If Not a Sandwich?
“What non-sandwich recommendations do you have for the mustard?” is a question we were asked at a market in December. After three solid ummms we said pretzels. But, wait, if you’re Celiac that wont do. Okay, be more creative. What do we use it for at home?
Salad dressings is the number one answers. And mustard pickles, but that’s a story for another day. Today we want to share a basic salad dressing, and talk about how to build off it to suit your tastes.
Here’s what you have to remember when you’re dreaming up your flavour combos. You want:
Mostly acid (think vinegars, white, apple, balsamic, orange juice, lemon)
Half that or even less oil (like a good quality olive oil)
Salt & pepper
…whatever else you want, the world is your oyster!
This is where a dash of mustard comes in. We think you’ll find most classic French vinaigrettes have some dijon in there.
Stick around until the end to get a recipe for a versatile and quintessential Japanese dressing used for Sunomono (cucumber salad).
For this simple dressing I am making here you will need:
a good olive oil, one you wouldn’t cook with, one with a low smoke point. It’s a splurg but might we suggest Brightland, a brand owned by an South Indian America women, and they source their olives from their own farm in California. There is also Montreal’s Mandy’s, who source their olives from Spain. Whatever you reach for, whatever your budget, know that if you like dipping your bread in it, then it’s probably fit for a salad. The fat in this is going to help fill you up.
some kind of acid, either a vinegar or a citrus. I go for a white balsamic most often. Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or a little orange is good too. This will balance the oil taste.
Salt & pepper, to be sure, but you can also add things from the spice rack, like dried oregano, an Italian spice blend, za’atar, red peper flakes etc. You can also add things like maple syrup and honey. Or shoyu (soy sauce) or mirin (like saké but higher in sugar and lower in alcohol).
Ingredients
1 tablespoons olive oil (you can sub a neutral oil if you must)
3-4 tablespoons vinegar or acid
1/8 of a teaspoon (aka a pinch) of both salt & pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon if using whole grain or dijon, 2 teaspoons if using a yellow mustard
other spices optional
Steps
Measure out your ingredients into a vessel you can shake, we always have mason jars on hand, they do a bang up job, but we also have this fancy OXO brand shaker made for dressings that has a spout and stopper and we also have lids that fit mason jars that have a spout to pour with.
When all ingredients are in, shake it for a few seconds to help it emulsify, which is a fun word to say that just means the oil and vinegar is all bonding together.
BONUS CONTENT
If you’ve made it this far (even just by scrolling really fast) here is a bonus recipe for a dressing we found in the Treasured Recipes cookbook published in 1975 by the Nesei Women’s Club of Toronto. We have addapted it slightly to a combination of how both sides of Aaron’s family likes to make Sunomono.
Sanbaizu Dressing
Mix together 1/2 (125mL) rice vinegar
1/3 cup (67g) sugar (cut back on this is you MUST, but it really is the workhorse of this dressing. You could dilute with a dashi or soup stock to counter act the vinegar)
1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)
salt to remove water from cucumbers
shiro goma (toasted white sesame) to garnish
Sunomono Salad Suggestions
Persian cucumbers
shredded diakon (Japanese radish)
shredded real or imitation crabmeat (skip for vegan/vegetarian)
our family includes vermicelli
Assemble!
If using, make the vermicelli to package instructions and set aside to cool.
Remove most of the skin of the cucumbers, and slice pretty thinly. Put in a bowl and pour over salt, you’ll want at least 3-5% of the weight of the cucumbers in salt. Let the cucumbers sit in the salt for at least 5 minutes while the water is drawn out. Do this same step with daikon if using.
If using, shred crab and set aside.
Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a sauce pan over medium heat and whisk until solids dissolve. Remove from heat. Let cool.
Rinse cucumbers and daikon with water and drain. Place in a bowl with the Sanbaizu dressing.
Once everything seems cool enough, assemble! Garnish with sesame seeds.
