The other day I was planning to serve a very rich lasagna, and decided that what I needed to go with the lasagna to help cut through the richness from the meat, the sauce, and the inordinate amount of cheese, was a simple romaine salad with an acidic dressing. Not too acidic you realize, but with just the right amount of acidity. And this simple dressing that I have been making since I first discovered champagne vinegar about 10 years ago, immediately came to mind. It‘s one of those salad dressings that coats lettuce beautifully, without leaving it soggy. So a perfect salad dressing to dress up plain bite sized pieces of romaine.

While I’m on the subject of romaine, I think I’ll take the opportunity to expound on its many virtues. (Sometimes I feel romaine is underrated and not given the credit it’s due! So I intend to set the record straight right now.)

First of all, from a nutritional standpoint, romaine lettuce is a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese, potassium, biotin, vitamin B1, copper, iron, and vitamin C. It is also a good source of vitamin B2, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, phosphorus, chromium, magnesium, calcium, and pantothenic acid.

Plus, it’s crunchy. (In my book, one of its most redeeming qualities!) And it’s a fairly dark green. (And green is my favorite color. So duh!)

Now I know, many of you are really into the gourmet lettuces. And I understand. I love them too. But when I think salad, I think crunch. And I’m sorry folks, spring mix by itself just does not crunch! Neither does rocket (arugula) or red leaf or any of the other popular soft leaf varieties! And I am still of the school that strongly believes that salad must crunch! To be a proper salad, that is!

So what I am really advocating, in case you haven’t already figured it out, is that romaine lettuce is the bomb! And although you may use other lettuces in your salads as I often do, romaine should still be there to provide that crunchy element necessary to make your all greens salads perfect. (And yes, I love salads with just greens. I also love salads that contain almost all the contents of my refrigerator and pantry. But let’s save that type of salad for another day!)

So if you too love an easy and delicious salad, give this dressing a try. Combined with beautifully perfect bite sized pieces of romaine lettuce, there is just about nothing finer to serve with a rich main dish. Honestly, I promise that you will not miss your darling little leaves of gourmet lettuce. You will also love the fact that you have not spent your paycheck to enjoy a salad that has nutritional value and tastes like it was prepared by the chef at Canlis!

So have fun with this dressing. It is almost fool proof and can be dressed up in any way you choose. Add it to a mixed vegetable salad, a kale and blue cheese salad, or on top of your favorite Cobb salad. Just make it. It’s easy, inexpensive, and perfect. Enjoy!

• 3 T. champagne vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
• romaine lettuce or a variety of lettuces including romaine

In a small bowl or covered jar, whisk or shake together vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the olive oil and either whisk or shake until the liquid is emulsified. Adjust seasoning. Store in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before adding to greens of your choice. 

I love salad, and for quite some time now I have been envisioning a creamy salad dressing with Parmesan cheese and peppercorns having the starring roles. So recently when I needed a simple salad to go with an Italian food themed dinner I was planning, I figured there was no time like the present to work up a recipe for the dressing I had been imagining.

I knew the dressing had to include vinegar and olive oil. But the creaminess I was seeking could only be achieved if I included mayonnaise. My problem then was – how not to taste the mayonnaise. (Don’t get me wrong, I love mayonnaise. But I really didn’t want mayonnaise to be the predominant flavor.) So I started with the vinegar and olive oil, and added mayonnaise a tablespoon at a time until I achieved the consistency and flavor I wanted.

So what I came up with is a dressing that tastes a lot like Caesar dressing, but not quite. It has an intense Parmesan and peppercorn flavor that works perfectly with simple romaine. Add a small amount of thinly sliced red onion, and you have a very simple salad to prepare, but one that packs a lot of flavor. And luckily, the dressing works great with just about any greens or veggies you might have on hand.

So do yourself a favor. Build some of this dressing and use it on any of your favorite combinations of greens and chopped vegetables. Or if you are feeling completely uninspired some evening, try this recipe as written. (Some nights just lend themselves better to letting someone else supply the creativity while zombie like, you follow the recipe instructions as given.) Believe me, I get it. I have had more of those times than I care to admit. Just get the dinner on the table, and be done with the whole thing! And yes, before you ask, I still have evenings like that every once in awhile. Now granted, not as many as when I was a working mommy, but there are still times when cooking dinner and cleaning the bathrooms are equally abhorrent! Those are the times I set myself on cruise control and rely on muscle memory to find my way around the kitchen. Actually in retrospect, some of my best meals have been executed by the automaton that lies within! Perhaps I should give this side of me free rein more often. I’m sure Mr. C. would appreciate dining more often on food he has previously enjoyed rather than always being subjected to yet another new recipe I am trying to perfect. I’ll think about it. Let you know what I decide. But for now, I will continue bombarding you with my new and other peoples’ fabulous recipes until I can no longer stand the sight of my BlueStar range. Sorry honey.

• ¼ c. white wine vinegar
• ¼ c. mayonnaise
• 2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• lots of coarse ground black pepper
• 6 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/3 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
• chopped romaine
• very thinly sliced red onion

Whisk together the vinegar, mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until mixture emulsifies. Gently stir in the Parmesan. Adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before mixing with romaine and red onion. Serve immediately.

Note: This is a potent dressing, so error on the stingy side when dressing the greens. You can always add more dressing as needed.

There are as many recipes for Caesar dressing as there are recipes for brownies. All seem to be pretty good, but some are worth writing about. And the other night I prepared a Caesar salad dressing worthy of its’ own blog posting. Plus it was ever so easy to prepare.

But before I go any further, I would like to tell you about one of my favorite kitchen tools. I first witnessed what this amazing ¾ quart food processor could do at the home of our dear friends Paul and Angela. Paul used it to whip up some kind of sauce and then proceeded to tell me that I simply had to get one for myself. (I already owned one of those cheap mini food processors that were all the rage about 15 years ago, but along with sounding like a 747 warming up, it didn’t work worth a damn!) So the thought of buying another mini food processor, especially one that cost over a hundred dollars just didn’t appeal to me at all. But because Paul told me I had to have one, I went out the very next week and purchased one for myself. (Always must listen when someone as qualified as Paul gives me culinary advice!)

Well I have never regretted for one single minute the cost of my Waring Commercial Pro Prep Chopper-Grinder by Cuisinart. It’s small, easy to handle and works ever so efficiently. And my ear drums don’t take a “beating” each time I use it. (Only the ingredients I put in the prep bowl take a beating, and a pretty fair one at that!) Also it’s easy to clean. (I really like that part.) And for someone like myself who lives for good salad dressing and savory sauces, there is simply no better helper on the market. And yes, I do have a big food processor. But mixing a small salad dressing in a large food processor is like using a bath tub to wash 2 potatoes. Just way over-kill.

So do yourself a favor. If you are the kind of person who always uses minced fresh garlic, fresh herbs, fresh ginger, etc. in your recipes and for whom salad dressings and sauces are part of the very core of your being, get thee on to the internet and purchase one of these fabulous beasties. Better yet, let your honey buy you one for Valentine’s Day. But be forewarned. Internet is probably the best way to find one of these food processors. They simply aren’t sold in most small appliance stores because they are more of a specialty item and most often used in commercial kitchens. So in other words, they can’t be purchased at 11:00pm on February 13^th! But not to worry, I’ve given you plenty of time to provide your loved one with the necessary information to order one of these amazing kitchen tools long before Valentines’ day. I promise you will not be disappointed, unless of course you are one of those people who think receiving a kitchen tool for Valentines’ Day is barbarian. Then of course, you wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place. Duh Patti! But for those of you who do appreciate practical gifts, this is a sure fire winner. As is this salad dressing recipe, I might add.

• 1 T. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• scant 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Place mayonnaise, mustard, chopped garlic, anchovy paste, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in the bowl of an electric food processor. Process until smooth and well blended. While the food processor is still on, very slowly pour in the vegetable oil. Blend until thick and creamy. Add Parmesan cheese and pulse 5 or 6 times. Makes enough for about 4 servings of salad.

Caesar Salad: Combine the dressing with really cold chopped romaine lettuce, additional grated Parmesan cheese, and homemade Garlic Croutons. Serve immediately.

Garlic Croutons: Chop up some small bite sized pieces of a chewy, artisan baguette. Place in a frying pan with butter or olive oil (or a combination) and sauté over low heat until each crouton is crunchy. Add more butter or oil as needed. When desired crunchiness is attained, sprinkle with granulated garlic. Allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container.