Older Bolder Life

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salad dressings

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Back Pocket Balsamic Vinaigrette

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One of my most beloved mentors taught my family many a worthy lesson that we’ve incorporated into our routine over the years. One of his favorites lessons had to do with hospitality, both providing and receiving gestures of hospitality, and he taught it using what he called his back pocket pancake recipe.

Without going into the long winded story that Ed would inevitably tell whenever the topic came up, his principle points were that hospitality is an art that takes repetition and practice to do well, and that when a guest in someones home, you needed to graciously accept the gift of hospitality extended you and offer a kind, and thankful, gesture in return.

One of the ways he did so was via what he called his back pocket pancake recipe; despite possessing a smart phone with more computing power than on the Apollo spacecraft, he always carried in his wallet a dog-eared and well-worn piece of paper upon which he’d scrawled the recipe for a delicious buttermilk pancake recipe. He used to boast that he’d pulled the recipe out and made pancakes for his various hosts on five different continents over the years.

I still carry an image of his original recipe on my phone, and have taken to carrying a set of “back pocket” recipes with me where ever I travel, though I favor salad dressing recipes instead of buttermilk pancakes.

My reasoning is pretty damned simple; most people don’t take the time to stir together simple yet tasty – and healthy – salad dressings at home, and these salad dressings can pull double duty as marinades and / or slathers for grilled meats and vegetables.

The two back pocket dressing recipes I reach for most often are this very Back Pocket Balsamic Vinaigrette and probably our house favorite, this nifty Chile Lime Vinaigrette.

This balsamic dressing recipe is a cinch to whisk or shake together, uses ingredients almost everyone has in the pantry and fridge, and tastes like a million bucks. A couple of nights ago we were pressed for time one evening, and a quick recipe of this dressing made a simple baby spinach and bacon salad feel (and taste) like a date night meal fit for a king.

Three quick thoughts on ingredients – one, use a good quality, aged balsamic (avoiding ones with added sweeteners, caramel color additives, etc); aged balsamic vinegars develop sweetness naturally and you might not feel the need to add honey (or the sweetener of your choice) at all – we usually don’t.

Two, recognizing that the classic formula for a vinaigrette used to be four parts oil to one part vinegar, we prefer this recipe closer to a 2:1 ratio; experiment yourself and adjust. And three, play around with various mustards too – we love this recipe with a spicy, rustic, Creole-style mustard (like Zatarains).

By the way, we prefer the texture and viscosity of the dressing when it’s shaken or whisked together, using a blender to combine makes for a bit “stiffer” dressing.

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
2-3 tsp dijon or whole grain mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp good sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (fine)
1/2 to 3/4 cup good EVOO

Optional
1/2 tsp ground dried thyme
1 small shallot, minced
2 tbsp honey

Combine the vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the oil until the dressing is fully emulsified and smooth; you can combine in a blender – you’ll find it’s a little thicker (we prefer the hand-whisked consistency).

Another nifty trick for mixing this one is simply to combine all the ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid and then shake, shake, shake until well combined.

Cheers.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Creole Mustard and Honey Yogurt Dressing

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Extra time at home of late has fostered digging deeper into my list of “damn, I should try and work out a recipe for that” list over the past few weeks.

My lovely wife is a huge fan of tzatziki, the wonderful Greek yogurt-based sauce / condiment packed with garlic, dill, and grated cucumber. Her enthusiasm for tzatziki has led us to explore of number of yogurt-based salad dressings over the past several months; there are several pretty damned good commercially-prepared options out there, many made with very acceptable ingredients for the most part, although they can be a bit pricey.

Being the inveterate tinkerer in the kitchen, the combination of looking for a new dipping sauce for these delicious Cast Iron Skillet Wings and working to jazz up our home salad routine led to some serious yogurt-based dressing and sauce experiments of late.

Using a Creole mustard (see if you can find Zatarains’s version) adds a depth of flavor and texture that’s hard to beat, and led to me experimenting with adding a few brown or yellow mustard seeds to the dressing as well. Yep, they’re a bit crunchy until they soften in the dressing (only a few hours needed) but add interest and flavor here.

As always, dressing recipes are simply a framework for you to start from, adjusting flavors to suit your (your family’s) palate, and you’ll want to try this one with varying amounts of honey.

This would probably be amazing with leftover Easter ham next week…

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2-4 T honey
2 T prepared mustard
2 T Creole Mustard
1/2 t salt
Optional: 1 tsp of mustard seeds, see note below

Combine all ingredients in a small mix bowl and whisk together until homogenous and smooth. If using dry mustard seeds, which are great for additional texture, interest, and flavor, make sure to add at least an hour before serving so they hydrate and soften. Store covered in the fridge.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Dressing Wednesday: Charred Scallion Dressing

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Here’s a quick and easy Charred Scallion salad dressing that plays well either warm or chilled, and offers an added flavor boost from a quick char of the scallions greens (flavor impact – huge, effort required – almost nothing).

Our friend Chef Libby happened to mention this dressing in passing during a conversation a few weeks ago; she was actually talking about (with enthusiasm) how much fun they’ve been having in her catering kitchen roasting late season vegetables and serving them up with a variety of dressings, drizzles, and vinaigrettes, both for the flavor and to add a bit of flair and interest.

We’ve long been fans of the lowly scallion or green onion around our camp, and often find ourselves throwing a few on the grill regardless of what protein is sizzling away right beside them.

This dressing comes together in a just a few minutes and uses ingredients you’ll almost always have on hand in the kitchen.

I just served this over cauliflower florets we roasted under and alongside Friday’s slow roasted gojuchang chicken – wow was that tasty.

3 medium scallions (green onions)
7 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil (divided, see below)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp good Dijon mustard
1 tbsp avocado or olive oil mayo (use this one)
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Trim and clean the scallions, then divide the white parts from the green. Finely chop the white sections and place in a small bowl.

Now finely chop the green sections, then heat 1 tbsp of your oil of choice in a small skillet (medium heat). Sauté the green pieces until lightly charred and crispy, add the chopped white pieces.

Now whisk in the lemon juice, rice vinegar, mustard, and mayo; season lightly with the salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the remaining oil until a smooth emulsion forms; taste and season again for salt and pepper.

Dress that salad or drizzle over the veg of the day, and go to it.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Salad Monday: Red Pepper Cashew Dressing

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A friend recently dined at Lalito in NYC and fell in love with several of the nut-based salad dressings they offer there; she did a bit of investigating and charmed this ingredient list (since adjusted and tweaked) out of one of the staff.

This Red Pepper Cashew Dressing brings together several flavor combinations you don’t often find together, such as cashews and fish sauce and cashews and garlic for example, but it just works, and works really well.

Being long-time fans of a spicy Thai-styled peanut sauce for years, we like this one spiced up with the red pepper flakes, but you don’t have to go overboard with the heat. Leave out the honey if you wish, but it does add just a hint of sweetness that rounds out the flavor package nicely.

3/4 cup roasted, salted cashews/cashew pieces
6 tbsp avocado or mild olive oil
1/3 cup water (or just a bit more)
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp good fish sauce
1 tsp honey
1 large garlic clove
Salt to taste

Add everything but the salt to your trusty blender or food processor, blend/process until smooth and creamy, noting that you may need just a bit more water.

Taste and adjust the seasonings, we nearly always add more salt and red pepper flakes.

Hold in the fridge if not using immediately.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Monday: Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

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Growing up in the generation I did, salad dressings were something you bought at the grocery off the shelf featuring the half dozen or so Kraft flavors that dominated the selections back in the day. As many of the commercially prepared, mass-marketed dressings today, in those days these ubiquitous dressings were built around franken oils and overly-processed, far from fresh ingredients.

To be honest, I can’t ever remember anyone making their own salad dressing at home, unless it was the homemade Catalina version based on a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, canola oil, vinegar, and a handful of sugar (gaaaack).

Even nearly three decades ago when we were starting our own family, making salad dressing at home wasn’t really on our radar, though as a young family we did enjoy the salads at an (in)famous Italian chain restaurant.

Back several years ago I was helping a friend prepare for a large birthday party event, at which the guest of honor had apparently insisted that the menu include a “salad just like at Olive Garden”. My friend was a fairly experienced and crafty home cook, and my task was to help her develop a dressing that would duplicate the flavors requested using healthier and fresh ingredients.

A bit of research and a day of trial and error yielded this recipe, which we’ve continued to reach for to this day. When we first compiled this recipe, we typically added a teaspoon or two of honey to the recipe, though as our tastes have evolved over the past couple of years, we don’t anymore, preferring to enjoy the herbal goodness of the fresh spices instead.

And for those who want their dressing a little creamier, just add your healthy mayo a tablespoon at a time until you have it just right.

5 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp avocado or olive oil mayonnaise
1 medium garlic clove, finely grated
Oregano: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp chopped fresh OR 1 and ½ tsp dried
Parsley: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp chopped fresh OR 1 and ½ tsp dried
Thyme: 1 tsp chopped fresh OR ¼ tsp dried
1 tsp onion powder
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

½ cup avocado or extra virgin olive oil

Optional
1-2 tsp of sweetener of choice, see note

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl or lidded jar, stir or shake to combine. Now whisk in (or pour into shaker jar) the oil of choice until well emulsified; adjust spices, salt, and pepper to taste.

Enjoy.