Inaugural Blogural

This is my inaugural posting of food for thought. Please forgive me as I go through the growing pains of first blog. I am often asked about recipes and ideas for people who don't want to spend a lot of time cooking but want to eat GOOD food, and I'm going to try and share some ideas here. Maybe you have some ideas of your own? I also need to deal with a two year old promise to my mother in-law to make available the recipes for the food I (and my loyal friend Ben) prepared for my wedding. Yeah, I catered my own wedding, and I'm boasting. Cost practically nothing to feed 70, but if there's a next time, I'm hiring a staff. 

In addition to sharing my obsession with food, I would also like to talk a little about some of the issues I have been thinking about in relation to my Agricultural Sciences, Land Food and Community course at the University of British Columbia. I think I might be able to make some nice connections between what I am eating and drinking, and the effects of my food choices on the world around me. These are lofty goals, but let's start with the basics: Salad Dressing. 

I really like the words "salad dressing". Like the perfect shoes to go with a becoming dress, the

components of a good dressing are complementary and flattering to the figure...or lettuce leaf. Last year I went through a many month phase (too many to proudly mention) of Caesar dressings from scratch. We lived dangerously, eating raw egg yolks and garlic and tossing croutons at passers-by. After our embroilment in dressing excess we went through a reductionist period which brings me to my current favorite way to eat a salad: olive oil and salt. Frankly I just stick my finger in the top of the bottle to control the flow and drizzle a bit of the ol' extra virgin, and follow it up with a sprinkle of kosher salt. What doesn't taste good with olive oil and salt? I challenge you ...

Today I am going to post a how-to of dressing. I should tell you straight out that there is no wrong way to make a dressing really. However, now that I say that, there are some general rules of thumb. 

• About 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar (or lemon juice or soy sauce or other acidic balancer of oil).
  
• Less is more until you add more. It's okay to start slow. Get that dressing off the ground and then get creative.
  

Lemon Caper Dill Dressing

juice of 1 lemon 

handful of caper berries chopped

fresh dill chopped

extra-virgin olive oil

fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

The trick is to start with your acid, and then slowly add the oil while beating with a teeny whisk, or if your teeny whisk is dirty, use a fork. If I am using dried herbs or garlic or mustard, I generally add those before I start adding oil, but with something bulky like capers and fresh herbs I worry that emulsification won't happen. If you are afraid of the word emulsification, I understand. Mostly it makes me think of salon aesthetics and foam carpet underlay (?), but really emulsification is what happens when oil mixes with something that isn't oil. A trick I learned from a source I can't credit (because I forget) is to run the oil down the side of the bowl or jar as you whisk vigorously, with a teeny whisk of course. This keeps it at a slow flow, and pretty much guarantees a nice creamy dressing. Once you've reached the golden ratio of 3:1, add all the good stuff and serve.

I want to point out that dressings are crazy versatile. A piece of grilled bread with fromage frais, smoked salmon and a drizzle of this dressing is divine. A couple of table spoons of dressing into sauteed onions and mushrooms, toss with pasta and dust with Parmesan is perfect comfort food. Ooooh, or omelet...or potato soup...or.... Anyway, get creative. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week, add crushed cumin seed on Tuesday and honey on Friday. You'll never go back to Kraft.

P.S. I want to mention that the tomatoes in the photograph above come from the farmer's market on Comox St (between Thurlow and Bute) in Vancouver BC. They are the varieties Green Zebra and San Marzano and taste like the heavenly fruits of longing.