The Basics of a Vinaigrette and an OXO Salad Dressing Shaker Giveaway!

When I first moved to France, I realized that I was in trouble when it came to salads.  Yes, the grocery stores and markets had great salad ingredients.  Yes, salads were everywhere.  But at the same time, bottled salad dressings in France were terrible.  I had grown up with the bottle and couldn't figure out what to do...until I realized that I could actually make my own!  And it would be a thousand times better than the bottle!  Ever since that realization, I have (mostly) made my own salad dressings.  The great thing about the homemade version is that it has endless possibilities: herbs or none, mustard or no, tangier with more vinegar or smoother with more oil--you get to decide. 

Take the vinaigrette I made for my poached egg salad I posted about last week.  The egg yolk added a delectable creaminess to the salad, so I decided to go with a more tart version of a basic vinaigrette by adding a little more acid.  And that's something you can't do with the bottle in your fridge.

So how do you make a vinaigrette?  It's easy!  It really comes down to the ratio of oil to acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc.) and personal flavor preferences.  The common ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid.  When you're first starting out on the path to homemade vinaigrettes, I would stick to a good extra virgin olive oil and basic vinegars.  My favorite vinegars are balsamic and red wine because they're milder, but once you get going, start playing with your acids and oils to create different flavors.

If you want your vinaigrette to remain emulsified (or all mixed up), then you'll want to add an emulsifier.  (There's a chemical explanation about how this happens, but we won't go into the details right now.)  The most common for vinaigrettes is mustard (dijon or whole-grain works great) or honey.  Salt and pepper are essential, and then the rest is up to you.  So let's get started!

1. For a regular, family-sized salad, start by pouring about one ounce (about 1/8 cup) of your vinegar into a bowl or a handy-dandy salad dressing shaker.  Add a little salt--start with about 1/8 teaspoon--and some freshly-ground pepper.  I typically use mustard with most vinegars except for balsamic.  If you're using balsamic, mix and skip to the next step.  Other vinegars benefit from a little bit of mustard.  Add about 1/2-1 teaspoon of dijon mustard.  (For me, this is a flavor thing.  I prefer less mustard, so stick to about 1/2 teaspoon, but you might like more, so play with it!) Whisk or shake these ingredients together.
2. Pour in about three ounces of oil (1/4 + 1/8 cup).  Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to oil, but feel free to experiment!  Whisk or shake it to combine.
3. Now, this is the most important part...taste it!  Stick that finger in there and give it a lick.  What does it need?  More salt?  Add a little!  Some herbs?  Add some!  Too tart?  Add a little more oil!  You get the idea.  Here's where you can play with the flavors.
4. Now pour on your salad, toss, and enjoy! (You can store your vinaigrette in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about a week.  Sometimes the oils can solidify, so if that happens, just take your vinaigrette out of the refrigerator about an hour before using it.)

Now, if you've noticed, in the pictures I have a beautiful little OXO Salad Dressing Shaker.  OXO was kind enough to send one to me to try out and another to give away to a lucky reader!  Now, typically, I use a bowl and a whisk because I'm at the point where I don't need to measure anymore, but I do use this shaker quite often as well.  I had an old Tupperware one, but the opening was too small, so whenever I used shallots or other chunkier ingredients, they always got stuck while pouring.  This shaker, though, has a great wide opening, and so far, nothing has ever gotten stuck in it.  It's also pretty leakproof--I even let my two year old "help" me cook by shaking the salad dressing, and nothing ever leaked out.  And finally, my favorite part about this is that, as opposed to my bowl and whisk method, I can make this and then easily store it in my fridge for later use.  When I use this shaker, I'll double or triple the recipe to use throughout the week.  I think the only drawback is that I taste often while making vinaigrettes, and when you twist off the lid, the dressing can run down the sides a bit.  Nothing a paper towel can't fix, though!

So, on to how to enter!  Just follow the directions below.  The first one is mandatory, but the others are optional extra entries...just don't forget to comment for each entry!

1. Leave a comment on this post.  Feel free to share your favorite homemade salad dressing, tell me about problems you've had in the past making your own, or just tell me hi!  :-) (mandatory)
2.  "Like" The World in My Kitchen on Facebook and come back here to let me know. (If you are already a fan, just say so in the comments below.)  (optional)
3. Subscribe to The World in My Kitchen in an RSS feeder. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!)  (optional)
4. Follow me on Twitter and retweet this post. (Make sure to come back here to let me know that you did this!) (optional)
5. "Like" OXO on Facebook and come back here to let me know.  (optional)

That's a total of 5 possible entries! (Make sure to create a separate comment for each one below.) I will choose a winner with a random number generator. The giveaway will close on Wednesday, June 27th at 10:00pm EST.

**This contest is open to those with a U.S. address. 

Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.

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How to Freeze Herbs

I know I talk about my CSA nonstop during the summer, but hey, I love fresh produce!  I often get a lot of herbs every week, and sometimes I just can't use them up before they go bad.  Is it the same for you?  If so, freezing will be your best friend!  I freeze my herbs almost every week, and then use them throughout the following months.  It's best to preserve less woody herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, basil, mint, etc. through freezing rather than drying.  The more woody herbs, although can be frozen, are sometimes best dried.

Some people like to freeze their herbs in little ice cube trays, but I think it's a pain.  First of all, I don't have any ice cube trays because thankfully I have an automatic ice cube maker.  Secondly, I find that freezing your herbs in water in a tray limits your uses for the herb.  Yes, you can throw an herby ice cube into a soup, but that's about it.  If you freeze using my method, you can just cut off frozen bits to use in cooking, but also in salads and other uncooked foods.  (This works great with dill in potato salads.)

So, let's get to it!  First you need to wash your herbs gently in cold water and leave them to dry on a paper towel.  Once they're dry, chop them roughly and put them into a freezer bag.  (I prefer Ziploc's Vacuum bags.)

Make sure to label your herbs!  After a few weeks in the freezer, the cilantro and parsley will look suspiciously alike.  Remove as much air as possible and freeze.  Whenever you need some, break off a chunk and add it to your recipe.  Some herbs' flavors will last longer than others, so storage time will vary.  I've found that cilantro only lasts a few months, but dill can last up to a year.

That's all there is to it!  How do you like to preserve your herbs?

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How to Make Garlic Salt...and How to Balance Blogging and Life

I don't know how parents stay sane.  Really, I don't.  Between work (whether you have a full-time job or stay at home), extracurricular activities, beginning-of-the-winter illnesses, last-minute work trips, etc., etc., I'm surprised that parents get to sleep at all, let alone have a hobby.  My hobby is cooking and writing for this blog, and it will remain a hobby unless someone wants to pay me to do it.  (Hint, hint...anyone out there want to pay me to write here???)  And as fulfilling and fun as this blog is, it is often the first thing to get cut from my to-do list when duty calls.  Unfortunately, duty has called a lot more recently.  So please forgive my sporadic posts, and please understand that I probably won't be baking 18 different types of holiday cookies to share here.  Not that I don't want to bake all of those cookies and share them with my lovely readers, but the reality is that I'll be lucky if I get to bake one type of cookie this season!  It may seem like I'm complaining, but I'm not.  My family is healthy and happy...just very, very busy at the moment, and I'd like to savor just a little of that time before my kiddos get too old to want to share that time with me.  :-)

I am, however, going to share a great tip today about making your own garlic salt.  For some reason, I'm either always out of the stuff or it's been so long since I used it that it's all caked at the bottom of the jar.  The other day, I realized I was out, but really wanted to use some on baked kale chips.  Then the proverbial light bulb went off over my head...and I made some from scratch!  It takes all of 5-10 minutes to make and really tastes fresh--I guess anything's fresher when it doesn't come out of a plastic bottle!  I made extra to have on hand and stored it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but it didn't last long.  The garlic salt turned a greenish tint, which although wasn't mold-based, did turn me off from using it.  This should last a few days in the fridge, but it's easy enough to make it on demand whenever you need it!

First, peel and trim your garlic.  I used two cloves for this batch, which made about 1/4 cup.  Roughly chop the garlic and place in a mortar bowl.

Add about a tablespoon of Kosher salt and using a pestle, grind into a paste.

Continue adding Kosher salt until the mixture is no longer paste-like and looks more like salt.

And that's it!  Use it as you would with store-bought garlic salt.  It tasted delicious on the kale chips, but I bet it would also be great on popcorn!

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How to Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree

I have never bought a can of pumpkin.  Before I started this blog, I just had never cooked with pumpkin, and when I did start using it in baking, I had nice, fresh "potirons" available to me in the French markets.  I learned how easy it was to make my own pumpkin puree and have never looked back.  Every fall, I stock up on pumpkins, make the puree, and then freeze it in one-cup portions to use in baking throughout the winter.  I love fresh pumpkin for its taste and vibrancy, so I thought I'd share how I make my own puree here.

You need to start with a baking pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin (which can have a bland flavor).  Cut your pumpkin in half.

Scoop out the seeds and membranes.  You can save the seeds to roast if you'd like.

Place your pumpkin halves cut side down on a baking pan.  I like to line the tray with foil since the sugars in the pumpkin can get kind of messy when roasted.  Place your pan in a 350 degree F oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin. 

The pumpkins should get a little browned on the skin side.  You'll know they're done when a sharp knife slides easily into the flesh.  Take the pan out of the oven and let the pumpkins cool.

Scoop the flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor.  Blend until completely pureed.

Depending on your pumpkin, the puree may be watery.  If that's the case, layer a sieve with cheesecloth or coffee filters and spoon the puree into it.  Let drain over a large bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours until your puree reaches the desired consistency.

Once you've pureed the pumpkin, you can freeze them in freezer bags, freezer-safe plastic containers or freezer jars.  Just defrost what you need when you're ready to use it!

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How to Cut an Avocado

Growing up in California, I always took avocados for granted.  They were cheap, in good shape, and everyone knew how to use one.  When I moved to Kentucky, I was surprised to find out how expensive they are and to find out how many people outside of the West don't know what to do with them.  My in-laws in Wisconsin think that they look and feel gross.  Fine with me...that just leaves more for my tummy!  I love to use avocados in salads and in guacamole...what do you use them for?

Today I'm going to show you how to get the lovely green flesh out of an avocado in tact and ready to chop or puree.   First you need to slide a large sharp knife all around the circumference of the avocado, slicing deeply until your knife hits the pit.

Once you've done this, take one half in each hand, and twist in opposite directions.  The avocado should split neatly in half, leaving the pit in one half.

Take the pit side in one hand and whack the pit with your knife carefully, but with enough force to get your knife lodged in the pit. While holding the avocado half with one hand and the stuck knife with the other, gently twist in opposite directions.  The pit should pop out of the avocado and stay stuck to your knife.  Gently remove the pit from your knife.

After you've removed the pit, you should have avocado halves that look like this:

To remove the flesh without squishing it, hold the avocado with one hand, and run a large spoon along the edge of the inside of the skin.  The avocado half should come out in tact.

And now you're left with lovely avocado halves that can be stuffed, chopped or pureed into guacamole!

And, as an added bonus, save that avocado pit when making guacamole.  Place the pit in the container with the guacamole to keep it from turning brown as fast.  :-)

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How to Peel a Tomato

It took me years to figure out how to properly and easily peel a tomato.  Once I learned how, though, it's been smooth sailing ever since!  Last weekend, I peeled and chopped 25 pounds of tomatoes in about 2 hours.  This method is tried and true--and can be used for other produce too.  I peel peaches and nectarines with the same method. 

First you need to clean your tomatoes.  Once you've done that, score a shallow "X" in the bottom of the tomato.  You want to break the skin, but not go so far as to make juices squirt out.

Then place a few tomatoes into a large pot of boiling water.  Let them boil for about 30 seconds to one minute.  You just want the skin to start peeling away where you scored the tomato.

This is about what it should look like:

Once the skin starts to peel, remove the tomatoes with a large slotted spoon to a large bowl full of ice water.  Let the tomatoes sit for a few minutes until they are completely cooled--this will stop the cooking.

At this point, the skins should slide right off, leaving you with perfectly beautiful and peeled tomatoes!

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How to Make Croutons

Now that my husband is back, I have some time to get back to my "How to" series.  This is something I've posted about before, but I thought I'd revisit because it's been a while.  Croutons are great additions to salads and blended soups, among other things, but until I lived in France and had about a million half-baguettes left over, I didn't realize how easy croutons are to make.  You can use any bread, and in fact, I encourage you to try out different types.  I've used anything from leftover baguettes to homemade sourdough to regular ol' bread slices from the grocery store.  Whatever you use, I guarantee the croutons will be a thousand times better than the ones you buy in a box at the store.

To make croutons, you need to first cut your bread into small cubes.  Use as much bread is needed for your salad, etc.  You can place them in a bowl or just prepare them on the cookie sheet (my preferred method since I hate doing dishes).  Pour just enough olive oil on them to create a light coating on all of the bread pieces.  Don't worry if every nook and cranny isn't covered--it won't matter.  Add seasonings to the bread--my favorite is a generous dash of flavored salt and some pepper, but you can add dried herbs to fit your meal.  Make sure that the bread is spread evenly in one layer on a cookie sheet, put it in a 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes.  Flip the croutons and bake for a few minutes more until they are golden brown.  Let them cool, and serve!  You can also keep these in a plastic baggie for a few days in a cool, dry place to use later.

As a bonus today, I'm going to give you a simple recipe to go along with the how to!  Seriously, this "recipe" is so easy that I'm kind of embarrassed to share it, but it's so good that my daughter and I fought over the last bits of it.  :-)

Panzanella Caprese

1 large tomato, preferably fresh from the field!, chopped into large chunks
4-5 basil leaves, chopped or in ribbons
1 very small shallot, minced
Olive oil
Good quality Spanish sherry vinegar, or other flavorful vinegar, such as basalmic
Salt and Pepper
Handful of croutons

Combine the tomato, basil and shallot in a bowl.  Add a glug of olive oil (a couple of tablespoons should suffice) and a splash of vinegar (1-2 teaspoons).  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir gently and set aside until you are ready to serve.  Add the croutons at the last minute.  They will soak up all of those delicious juices, but you don't want them to get too soggy before you serve the salad!

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How to Clean a Leek

You may be asking yourself right about now: 1) "What is a leek, anyway?" and 2) "Don't you just clean them like any other vegetable?"  I am here to answer both questions!

A leek is part of the Amaryllidaceae family and Allioideae subfamily (if you want to get all biological about it), but the simple explanation is that it's a vegetable related to garlic, onion, shallots and scallions.  It has a mild onion flavor, but tastes a little fresher, more like a scallion.  It's often used in cooking stocks and soups (like my Potage Crécy), but can be used in quiches and salads as well.  If you haven't tried a leek, take a test run next time you need an onion!

Leeks, however, can be very dirty and sandy between its layers because of the way it's grown, so you have to do a special cleaning.  Below is how I clean a leek.  It's quick and easy and is guaranteed to get all of that dirt off of your vegetable!

First, you'll want to trim away the root end and the dark green layers, leaving only the whites and the light green parts.  (Many people say that the dark green layers are bitter, but I save and use them for making chicken and beef stock and haven't really noticed.)

Next, you'll want to cut the leek in half lengthwise.  You could leave the leek whole at this point if you wanted perfect rings, but it's definitely easier to cut if you halve it.

Slice your leek.  I usually slice them into about 1/4" pieces, but feel free to slice them as thick as you'd like, depending on your recipe.

And finally, place them in a large bowl of cold water.  Swish them around a bit with your fingers to loosen up the soil.  Let them sit for a few minutes.  Carefully remove them to a paper towel to drain.  All of that dirt and soil should be left behind in the bottom of the bowl!

And now your leeks are clean and ready to go!  What is your favorite recipe with leeks?

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How to Freeze Greens (Spinach, Kale, Chard, Collards, etc.)

Last year I went a little crazy with my CSA.  Besides getting my normal pickup, I would also buy extras of everything at the farmer's market from the same farmer.  Carl knows my weakness for vegetables, so would often offer me deals that he knew I couldn't resist.  Once I came home with 10 pounds of haricots verts!  Obviously, my small family of four (one of which was an infant) couldn't eat 10 pounds worth of green beans before they went bad.  So I started freezing them to use in the winter.  (My mom often says that I remind her of Laura Ingalls Wilder!  But she lives in California where she can buy whatever fruit or veggie in season at all times of the year.  We don't have that luxury here in Kentucky.)

The point of the story is that I found that you can freeze almost anything!  I'll post tutorials on other veggies as we go along, but today I'm going to focus on greens.  We get a lot of kale, Swiss chard, spinach and other greens in our CSA, and although I love greens, I don't always have the time to make something with them before they start going bad.  Also, I love to put spinach in my lasagna, but I only make that in the winter when it's not too hot to turn on the oven.  This is a great way to have great local spinach (or other greens) on hand when it's not in season.  When you want to use it, just defrost and add it to whatever dish you're making!

The trick is to blanch them first.  What is blanch, you ask?  We'll get to that in a minute, but first you need to prepare your greens.  Wash them in cold water.  At this point, I usually chop my greens roughly since most of my recipes call for sliced or chopped greens.  You don't have to do this, but I find it makes it easier for me later on.

Once you've prepared the greens, it's on to blanching.  Blanching means that you cook the greens in boiling water just for a couple of minutes to stop the bacteria and enzymes from breaking down your veggies in the freezer.  (You can find the specific blanching times below.)  Start the timer as soon as you place the greens in the water and cover the pot.  You can use the blanching water up to five times before having to replace it with clean water.

When the timer goes off, you will need to shock the greens in ice-cold water to stop the cooking.  I use my big pasta pot with the strainer.  Then all I have to do is pull the strainer out and move the greens to the ice bath in a large bowl.  You keep the greens in the ice bath for the same amount of time that you cooked them for. 

Once they've cooled, take them out, squeeze as much water out as you can and let it drain a little.  I like to make one-cup-sized balls (so I know how much each packet is in the freezer) and set them on a clean kitchen towel to drain a little more.  Once they're drained to your satisfaction, put them in freezer bags, remove all of the air (Ziploc Vacuum Bags work great here), and then layer them in the freezer.  Make sure you label them with what is inside and the date!  You can store them for about 9 months in a regular freezer or up to a year in a deep freeze.

Blanching Times:

Beet Greens	2 minutes
Chard	2 minutes
Collard Greens	2 minutes
Kale	3 minutes
Spinach	2 minutes
Turnip Greens	2 minutes

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