Again, I bow to the seemingly invincible eagle eye of Sister Erin, when it comes to finding great new recipes and techniques. She’s discovered what may be the quickest, easiest, brightest-flavoured salad dressing you’ve ever tasted!
To paraphrase Gilbert and Sullivan – in an attempt to capture at least a little their trademark joyful enthusiasm: “This is the very model of a modern salad dress-it-all!”
How about a little Churchill?
“Never have so many owed so much to so few… ingredients!” I can’t say enough about this really cre-ative gem of a salad dressing. It will remind you immediately of the most basic Italian vinaigrette. But as you get to know it, you’ll realize it’s more of a ‘Zelig’-dressing, which magically fits in anywhere you use it…
The Zelig principle…
If you aren’t already aware of the Zelig principle, Wikipedia explains: “Zelig is a 1983 American satir-ical mockumentary comedy film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen as Leonard Zelig, a nondescript enigma, who, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of strong personalities around him.”
I think Zelig is one of Allen’s greatest films. Like George Orwell’s Animal Farm, it could be mistaken for a children’s tale or a comedy at first glance. But it’s actually a powerful social and political comment-ary which, in its simplicity, has become an all-time classic everyone can relate to. Just like Rebecca Longshore‘s Mom’s go-to salad dressing…
What you need
With the exception of the fresh Dill, you probably already have everything you need close at hand. Including the Mason jar R. recommends you shake it all up in.
- Fresh Dill
- Good Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Grated Parmesan Cheese (fresh off the block preferred)
What you do
- Finely chop your fresh Dill. Eyeball it depending on the depth of your love for Dill. You can use as little as a teaspoon or as much as a tablespoon! (If using dried dill, start with less.)
- Grate 1/4 cup (or more, to taste) of fresh Parmesan cheese, and add to the mixing bowl or Mason jar.
- Add 3/4 to 1 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup good-tasting red wine vinegar. Whisk together in a very clean glass or steel mixing bowl. Or, if using the jar, twist on the lid firmly and shake until emulsified. If the Parmesan is grated finely enough, it should look positively creamy.
Use immediately before the dressing has a chance to separate (which it will do, given a few minutes sitting still). I recommend using the jar to blend the ingredients, and giving it a good shake between pourings.
Hacks…
This very basic – skeletal – recipe can be embellished in almost infinite ways to complement any veg-gie ensemble you want to turn into a great salad. The overriding rule is, keep it simple, to honour the guiding principle behind the original recipe.
The Parmesan should have enough tang and salt to season the stuff nicely. But you should, as always. taste for salt before serving.
The secret, here, is the fresh Dill. It’s a decidedly more-appropriate partner for the other vinaigrette ingredients than the usual Parsley, delivering a tangier, brighter almost citrusy flavour…
Now, take a mindful moment to reflect and rejoice, knowing you’ll never again be stuck, at the last moment, for an appropriate salad dressing!
~ Maggie J.