The one factor higher than an excellent recipe? When one thing’s really easy that you just don’t even want one. Welcome to It’s That Simple, a column the place we speak you thru the dishes and drinks we are able to make with our eyes closed. Subsequent up: The lemoniest lemon French dressing.
The pile of lemon peels that find yourself within the compost bin is a good tragedy of our time. Not solely since you’ve paid for these vibrant yellow skins, but additionally as a result of they’re loaded with taste. Finely chopped preserved lemons electrify a bowl of spaghetti. The zippiest-ever lemonade begins with a rind-charged easy syrup, plus contemporary lemon juice. And to make olive oil cake that tastes like pure Tuscan sunshine, you’ve obtained so as to add some lemon zest.
However when summer time hits and being outdoors begins to really feel like suffocating in a bath of molten fondue, there’s no higher manner to make use of an entire lemon—sure, lemon juice, flesh, pith, and peel—than this simple lemon French dressing recipe. It’s an excellent no-waste concept I discovered whereas flipping by Salad Seasons by Sheela Prakash, and it’s my new go-to after I’m stumped on salad dressing recipes past balsamic French dressing. The writer, recipe developer, and registered dietitian describes this chunky French dressing as “not like something you’ve had earlier than.” And it makes a severe case for home made dressing over the bottled stuff.
Tart lemon, earthy almonds, and uncooked garlic are blitzed in a meals processor (or pulverized by hand). A contact of honey stealthily joins the celebration—sufficient to offset the bitter pith, acidity, and intense lemon taste, however not cloying like some store-bought dressings. Lastly, a glug of grassy olive oil and a swift shake in a jar emulsify the whole lot into a pointy but creamy overhaul for your next salad. There’s barely any prep time and the tip result’s someplace between a hefty dressing and lemon-almond pesto; viscous sufficient to coat your leaves however not so thick it weighs them down.
Right here’s easy methods to make the lemoniest lemon French dressing:
Trim the stem finish off 1 lemon and slice it into quarters. Take away the seeds and pulse quarters in a meals processor till coarsely chopped (concerning the measurement of rice grains). Fish out any seeds you may need missed.
Add a small handful of toasted sliced almonds (round 2 Tbsp.); 1 peeled garlic clove; a drizzle (1 tsp.) of honey (extra you probably have a very pithy lemon; maple syrup if you wish to make it vegan); and a beneficiant pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Pulse once more till the lemon and almonds are finely chopped (crumbly, however not powdery), scraping the edges of your meals processor as wanted. Switch the combination to a clear mason jar. Add ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil and shake to mix. Alter the salt and pepper to style. Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
Spoon your home made lemon French dressing over a simple green salad, tossing and tasting till it’s dressed to your liking. Or, assemble a speedy dip: Swirl a glob of the French dressing right into a small bowl of thick Greek yogurt, drizzle over some extra olive oil, bathe it with contemporary herbs and toasted seeds, and scoop all of it up with chewy flatbreads. Stir a plop by your favourite facet dishes, like pasta salad, a bowl of steamed rice or quinoa, or a sheet pan of roasted veggies (corresponding to brussels sprouts or broccoli). Or mash some into avocado and smear it on toast.
No matter you do, that is how a home made salad dressing ought to style: heat and brilliant, like the perfect summer time days.
Tailored from ‘Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Ahead Dishes All Yr’ by Sheela Prakash © Rizzoli, 2023. Pictures © Kristin Teig.
