No matter the season, the simplest salad dressing involves drizzling olive oil and either lemon juice or wine vinegar directly on salad, along with some salt and pepper, but you also can make it in a separate container.
A screw-top jar is the perfect tool for making salad dressing. Make sure it will hold double the amount you plan to make: The headroom is necessary for proper shaking.
Simple vinaigrette: In a screw-top jar, combine 1 part vinegar or lemon juice with 3 to 4 parts good extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Shake.
Mustard vinaigrette: Shake the vinegar with a spoonful of Dijon mustard before adding the oil.
Shallot vinaigrette: Add a small amount of minced shallot to the vinegar.
Garlic vinaigrette: Place a cut clove of garlic in the vinaigrette, but remove it after a few hours or it will get too strong.
Sherry vinaigrette: Use sherry vinegar for a mellow, full flavor.
Balsamic vinaigrette: Use balsamic vinegar or, for a less sweet dressing, a mixture of balsamic and red wine vinegar.
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Super Duper Tre-colori Fattoush
Quantities here are flexible; just make sure there are roughly equal amounts of endive, radicchio, arugula and fennel. It’s also important to use really good olive oil. “Fattoush” is a Middle Eastern bread salad; Pita chips make any salad more substantial. But you also could substitute shards of Parmesan (shaved with a vegetable peeler) for the pita. Makes 6-8 servings.
Ingredients
1 small fennel
1 small endive
1 small radicchio
1 to 2 cups baby arugula or mature arugula, sliced into ribbons
1 small red onion
Pita croutons (see note, below)
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, halved
Directions
Trim fronds from fennel and reserve for another use. Trim any brown spots from base and sides of fennel, then slice in half, through base. Slice bulb very thin, parallel to base, i.e., into half rings. (A mandoline or food processor slicing blade is handy here.) Immerse sliced fennel in a large bowl of cold water.
Slice endive and radicchio into 1/4-inch strips. Place in cold water with fennel and add arugula. Spin dry.
Slice onion very thin and immerse in cold water, separate from the other vegetables.
To assemble salad, drain onion and pat dry. Place endive, radicchio, fennel and arugula in a large bowl. Add onion and pita croutons. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt and a good grinding of pepper. Drizzle on olive oil and squeeze the lemon half. The proportion you’re going for is 3 parts oil to 1 part lemon. Toss and taste, then adjust seasoning.
Note: To make pita croutons, cut pita (regular or whole wheat) into bite-size pieces with scissors. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until they are crisp but have not browned, about 7-10 minutes.
Creamy Avocado-Artichoke Salad
Look for fancy artichokes with the stems attached and packed in oil, rather than in vinegar. Many Italian grocers stock these in their prepared-food cases. It’s important that the artichokes and avocado be at room temperature. Makes 4-6 servings.
Ingredients
1 small bunch parsley
1 head Boston lettuce
1/2 pound oil-packed artichokes
1 ripe Haas avocado
Mustard-shallot vinaigrette
Directions
Remove leaves from parsley. Immerse in cold water. Discard any browned or cracked lettuce leaves and tear remaining leaves into bite-size pieces. Soak lettuce with parsley leaves, then spin dry.
Cut artichoke stems into 1-inch segments; slice the artichoke “heads,” through the hearts, into quarters.
Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Remove pit and skin. Cut halves in half again, lengthwise, and then slice into 1/4-inch slices.
Place greens in a large bowl with most of the artichokes and avocado. Drizzle with a little vinaigrette, toss and then add more dressing, if necessary. Pour into a serving bowl or platter or onto individual serving plates, and garnish with remaining artichokes and avocado pieces.
