Salad Dressing

Sesame oil is a good source of vitamin E.

Creamy and just a wee bit spicy, this classic dressing is the finishing touch that will make your salad creations irresistible.

Fresh dillweed and parsley perk up this low-salt version of a classic.

Fresh lemon juice and garlic intensify the flavor of this dressing. You’ll be able to complement many different types of salad with it and its variations.

Dinner is on the table in minutes when Pacific Rim Flank Steak (page 180) or other cooked steak becomes part of this entrée salad.

Roasting lemons and shallots brings out their natural sugars and imparts a smoky flavor as well. Try variations, too, such as oranges and large cloves of garlic.

This is a bare-bones recipe for the simple all-purpose vinaigrette, which you will vary as you wish; you’ll find suggestions at the end of this recipe. Its beauty lies solely in the quality of your ingredients. Note that you will so often see proportions of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, but that can make a very acid, very vinegary vinaigrette. I use the proportions of a very dry martini, since you can always add more vinegar or lemon but you can’t take it out.

The dusky flavor of smoked paprika makes quite an impact on the usual creamy ranch. We either make this from scratch or just sprinkle the paprika into bottled ranch. A little smoked paprika is also a nice addition to any basic vinaigrette.