salad in a dress

Most salad dressings are, essentially, acid and oil. I’m only saying ‘most’ to guard myself from the inevitable “don’t you mean vinaigrettes”-s and “my favorite dressing is mayonnaise”-s. Anyway since there are many of both acids and oils, endless arrays of combinations can be made to spice up any old leaf into something unique - without the nasty preservatives and unnecessaries store-bought varieties contain. Consider the following list:

Acids                                         Oils

Lemon juice                              olive oil

Apple vinegar                            grape seed oil

Red wine vinegar                       flax oil

Balsamic vinegar                        sesame oil

Rice vinegar                              chili oil

Grapefruit juice                         avocado oil

This is by no means exhaustive since there are an amazing amount of oils, vinegars, and other acids (think citrus fruit) available these days. Just mix and match - even doing it at random is bound to give you something more interesting than a bottle would. It’s like those old toys where you could rotate the alligator head onto the dog body.

give him the alligator head!

For the ratio, I seem to recall reading a Jamie Oliver book that mentioned 3 to 1 oil to acid, but basically you just want more oil than acid. There’s 2 ways to mix these guys together, since the oil will separate if you just pour them together.

Method 1 – broken vinaigrette style

Pour your acid first into a jar (one that has a lid), then pour in your oil. If you use a clear jar it’s easy to measure the ratio. All you have to do then is shake it like a paint can (or a James Bond-style cocktail?) until it comes together. Use it immediately after shaking and you’re solid.  Wait and it’ll separate again.

Method 2 – emulsified stylin’

Again pour in your acid first. This time, slowly, as slowly as you can, pour a constant thin stream of oil in with one hand while whisking with the other hand. This might take a bit of practice but the result is beautiful – emulsification means the dressing becomes one inseparable liquid. Good cheat is to do this in a blender, then it’s hands-free.

The last thing here, of course, is seasoning. You’ll want some salt: I really recommend sea salt or mineral salt – not baking salt – something tasty. For fancy flavors feel free to chop up herbs (anything – basil, dill, cilantro, fennel, even dried stuff will work), finely mince up vegetables (onions, shallots, bell peppers), or get creative (chervil + sherry wine vinegar + strawberry jam = kitchen magic).

After this, you won’t need to eat the same salad twice. Get creative!

pan-searing scallops - take off those feet

Quality scallops are one of my very favorite treasures of the sea – I definitely prefer them over hijiki, by contrast – and can be eaten raw. Note what word I chose to begin that sentence with. Don’t settle for second-rate seafood. Look at it, smell it, don’t buy discounted old stuff - all the common-sense rules apply. With seafood, freshness is everything. That, and maybe avoiding mercury contamination. The key here though: don’t fear the natural product. When searing scallops you’re not trying to cook these things through, far from it. All you are aiming to do is caramelize the outside. The whole process should take around a minute, maybe less.

 

a little fancied up

Remove (if it hasn’t been done already) the tough muscle shaped like a little foot on the side of the scallop. If you are using frozen scallops, which by the way are quite good these days, bring them to room-temperature-ish before searing. You can eat the foot by the way; it just doesn’t have a nice texture. Get a fry pan going on high heat until it’s very hot. Put some high-temp cook oil in there (like grape seed oil or canola oil), maybe a couple of tablespoons, and when the oil is also hot place your scallops in there. Make sure you hear that sizzle! It’s the sure sign that the oil is hot enough to give you a good sear. Stay on high heat and check your scallops after about 20 seconds. If it’s golden and browned, turn. 20 seconds the other side. Cut the heat and take those guys out of there, they are finished. If you want to sear a flavor in, try a dry-rub beforehand instead of a marinade. You don’t want them wet before searing. Wet things don't sear. Me? I like them with a little salt, and maybe some turmeric or Cajun seasoning. Or sometimes a bit fancier.