FOR THE PANTRY
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF the pantry goods that I always keep handy for salad making. I vary my oils according to a desired flavor and consistency and sometimes at my whim. Same with the vinegars—sometimes I want a soft vinegar bite so I’ll choose rice wine vinegar. Other days, for a zingier dressing, I’ll grab my homemade apple cider vinegar. Other ingredients in the pantry add big flavor or texture to salads and will often act as inspiration from which to start off a recipe. In particular I love the emulsifiers which make for thick, rich dressings fit for noodle salads and grain bowls. A note about olive oil: when I find a splurge-worthy bottle of olive oil (they can easily run $30 a bottle), I buy that and use it only for simple green salads that are dressed solely with the oil and a splash of vinegar.
EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL Hands down the oil I use the most for salads, dressing, finishing, roasting, cooking—you name it. Keep both a pricier, greener-tasting olive oil and a more affordable everyday olive oil in the cupboard. For simple salads and finishing oil, opt for the better-tasting olive oil, which should be peppery and fresh. Often, you will feel a little dryness in the back of your throat as you taste. Gourmet shops will offer tastings, which are a great way to select what you like. For flavorful salads, roasted veg, or large salads, use the everyday oil, which is cheaper. California oils are decent—if you have the chance, choose a smaller company, not the Goliaths whose oils tend to taste utterly neutral and uninteresting.
AVOCADO OIL My new favorite oil, avocado oil is heat tolerant and very light. A healthier option than other neutral vegetable oil, avocado oil is also very affordable.
PUMPKIN SEED OIL This oil tastes exactly like a toasted pumpkin seed. Its nutty and mild flavor is very compelling and adds some weight to salads. Choose pumpkin seed oil for seasoning and dressing your winter greens and roasted vegetable salads, but don’t cook with it—it’s not known to be a heat-tolerant oil.
SESAME SEED OIL A must-have for Asian-inspired dressings, this oil lends a nutty, toasty quality that is otherwise hard to replicate.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR This vinegar is pungent yet sweet—it’s my go-to vinegar for pretty much everything I make. It’s made from fermented apple cider, and you can make homemade apple cider vinegar through home fermentation, making a live product that is wonderful for colon health.
RED WINE VINEGAR A go-to for vinaigrettes, red wine vinegar has a sharp bite that wakes up not-very-flavorful ingredients like grains or bean salads.
RICE WINE VINEGAR This gentle vinegar packs an acidic bite while also having a soft sweetness. I use rice wine vinegar in quick pickles, Asian dressings, and even in vinaigrettes for simple green salads.
SHERRY VINEGAR Produced in the same area of Spain where sherry is made, sherry vinegar is aged vinegar made in casks. It is sweet and slightly woody in flavor—a very nice vinegar paired with strong leafy greens and any salad with cooked proteins or grains. Sherry vinegar is also a lovely vinegar for pickling fruit, both fresh and dried.
AVOCADO Purchase hard avocados that are firm if you’d like to use them in three days. For immediate use, choose avocados that give slightly when lightly pressed. At the grocery store I opt for one of each so when one avocado is finished, I have another just coming in to ripeness. Pureed with a bit of liquid, avocados make a smooth and velvety dressing that thickly coats greens and adds creaminess to grain bowls.
CHIA GEL Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fats and fiber. The flavor of chia seeds is not strong—it’s more about the texture. Through absorption of an added liquid, chia seeds create a gelatinous exterior, similar to that of tapioca in pudding or bubble tea. If you like this toothsome, custard-like quality, chia is a win. To make gel, add a spoonful of chia to three parts water and store it in the refrigerator, adding spoonfuls to vinaigrettes or blended dressings for thickness and texture.
MISO Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybean. It can be quite sweet, salty, and pungent and varies in flavor and texture across brands. White or light-colored miso is mild in flavor, and it’s the type used most often in this book. The darker the miso, the stronger the flavor, which can be a blessing to some and off-putting to others. As a fermented product, miso is live and contains beneficial probiotics, so in addition to being a flavorful element to salad dressings, miso adds a healthy pop of immunity-boosting properties to recipes.
NUT BUTTERS Creamy nut butters can be used for both their texture and nutritional value in salads. Their thick, rich quality lends itself well to dressings that coat greens, grains, and noodles alike. Choose a nut butter based on your preferences—all will work well. Often, I opt for cashew butter, due to its mild flavor and smooth texture, while peanut butter is my first choice for Asian-inspired sauces and meals.
TAHINI A thick paste made from ground sesame seed, tahini adds a toasty, nutty flavor to dressings that is similar to nut butters. Tahini tends to be slightly thinner than nut butters and is, therefore, a lighter option when you want to thickly coat greens.
YOGURT Plain yogurt can take the place of mayonnaise, sour cream, or crème fraîche in dressings, replacing the fat calories with a leaner option. A live-culture yogurt will also contribute probiotics to your diet, which are wonderful for gut health. Opt for plain nonfat yogurt when you want a low-calorie dressing that is creamy.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IS A SOFT, round vinegar that is slightly sweet. It is fairly easy to make your own apple cider vinegar at home. You can use scraps from apples—the cores and skins make great starters. Of course, you can use whole apples as well; just be sure to choose ripe ones, as they have a higher sugar content than unripe apples, allowing for a slightly sweeter product in the end. Choosing bruised apples, called seconds, at the farmers’ market is an affordable option.
This recipe forgoes any formal procuring of brewer’s yeast, casks, and equipment, and sticks to using materials found in most homes. Use a large nonreactive pot for this project—a large stainless-steel pot or a deep earthenware pot work well.
With vinegar-making, oxygen needs to be present—in order for alcohol to turn to vinegar, it needs air. Oxygen on a liquid’s surface will help bacteria in the process of converting alcohol to acetic acid, (the vinegar). You must watch for mold forming on the surface of your solution. Mold is an indication that the balance of acid to sugar is off; it generally will not form if the balance is right. In the event that mold presents itself on the apples’ surface, skim it off and keep an eye on the apples. Your nose, too, will be a good indicator if something goes awry. Home fermentation should smell boozy and pungent, not off-putting. If mold develops a second time, toss the batch and start over—something may be off. This recipe makes about 1 quart of vinegar.
TO MAKE THE VINEGAR:
► In the large pot or earthenware container, put the cores and peels from ten apples (or five whole apples, finely chopped). In a 5-quart bowl, dissolve ¼ cup of sugar in the water and pour it over the apple scraps; they should be covered completely. If they are not, make another mixture of 4 cups water and ¼ cup sugar and add to the pot, but only enough to cover apples. Discard any leftover sweetened water.
► Cover the top of the pot with four layers of thick cheesecloth secured with kitchen twine, and set it in a warm spot in the kitchen. The interior of a cupboard works well, as does a countertop. (If you’re making vinegar in summer, secure the cheesecloth tightly to prevent fruit flies from getting into the pot and laying eggs, which will spoil the batch.)
► Leave the mixture for 1 week to macerate and ferment. The liquid may darken slightly and the apple mash will bubble—all signs of a good fermentation. After a week, strain out the apple mash from the liquid by setting it in a mesh strainer over a deep pot and allowing the mash to sit for 24 hours. Do not press on the solids to extract more liquid.
► Return the apple liquid to the container and cover it again with a thick layer of cheesecloth. Put the container in a warm spot and let it sit for 2 to 3 weeks, allowing the sugars to convert to vinegar. Stir or swirl the liquid every few days, to allow for air circulation and oxygen.
► After 2 weeks, taste a spoonful of your vinegar for doneness. If the vinegar still tastes fruity and not acidic enough, let it sit for another week and taste again. After 3 weeks total, the liquid should be completely converted to apple cider vinegar.
► To store apple cider vinegar, strain the liquid with a fine mesh sieve and pour it into clean, sterilized glass bottles. Store vinegar in a cool, dark place. Do not use homemade vinegar in canned goods, as acidity levels vary with each batch. Apple cider vinegar keeps indefinitely.
ADD-ONS
DRIED FRUITS Dried figs, dates, apricots, and raisins are excellent pantry staples. In combination, dried fruits work together in baked goods or as sides to main courses. On their own, they are sweet additions to savory salads.
FISH SAUCE Made from salted, fermented fish, this condiment brings a welcome punch to vinaigrettes and dressings. Because fish sauce falls outside the flavor categories typically recognized by the American palate, the savory-salty taste is hard to define. The Japanese describe it as umami—roughly translated as deliciousness. A versatile pantry staple, fish sauce imparts a noticeable difference in recipes.
FLAVORED NUTS Toasted in oil and tossed in sugar, candied nuts add crispness and sweetness to salads and in particular work well with bitter greens. Throw in a spoonful of soy sauce, and you have sweet-salty. Add a small pinch of cayenne, and you have some spice. Try the recipe for Candied Pecans for any nut, and vary the spices as you see fit.
KIMCHI A fermented cabbage, kimchi is good and good for you. Often tasting strongly of chili and garlic, kimchi adds flavor and healthy probiotics to meals. As kimchi is already fermented, it keeps for a long while, so even if you’re not going to eat it every day, it’s smart to keep a jar handy for occasional use.
NORI These dark sheets of pressed seaweed can be torn, chopped, and flaked and used as garnish for salads. Nori has an earthy, sweet taste and thick, papery texture that melts in your mouth. Very high in protein, vitamins, and iodine, nori is a wonderful addition to grain bowls and salads, particularly for vegetarians looking to up their daily protein intake.
NUTS Keep a selection of dried nuts in the pantry in small quantities, which helps ensure they will not go rancid with age. For any large quantity of nuts, store them tightly wrapped in plastic in the freezer. I prefer raw nuts so I can either soak them for dressings (which keeps the flavor neutral, not toasted) or toast them as I like, for salad toppings, pestos, or toasted dressings. My standards are pistachio, almond, pine nut, and hazelnut for salads, though I try to keep one cup of all nuts in my pantry at all times.
QUICK PICKLES There are two techniques to make a quick pickle: In the first, you heat pickling liquid (along with aromatics and sugar) and pour it over the prepared vegetable or fruit; in the second, you simply throw everything into a bowl and let it cure in vinegar by giving it a stir once in a while. Quick pickles are vegetables or fruits that pickle in about twenty minutes or less. This short brine time leaves the pickles crispy and vibrantly colored, adding texture, color, and flavor to a dish. Anything can be pickled—thin slices of shallot or ginger, dried raisins, or slices of jalapeño or apples are delicious additions to salads.
SEED MIX I keep a small jar of blended seeds in the pantry for a salad topper—a collection of seeds adds flavor and crunch. Whole spice seeds (anise, fennel) add loads of flavor. My favorite combination is toasted sesame seeds, aniseeds, and black poppy seeds, blended with a generous heap of coarse salt. Use this to sprinkle on salads or over grain bowls.
SMOKED FISH Whether fleshy slices of smoked salmon, thin flakes of smoked trout, or big hunks of dry mackerel, smoked fish is an easy choice for adding flavor and protein to a salad. Smoked fish keeps for quite some time, so I always have some on hand for quick and healthy meals when I don’t have time to think about or plan what I’m eating.