Only five of the salad dressings you need

I have no problem getting a roast chicken that I bought at the store or a jar of pasta sauce, but the thing I’m religious about making it from scratch…

…is a salad dressing. I find it’s one of those essentials where minimal effort yields maximum deliciousness, elevating salads and vegetables with an acidic brightness that their bottled counterparts can’t match. You don’t even need a massive amount of garnishing recipes in your cooking repertoire—for the most part, these are the five I use over and over again.

All-purpose vinegar sauce
When I refer to “simple vinaigrette” in my country quick dinner Posts, that’s what I usually talk about. I would say there’s a version of it on my dinner table 90% of the nights. Its formula comes from silver palateOne of the first cookbooks I’ve ever owned. I was so young that I didn’t even know the clothes came in anything other than the bottle with Paul Newman’s face on it. I love it because it’s so resilient – you can’t go wrong with any vinegar and any herb on hand.
to make: In 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, herbs Freshly chopped (parsley, chives, tarragon, dill, basil). Once mixed, shake or whisk 1/2 cup of the oil (1/3 cup if you like the dressing more “aggressive”) into the jar in a steady flow until it emulsifies. (vegetarian)

Lemon Dijon
I use this interchangeably for all of the above – but usually when I want to add brightness without adding too much flavor.
to make: In a small bowl or measuring cup, shake or shake 1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 1 1/2 lemons), 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I like Gray Poppy), 1 1/2 teaspoons honey, salt And pepper. Once mixed, shake or whisk 1/3 cup of olive oil in a bowl in a continuous flow until it becomes an emulsifier. (Vegan if you replace sugar with honey)

Sesame and soy sauce
I use this dressing frequently with cabbage, when the main purpose is to reduce the richness of the meal. It is very bright and addictive. You can add herbs, too—chives, cilantro, dill—and completely replace tamari with soy sauce to make this gluten-free.
to make: In a small jar or measuring cup, whisk together 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, fresh lemon juice, a pinch of brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons shallots or green onions. Once mixed, shake or whisk 1/3 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil) in a bowl in a constant stream until it becomes an emulsifier. (vegetarian)

Classic Caesar
In our house, that’s like fairy dust. Sprinkle it on any salad—not just Caesar’s—and you can count on a kitchen table victory. Julia Turchin He was the first to tell me to skip raw eggs (which most traditional Caesars advocate) in favor of mayonnaise, which is of course just emulsified oil and eggs. I don’t like heavy garlic on garlic or anchovies, but if you do, you can increase garlic into two cloves and anchovies into three slices.
to make: In a blender or food processor, mash 1 small garlic clove (minced), 1 anchovy fillet (drained), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 cup cheese Finely grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Herbie Green Cream Sauce
This is another sauce worth breaking out in a 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 it on roasted beets or broccoli.) It’s also amazing served with grilled fish or chicken.
to make: In blender, add 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup parsley, (roughly chopped), 2 tablespoons chives (about chopped), 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/2 medium avocado, 1 /4 cup olive oil 3 green onions (green and white parts only, chopped), honey juice or 1 teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper, and about 2 tablespoons water. Process until you reach a sauce-like consistency, that is, creamy but not too thick and crumbly, bearing in mind that you may have to add more water, one tablespoon at a time. (Vegan if you replace the yogurt with cashew cream, just use a little more, like 1/3 cup)

What do I miss? What are your favorite clothes?

Notice Summer sauces without cooking And the How to spin semi-rotten products into gold.

(Photo courtesy of Kristen Han to Vegetarians of the week.)