Put This Scallion Mustard Dressing on Everything
Welcome to the second installment of Take It Easy.
This week’s Take It Easy recipe features one of my favorite alliums, the humble scallion.
Alliums (shallots, onions, garlic, chives, scallions, etc.) are essential in salad dressings, but, in a pinch, I don’t have the patience to finely dice a shallot or grate garlic into a vinaigrette (I’m not peeling the skin of a shallot or garlic when I have 20 minutes to create a meal in between workday tasks.). Salads should be quick—lunchtime fare should always be speedy to prepare. Scallions, with their subtle bite and sweetness plus their utterly unfussy preparation (wash and chop and you’re done) are on my list of ingredients my fridge is never without.
This recipe takes the punchy bite of the scallion and matches it with a sweet kick of whole grain dijon mustard. I love the way the itsy bitsy flecks of mustard grains find their way into the nooks and crannies of my kale leaves.
This dressing mellows the bite of the scallion with acidic lemon juice and a tablespoon of rice vinegar (AKA my vinegar of choice. Distilled white vinegar could also work in this too if you don’t have rice vinegar. However, do not start with that apple cider vinegar shenanigans—too overpowering.). Honey and two heaping tablespoons of whole grain mustard assist in the balancing act, and a pinch of salt brings everything together.
As I said in last week’s newsletter, kale is my leafy green of choice for shelf stability and health reasons alike, but any leafy green or lettuce will sing with this dressing. Arugula? Of course! Spinach? While not my fav, yes, probably. Little gems? You bet!
The dressing goes beyond the mighty leaf, too. Sliced fennel, supremed citrus, dill, and chopped nuts? Roasted brussel sprouts? Great idea. Even a roast chicken could be done some good with this dressing drizzled on it. TL; DR: We’ve got options, baby!
As always, if you try out this recipe or any others of mine, feel free to share it with me! Send me a note if it’s good and send me a note if it’s bad.
Without further ado, here’s the recipe.
Scallion Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
3-4 scallions, thinly chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. whole grain dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
Salt to taste
Preparation
Put chopped scallions in a medium-sized bowl. Squeeze lemon juice and add rice vinegar into the bowl. (Adding acid to an allium lets it dull some of its garlicky bite.)
Add oil, whole grain dijon mustard, and honey. Stir and taste. Salt to your liking. This dressing serves two to three helpings.
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As always, thank you for reading. Thank you for subscribing. It befuddles me that more than 60 people care enough about my words and recipes to receive this newsletter in their inbox. Such valuable real estate!
And now, for my favorite end-of-the-newsletter feature, it’s time for New York Bite Spotlight!
Yun Hai Shop: While not a restaurant in itself, this pantry shop is well worth a visit simply to admire the pantry staples on Yun Hai’s shelves. What I especially appreciate is the context the shop provides to customers with each and every product on display. The shop places little cards with information next to each product, so you get to learn about the origins of the ingredient and how and where it’s made as you peruse! Whether you’re searching for soybeans, artisan vinegars, chili crisps, or other staples, a trip to Yun Hai will do you some good. I returned home with some flaky salt and chili crisp after my recent visit.
Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe: I probably won’t ask for lox on a bagel here again (too salty), but the dill cream cheese on my everything bagel was utterly delightful. Extra points for eating it on a bench in Prospect Park.
Have a lovely weekend! Go forth and make your dressing!
