food & dining
Best-Dressed Summer Salads
KERI WHITE | SPECIAL TO THE JE
W ith summer produce at its
seasonal peak, now is the
time to showcase it!
Salad for supper is a great idea when
the temperatures rise, and we all want
something light. Topping a salad with
a grilled protein is a great way to add
some heft to the meal, but sometimes
we just want the veggies.

Oft en the dressing is an aft erthought,
whether it is a bottled version, a splash
of oil and vinegar or something in
between. I know, I know, we are rushed,
we have hungry impatient families, we
don’t want to mess up the blender. But
hear me out.

I have found that when I devote
energy to a dressing and integrate
interesting and unique fl avors, the veg-
gies it is tossed over are less important,
and there is not as much need to add
so much to the salad itself. Suddenly, a
simple bowl of greens with a few toma-
toes and slices of cucumber is singing
under a delicious dressing and the
croutons, nuts, cheese, toasted chick-
peas, et cetera, are no longer needed.

Another key consideration: Salad
dressing keeps for several days, as vin-
egar is a preservative. So if you make a
large batch, it will get you through the
whole week, and suddenly that once-
used blender is not so burdensome.

Black Olive Vinaigrette
Dressing Makes a generous ½ cup or enough
for several large salads
Use the seasoned, pitted, oil-
cured olives here; this is a great hack
because the oil is already fl avored.

Photos by Keri White
¼ cup pitted olives
¼ cup oil from pitted olives
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pinch salt
Generous sprinkle black pepper
In a blender or mini chopper, mix
all the ingredients until smooth. Pour
the dressing into a sealable con-
tainer, and refrigerate it until ready
to use.

Miso Ginger Dressing
Makes a generous ½ cup, or enough
for several large salads
¼ cup miso paste (I use white,
but any type is fi ne)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, fi nely grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
Mix all the ingredients well with a
fork, or puree them in a blender or
mini chopper, if desired. Refrigerate
the dressing in a sealable container
until ready to use.

Mustard-Onion Dressing
Makes about ¾ cup
This takes a bit longer than the
other two because it involves pick-
ling the onions fi rst, but it is worth it!
For the onions:
1 small onion, sliced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Water, if needed
Pinch of salt
For the dressing:
Pickled onions
¼ cup grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup olive oil
Pinch salt
Generous sprinkling of pepper
Place the onions in a sealable con-
tainer. Sprinkle them with salt and
add the vinegar. If the onions are
not submerged, add enough water
to just cover. Refrigerate them for
several hours or overnight. The
onions should be soft and have a
pickled, mild fl avor.

Place the onions in a blender or
mini chopper with all the remaining
ingredients, and puree until smooth
and creamy. Store the dressing in
the refrigerator until ready to use.

Each of these dressings pairs
beautifully with simple greens,
fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and
shredded carrots. I’ve also tossed
in the occasional nasturtium (those
beautiful, orange edible fl owers),
some scallions or chives and what-
ever raw fresh veggies are lying
around, such as green beans or
broccoli. The true test was last week when
I had a family visit with their three
teenage boys — the kids all went
back for seconds and thirds on
salad tossed in these dressings,
even when mac and cheese was on
the table. JE
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