Shake or whisk the dressing again before serving.
VARIATION
Balsamic dressing with garlic
Add a crushed garlic clove to the dressing and mix well.
Balsamic dressing with chilli and soy
Make as described, adding 1 tablespoon of soy sauce such as tamari and 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced.
Feta dressing
This tangy dressing is made with feta cheese. It’s a great way of adding protein as well as flavour to a salad.
SERVES 4
200g (7oz) feta cheese, drained and broken into pieces
5–6 tbsp milk
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Simply whiz everything together to a cream using an electric hand blender, liquidiser or food processor.
Honey and cider vinegar dressing
A sweet dressing that’s especially good on a shredded cabbage salad.
SERVES 2–4
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a bowl or screw-top jar.
VARIATION
Honey and mint dressing
Made by adding 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint or 1 teaspoon concentrated mint sauce to the main recipe.
Easy blender mayonnaise
Here, the use of a blender makes it easy to produce a creamy, delicious mayo every time. You could use entirely olive oil, or half groundnut or grapeseed oil and half olive oil, as here, which gives a lighter flavour.
MAKES ABOUT 200ML (7FL OZ)
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp mustard powder
2–3 grindings of black pepper
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
100ml (3½fl oz) olive oil mixed with 100ml (3½fl oz) groundnut or grapeseed oil
Break the egg straight into the blender and add the salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice.
Blend for 1 minute at medium speed or until everything is well mixed, then turn the speed up to high and gradually add the oil, drop by drop, through the hole in the lid of the blender.
When you’ve added about half the oil, you will hear the motor change to a ‘glug-glug’ noise and then you can add the rest of the oil more quickly, in a thin stream.
If the consistency of the mayonnaise seems a bit on the thick side, you can thin it with a little hot water.
Lemon mayonnaise
You can use homemade mayonnaise made by the traditional or the blender method, or you can use good-quality bought mayonnaise. I find this variation particularly lovely as a sauce for dishes, such as the new potato, pea and mint frittata or lentil croquettes; it adds a deliciously fresh yet rich note that complements them.
SERVES 4
4 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1–6 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the mayonnaise into a bowl and stir in the finely grated lemon rind. Add the lemon juice gradually, tasting as you go, to get the mixture the right degree of sharpness for you. I like to use the whole amount, but then I love lemon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Traditional-method mayonnaise
Making mayonnaise by hand is hard work, but you get a beautiful, creamy result and it’s very satisfying to see the mixture gradually thicken as you whisk in the oil.
MAKES 200–275ML (7–10FL OZ)
2–3 egg yolks
4 tsp salt
4 tsp mustard powder 2 or 3 grindings of black pepper
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
200–275ml (7–10fl oz) olive oil and groundnut oil, mixed
Put the egg yolks into a bowl and add the salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice.
Whisk for a minute or two until everything is well mixed and creamy, then start to add the oil, just a drop at a time, whisking hard after each addition.
When you have added about half the oil, the mixture will begin to thicken and look like mayonnaise, and then you can add the oil a little quicker, still whisking hard.
Go on whisking in the oil until the mixture is really thick – if you use three egg yolks you will probably be able to use 275ml (10fl oz) of oil, otherwise about 200ml (7fl oz) will be enough.
If the consistency of the mayonnaise seems a bit on the thick side, you can thin it with a little boiling water.
Mayonnaise and yoghurt dressing
You can use either homemade mayonnaise or a good-quality bought one for this.
SERVES 4
2
