Category Archives: Dressings & Dips

Real Caesar Dressing

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About a decade ago, I came across a Caesar dressing recipe in Fine Cooking by Ana Sortun, the chef/owner of Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass. Several years later, I met Ana at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and waxed on about how incredible the recipe was. Then I realized how silly it was to be praising the acclaimed chef of a high end Turkish restaurant for her Caesar salad dressing recipe. But, honestly, it made that big of an impact on me. Over the years, I memorized and adapted it, and this is the version that has stuck as a staple in our house. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Lime Caesar Dressing

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I love Cristina Ferrare’s cookbook Big Bowl of Love (Sterling Epicure)! Her way of using fresh, seasonal ingredients in simple preparations is our idea of nourishing. This salad dressing recipe is inspired by Ferrare’s Caesar dressing. It has a lovely, light texture and authentic flavor. Adjust the amount of anchovy to suit your taste. Serve this dressing over romaine lettuce with crunchy croutons.

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Basil-Mint Pesto

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This emerald pesto is ideal when the weather  starts to warm up – the  mint adds a springy note while the basil offers a hint of summer to come. Stir it into Maria Speck’s Speedy Chickpea Couscous with Pesto, serve a dollop atop fish or poultry, spread it on crostini or add it to hot pasta. This pesto recipe yields a generous amount. Use whatever you need now, and freeze the leftovers in an ice-cube tray. Once it’s frozen, pop the pesto cubes out of the tray and transfer them to a heavy-duty zip-top bag and freeze up to 1 month.

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Fennel & Mint Raita

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Raita is an Indian condiment made with yogurt, vegetables, herbs and spices. It’s often made with cucumber, but in spring, we like to use fresh fennel and mint. Try it with our Red Lentil Dal with Caramelized Onions, Carrots and Peas. It’s also delicious with lamb, poultry or fish. Save the pretty fennel fronds to garnish the bowl.

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Sustainable Tuna Caponata

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This is based on a Ligurian-style caponata, with tuna as the main ingredient so the a taste of a premium sustainable canned fish like Wild Planet’s Wild Albacore really shines. Think of it as a mayo-free tuna salad. It’s meant to be made ahead to give the flavors time to develop, so mix it up tonight to enjoy for lunch tomorrow. It’s a winner spooned onto crostini or multigrain crackers, or tucked into pita bread.

2 (2-by-4-inch) whole wheat crackers (such as Al-Mok)
1 (5-ounce) can sustainably caught albacore tuna (such as Wild Planet)
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, or more to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Soak the crackers in water for 15-20 minutes until soft; drain thoroughly.

Drain the tuna. If it’s packed in water, discard the water. If it’s packed in oil, reserve the oil to use in this recipe. Place the tuna in a small bowl, breaking it up with a fork. Add soaked crackers, olives and capers. Gently fold in oil, vinegar and salt to taste. Chill at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Serve sprinkled with parsley, if you like.

Serves 2

Adapted from La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy (Rizzoli).

Mom’s French Dressing Salad Recipe

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This recipe–a zippy, tomato-based salad dressing recipe–is my adaptation of one that was handed down to my mom early on in her marriage by her Aunt Gladys. “This is the French dressing made and used in several of the Italian restaurants in the small town where I grew up, Princeton, IL,” Mom says in her notes. It has been a staple of our family for as long as I can remember. This French dressing adds peppy flavor to salads and sandwiches.


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End-of-Summer Pico de Gallo

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This simple pico de gallo salsa recipe is a tasty way to use up late-season tomatoes, and you can pull it together in no time. Pico de gallo — also known as salsa fresca — is traditional uncooked Mexican salsa. Serve it with our Vegan Tempeh Fajitas, as a condiment with grilled chicken or fish, or simply with chips and a nice, cold beer.

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Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Sauce

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Romesco sauce is delicious staple of Spanish cuisine. Our version of Catalonian tomato-red pepper romesco sauce boosts the ratio of roasted bell peppers. There are lots of ways to roast peppers and other items. Lia likes to do it on the stovetop in a comal (a flat griddle pan). You can also throw them on a hot grill (especially good and smoky if you add soaked wood chips to the coals or a smoker box), or use a pair of tongs to hold peppers over the open flame of a gas stove. Since this recipe calls for roasting a fairly large volume, we pop ‘em under the broiler. However you do it, the result is a simple, smoky romesco sauce that you can serve with grilled bread as an appetizer; as a condiment with fish, poultry, or meat; tossed with pasta; or even on pizza in place of traditional tomato sauce. It may just end up being your new all-purpose sauce.

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Spanish-Leaning Spinach and Chickpea Dip

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I waffled about whether to name this “hummus” or “chickpea dip,” but ultimately thought it veered far enough from tradition — thanks to the addition of spinach and smoked paprika — to go with the latter. (And my choice should satisfy purists like Cheryl Sternman Rule — check out her tongue-in-cheek thoughts on the matter the hummus debate here.) It is, in any case, delicious. If you’ve ever had any doubt as to the strength of pounded garlic, this little dish will set you straight.

spinach-and-chickpea-dip

3 cloves garlic, peeled and pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas
12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine garlic, chickpeas, spinach, lemon juice and tahini in a food processor, and blend until smooth.

Warm olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat and add spices. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just fragrant. Scrape oil and spices into bowl of food processor, add a pinch of salt and process until well blended.

Serves 8

Roasted Tomatillo and Chile Sauce

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I first encountered this chile verde sauce at a remote resort in the Copper Canyon. It’s simple, but deceptively flavorful. Use it as a rustic salsa or as a sauce spooned over grilled chicken.

roasted-tomatillo-chile-sauce-recipe1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 pound peppers and chiles, a mix of poblano, jalapeno, etc.
1/2 large onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled
sea salt
juice of 1 lime

Heat a comal or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Roast tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic until semi-charred and softened, turning often, about 10 minutes.

Roughly chop vegetables and transfer to a large mortar and pestle. Sprinkle with salt and pound to a rough paste. Stir in lime juice.

Serves 8