D.I.Y. Delicious: Recipes and Ideas for Simple Food From Scratch (9 page)

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh from the skin and remove as many of the seeds as it is easy to do, without worrying too much about removing all of them. Transfer the eggplant to the processor with the roasted peppers and garlic. Add the lemon juice and Aleppo pepper and pulse a few times. Add the oil slowly while pulsing. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate, well covered, for up to 10 days.

Soy-Ginger Dressing

Soba Noodles with Canned Wild Salmon and Soy-Ginger Dressing

Creamy Herb Dressing

Potato, Green Bean, and Radish Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing

Basic Best-Ever Vinaigrette

Cannellini Bean Salad with Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette

Bean Cooking Method That Yields Maximum Flavor

Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing

Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Beets, Kale, Toasted Walnuts, and Simple Sesame Tahini Dressing

The Great Salad Toss-Up Guide

IF CHAPTER ONE IS THE FOUNDATION of your homemade kitchen, Chapter Two serves as the bricks you’ll use to build it. We’ll explore the numerous ways to combine the items in this book to make simple and quick meals from what you have on hand. Learn four basic salad dressings and what kinds of salads they complement best. Look for tips on varying the dressings for different dishes, or turning them into marinades or sauces that move effortlessly from the snack table to the dinner table.

The Great Salad Toss-Up Guide is a fun, mix-and-match method for choosing the proper main ingredients, dressings, seasonal vegetables, and embellishments to create stellar salads that are both healthful and satisfying
.

Try this dressing on everything from green salads to Soba Noodles with Canned Wild Salmon to brown rice salad to grilled fish. I like to keep it around to drizzle over steamed vegetables for a super-quick lunch.

TIME REQUIRED:
10 minutes active

YIELD:
about
cup

6 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

¼ cup vegetable oil (such as peanut or sunflower)

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. Pour in the vegetable oil gradually while whisking continuously, until the dressing comes together. Transfer to a jar and cover. The dressing will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Need a balanced dinner in less than twenty minutes? Here’s a streamlined salad that makes a great pantry meal when you’re feeling rushed. I always keep a few cans of wild Alaskan salmon in the cupboard for just such occasions. It’s an affordable, sustainable seafood choice. Nori is the dried seaweed used in sushi rolls. It’s readily available in many grocery stores and keeps well in the pantry. It has a savory flavor that adds a lot of character to a simple dish like this. The vegetable component can be varied according to the season and your inclination
.

TIME REQUIRED:
20 minutes or less active (excluding dressing preparation)

YIELD:
2 light-meal servings

6 ounces dry soba noodles

8 asparagus spears, or 1 head baby bok choy

1 sheet nori seaweed

One 7.5-ounce can wild salmon, skin and bones removed, flaked

cup Soy-Ginger Dressing

1 green onion, sliced on the diagonal (green and white parts)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

In a medium saucepan, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, if using asparagus, hold one end of each asparagus spear in either hand and snap each spear at its natural breaking point, discarding the tough bottom section of each spear. Cut the remaining parts of the spears into 1-inch pieces. If using bok choy, separate the leaves from the core and wash and slice the leaves into ribbons.

During the last 2 minutes of the noodle cooking time, add the asparagus or bok choy directly to the boiling water and cook along with the noodles. Drain the noodles and vegetables, rinse quickly with cool water, and set aside to drain well in the colander.

Turn one burner of a gas or electric stove to medium. Using tongs, hold the nori sheet over the burner and toast it until crisp and fragrant, moving frequently to avoid burning, about 2 seconds per section on both sides. Do not let it smoke. Set aside.

Transfer the cooled and drained noodles and vegetables to a bowl (pat dry if they still have water clinging to them) and add the salmon. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Using kitchen shears, cut the nori sheet into strips directly over the noodle salad, reserving a little for garnish. Add the green onion and toss. Divide the salad evenly between 2 bowls and garnish with the sesame seeds and the reserved nori. Serve immediately.

Here’s a dressing that’s super-easy to whip up at a moment’s notice and is wonderful on a variety of different salads, such as
Potato, Green Bean, and Radish Salad
); just about any pasta salad; freshly steamed vegetables like spring peas and asparagus; or a green romaine salad. It also makes a very nice marinade for chicken or fish. If the dressing is too tart for your taste, add a tiny bit of honey to balance it. If you want something more like a classic green goddess dressing, increase the herbs and add minced anchovies and garlic
.

TIME REQUIRED:
10 minutes active (excluding yogurt, crème fraîche, and mustard preparation)

YIELD:
1½ cups

1½ cups
Yogurt
or
Crème Fraîche

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon
Honey Mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil or dill

1 teaspoon chopped fresh lemon thyme or regular thyme

½ teaspoon honey (optional)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the yogurt, parsley, mustard, mint, chervil, thyme, and honey (if using). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a jar and cover. The dressing will keep, refrigerated, for about 1 week.

Creamy Herb Dressing makes a wonderfully fresh dressing for this or any potato salad. Vary the vegetables according to the season. Spring’s asparagus can stand in for summer’s green beans. Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers also make nice additions. Steaming the potatoes whole makes for a better potato salad. It’s super-easy, very fast, and it cooks the potatoes evenly without making them waterlogged
.

TIME REQUIRED:
about 30 minutes active (excluding dressing preparation)

YIELD:
6 servings

1½ pounds small new potatoes (fingerlings or Yukon golds work wonderfully)

½ pound green beans, stemmed

1 bunch radishes, halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

About 1 cup
Creamy Herb Dressing

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Scrub the potatoes and put them whole and unpeeled in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes (depending on their size). Test for doneness by inserting a paring knife into them. Remove and let the potatoes cool, reserving the water.

Add more water to the steamer if necessary and add the green beans. Steam until crisp-tender and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then plunge them into a small bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

When the potatoes are cool, cut them into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Drain the green beans and pat dry, and then cut them into 1½-inch lengths. Add them to the bowl with the potatoes. Add the radishes and the dressing. Toss until the vegetables are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

This salad is best served right away because the moisture from the vegetables can cause the dressing to become watery. If you want to make it ahead, assemble the components separately, refrigerate them, and add the dressing at the last moment.

√ NO-WASTE TIP
:
Not only does steaming potatoes make a better potato salad, but it’s a smart way to save water and energy. Steaming requires less water than boiling and allows you to reuse the same water to steam the green beans and other vegetables. Also, your stove requires less energy to heat a small amount of water than it does to heat a large pot
.

Everyone needs a simple dressing to have on hand for everyday green salads, potato salads, pasta, and beans. Why buy it at the grocery store when it’s so easy to make? I’ve named this “best ever” because when it’s made with your own Red Wine Vinegar and Grainy Prepared Mustard, it is. And the Tomato-Garlic variation is particularly good on bean and grain salads. Use the best olive oil you can afford and buy local or domestic if you can. If you find an imported extra-virgin olive oil that seems too cheap, it probably is. Counterfeiting is common in the global olive oil industry. What you think is pure olive oil may actually contain soybean oils or other cheap oils. See
Sources
for domestic producers
.

TIME REQUIRED:
10 minutes active (excluding vinegar and mustard preparation)

YIELD:
about ¾ cup

3 tablespoons
Red Wine Vinegar
or freshly squeezed lemon juice (for a lighter salad)

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon any variation
Grainy Prepared Mustard

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the vinegar, shallot, and mustard. Slowly drizzle in the oil, while whisking continuously, until the dressing comes together. Season with salt and pepper. Store in a covered jar refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

VARIATION:

TOMATO-GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

Add tomatoes and garlic to the Basic Best-Ever Vinaigrette and you’ve got a versatile dressing for bean, grain, or pasta salads, or for marinating or drizzling over cooked fish or chicken
.

IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:

1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole

Salt

2 fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled, or 2 canned Roma tomatoes

In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic to a paste along with a pinch of salt. Add the tomatoes and pound them until smooth. Add to the finished basic vinaigrette.

This is just one example of the versatility that can be achieved by combining cooked dried beans with seasonal vegetables and a great homemade vinaigrette. A freshly made warm bean salad can serve as an economical and substantial meal when paired with a grain, or bread and cheese. As a side dish, beans go well with grilled or roasted meats like
Texas-Style Barbecued Brisket
and they’re great to take to a potluck. This salad is best in winter, when radicchio is at its peak. In spring, you might include baby artichokes or asparagus; summer might call for cherry tomatoes and green beans; fall may bring roasted red peppers and eggplant from the garden. The Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette goes well with any of the above combinations. Make sure you drain the beans thoroughly to prevent your salad from tasting watery
.

TIME REQUIRED:
about 15 minutes active; 6 hours passive to soak and cook beans, (excluding dressing preparation)

YIELD:
6 to 8 servings