THREE DRESSINGS, MANY USES
From the left, “Lydia’s Salad Dressing” from Cork, Ireland; Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Balsamic Vinaigrette; and Lemon and Buttermilk Dressing.
In England, during the late 1600s and early 1700s, people on travels around the country often carried with them a small jar filled with what was called “Travelling Sauce,” a mixture of vinegar or red wine with various flavorings such as orange peel, herbs and spices, and chopped shallots. If based in vinegar, it would keep for up to a year without refrigeration (which, in any case, wasn’t available).
At the time, the British writer Richard Bradley extolled such sauces—we would call them “vinaigrettes”—in his compendium, “The Country Housewife and Lady’s Director, Parts I & II,” published in 1736. Such vinaigrettes, Bradley wrote, are “a Good Companion for Travellers, who more frequently find good Meat than good Cooks.”
The history of the vinaigrette goes further back than 17th century Britain, of course, especially in France where they were what we nowadays call “French dressing”—dressings for greens, stout or leafy, as we know and use them ourselves. But as Bradly points out, these vinaigrettes also enlivened or flavored meats such as fowl, pork, or beef and poached or grilled fish, all “meats” of their day.
The vinaigrette recipe here, Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Balsamic Vinaigrette, uncannily resembles a South American chimichurri that no self-respecting Argentine or Brazilian would omit to serve with any grilled beef.
And so, the kitchen sports one of the great sauces of Western cuisine, the vinaigrette, which itself has “mothered” many other sorts of dressings that mimic it as they, too, balance fat and acid flavored with all manner of herb or spice, if even merely salt and pepper.
Most vinaigrettes are composed of a ratio of three parts fat (usually a neutral oil or extra virgin olive oil) to one part acid (usually a vinegar, hence the name, but often some sort of citrus such as lemon or lime juice). The choice of fat takes the vinaigrette in one direction—bacon fat, for example, boosting much more flavor than plain vegetable oil—and the choice of acid takes it in another. Many vinegars are flavored, for instance, but there is a huge difference just among the members of the family: rice, red wine, white wine, champagne, balsamic, and sherry, this latter being one of the most aggressively acidic of all vinaigrette acidities.
Adding soft-stemmed herbs such as chervil, chives, dill, or basil makes one statement. Steeping in hard-stemmed herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or oregano, another.
The three recipes here are not all vinaigrettes, properly speaking. Only that from Daniel Groen, former chef at The Brown Palace Hotel, is a full-on vinaigrette. Groen’s is an interesting, complex, and quite delicious vinaigrette, for it uses two types of olive oil for the fat, both vinegar and lime juice for the acid, and both soft-stemmed as well as hard-stemmed herbs. And garlic; never forget the garlic.
But the other two dressings are alive with the electric balancing of fat and acidity, whether the fat comes from egg yolk, cream, or mayonnaise, and whether the acidity comes from vinegar, buttermilk’s cultures, or lemon juice. I give serving suggestions for each dressing, which are highly varied and across the sideboard.
These are nothing if not versatile and enlivening of so many foods.
Using olive oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes lends a deeply satisfying flavor to this Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Balsamic Vinaigrette.
RECIPE: Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Balsamic Vinaigrette
From Daniel Groen, former chef at The Brown Palace Hotel, Denver. As printed in “Friends for Dinner,” by Madeleine M. St. John (Volunteers of America, 1991). Makes about 2/3 cup.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes (drain oil from jar)
4 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 sprigs fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a jar. Correct seasoning and let stand for 4 hours at room temperature.
Serving suggestions: As with a standard vinaigrette, greens both stout and leafy of any sort; grilled vegetables; cooked, cold vegetables such as steamed asparagus or poached leeks; and, because it is a kissing cousin to South American chimichurri, any sort of grilled or seared meat, especially beef.
This creamy, lemon-scented, buttermilk-based dressing is best reserved for sturdier lettuces.
Lemon and Buttermilk Dressing
From “Fruitful: Sweet and Savory Fruit Recipes Inspired by Farms, Orchards and Gardens,” Sarah Johnson (Kyle Books, 2024). Makes 12 fluid ounces (a bit less than 2 cups).
Ingredients
125 ml (4 fluid ounces or 8 tablespoons) buttermilk
200 ml (7 fluid ounces, just shy of 1 cup) homemade mayonnaise
Zest of 2 lemons, plus juice of 1, strained
A handful of soft herbs, finely chopped (see Variations)
Salt and black pepper
Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and mayonnaise. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then taste and adjust the flavors to your preference. Use immediately or store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Variations: The choice of herbs for the dressing can be tailored to the time of year and the accompanying dish. For a chicken salad, consider using tarragon, parsley and summer savory. In the summertime, dress your lettuce with a blend of basil, mint and chives, scattering a few whole herbs throughout the salad. During winter, opt for parsley, chervil and chives and add a spoonful of mustard.
Serving suggestions: As the author, Sarah Johnson, writes, “This creamy, lemon-scented dressing is best reserved for sturdier lettuces like Romaine or Reine des Glaces. Autumn and winter chicories [endives] will also hold under the weight of this dressing and are great candidates in wintertime. If you would like to add more delicate leaves, toss them into the salad at the final moment before serving.”
Because of the marked presence of lemon, this dressing would also deliciously accompany most sorts of grilled, roasted, poached, or steamed fish or shellfish (what a wonderful dip for a platter of shrimp, crab or lobster!).
Lydia’s salad dressing
From “The Ballymaloe Cookbook,” by Myrtle Allen (Gill and Macmillan, 1977). Makes just under 1/2 cup.
A green salad was “standard fare for Sunday evening suppers,” writes Myrtle Allen, founder of the Ballymaloe Cooking School near Cork, Ireland, in her cookbook “The Ballymaloe Cookbook.” “The salad accompanied cold meat, probably left over from the midday joint [roast].” This dressing, utilizing sieved hard-boiled eggs, is from Lydia Strangman, says Allen, “an unmarried Quaker lady of strict principles.” It is delicious, tangy, and warming at the same time.
Ingredients
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 level teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon cider or malt vinegar
4 tablespoons cream
Directions
Sieve the egg yolks and add the sugar, salt and mustard. Blend in the vinegar and cream. Chop the egg whites and add some to the sauce. Scatter the rest over the salad. Do not dress the salad beforehand with this sauce; it will not coat the leaf. Hand it around separately in a sauceboat.
Serving suggestions: In addition to most any sort of green salad, you also can use the dressing atop cooked vegetables such as asparagus spears or poached leaks, at cold or room temperature, in addition to slices of cold roast meats (such as those served at that Irish Sunday supper). In many ways, it resembles a classic French “sauce gribiche,” a mix of hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, and souring agents such as mustard and lemon juice. Sauce gribiche is a classic dressing for already-cooked cold meats (pork, beef, chicken, or lamb).