegar or lemon juice and stir so it dissolves. The salt will then mix more evenly with the oil and be better dispersed through your salad.

– taste (!)
There are so many variables in salad dressing that I find the most important step is tasting and adjusting as required. A little more oil if it tastes too acidic and sharp or a bit more vinegar / lemon juice if it tastes flat and oily. It takes a bit of practice but just trust your judgement and you’ll get there. Remember that it will be diluted on the leaves so it needs to taste quite punchy on it’s own. If you like it can help to use a leaf to dip in the dressing so you get the whole experience.

– match your dressing to the leaves
Strongly flavoured, bitter leaves like radicchio demand intense dressings. I also find a little sweetness is good to balance the bitterness so caramelised red wine vinegar or balsamic are ideal. A salad of fresh herbs, on the other hand would be best with a simple white wine vinegar. Likewise I vary the amount of dressing depending on the type of leaves.

– match your salad to the rest of the meal
A delicate fish will be best served with a fresh, light salad. A BBQ steak on the other hand demands a big beefy salad like rocket dressed with vinegar and mustard. A rich piece of pork belly is best with a really sharp crunchy salad. You get the picture.

– don’t forget the garlic
I don’t often use garlic in salad dressings but sometimes I roughly squash a clove and leave it to infuse in the dressing for a while. The other evening I had people over for dinner and crunched down on something pungent in my salad. Discreetly removing the offending article I was so so relieved that I had been the recipient of me forgetting to fish out the garlic, not one of my guests.

the top 9 stonesoup salad dressings

Top 9? Why not round it out to top 10? Well I thought through my favourite dressings and this is what came up. I could have stretched it to one more but I liked the sound of 9.

I vary my ratios of oil to vinegar etc all the time. The recipes below should be taken as a guide only. Unless otherwise indicated they should make enough to dress a bag of prewashed leaves. But again it’s all up to you. As I mentioned in the intro, I usually use a mid range olive oil for salad dressings. You want good flavour but not to overpower everything.

i. caramelised red wine vinegar & wholegrain mustard
This is my favourite dressing at the moment, especially for a salad to accompany a big fryup for breakfast / brunch. I’ve been getting my caramelised red wine vinegar from Norton St Grocer. If you can’t find any regular red wine vinegar with a teaspoon of honey makes a good substitute.

1T caramelised red wine vinegar
1T wholegrain mustard
3T – 4T extra virgin olive oil

ii. aged balsamic & olive oil
An oldie but a goodie. I love the sweetness of balsamic that is so well combined with the vinegar during the aging process that it seems to be almost savoury. I should have ‘fessed up earlier. I actually have 2 balsamics on the go at the moment, an 8 year old for everyday and an old old vinegar which I think is 40 years old for special occasions and drizzling. I have been known to make a 1:1 oil:balsamic dressing if I’m in the mood for something really punchy. But the 1:2 below is more common. Classic to dress peppery wild rocket.

2T aged balsamic vinegar
4T extra virgin olive oil

iii. tarragon vinegar & dijon mustard
I love tarragon vinegar, it tempers the flavour of fresh tarragon and gives an interesting twist. To make your own, just shove 1/2 bunch tarragon in a bottle of white wine vinegar and allow it to sit for a few weeks. It will keep for ages. This dressing is also lovely with a regular white wine or Champagne vinegar.

1T tarragon vinegar
1T dijon mustard
4T extra virgin olive oil

iv. lemon juice & white wine vinegar
If your’e in an indecisive mood, this is the dressing for you. Sometimes I find lemon juice dressings to be a bit too ‘lemony’ without being sharp enough, this is where the wine vinegar helps.

1T lemon juice
1T white wine vinegar
4T extra virgin olive oil

v. onion & wine vinegar dressing
This is a lovely hearty, almost meaty dressing. I love it to dress a salad of warm lentils but it’s also good on leaves. This one keeps well in the fridge which is just as well since it takes a while to make. I LOVE how the onions soak up the vinegar and give little acidic bursts of freshness.

1 large brown onion, finely chopped
250mL (1C) olive oil
60mL (1/4C) sherry or other wine vinegar

Heat oil in a small saucepan and add onion. Simmer over a low heat until onion is soft but not brown. Remove from the heat and add vinegar and season. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes for the onions to soak up the vinegar.

vi. tahini lemon dressing
Inspired by Sam & Sam Clarke of Moro Restaurant and CookbookCookbook fame. I originally discovered this dressing for a roast pumpkin and chickpea salad but it’s lovely as a sauce for fish or even to dress a salad with lots of crunchy greens like snowpeas or fresh asparagus. Haven’t yet used it to dress normal leaves.

1 clove garlic, finely pounded
4T lemon juice
4T tahini
3T water
2T extra virgin olive oil

vii. simple lemon juice
This is easily my most minimalist salad dressing. Forget about the oil and just squeeze lemon juice over. Good with a simple salad of tuna and mixed leaves.

viii. the token creamy dressing
I’m not the biggest fan of creamy salads. Something about the way the dressing doesn’t look right on the leaves. On potatoes it’s another story. This dressing also doubles as a sauce for fish or chicken. Again the quantities below make a bit over a cup of dressing which will be way more than you need to dress a bag of leaves.

2/3C whole egg mayonnaise
1/3C natural yoghurt
1 -2T lemon juice
1/2 small clove garlic, crushed, optional

ix. caper dressing
Another cooked dressing, this is great for main course salads that have fish or cheese starring in them. Adapted from a salad that appeared ages ago in Australian Gourmet Traveller. I’ve made it with and without the chives and both are good. IT might feel a bit weird t o be cooking the parsley but it adds a whole different difficult-to-articulate-dimension to the salad.

¼ C extra virgin olive oil
½ bunch flat leaf parley, leaves picked
½ bunch chives, finely chopped
1T capers in salt, well washed
2T lemon juice, or to taste

Place parsley leaves in a strainer and pour over boiling water to blanch. Refresh under cold water then squeeze dry and chop finely. Place in a small saucepan with capers and remaining oil and heat until it starts to sizzle. Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice and chives and season.

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Elsewhere – Cafe Sopra Potts Point on eat|shop|drink