For meats, chicken, or tofu, a salad dressing marinade is an easy way to add a punch of flavor.
No shame in a shortcut
I’ve learned that highly-regarded professional chefs sometimes take shortcuts by using prepared ingredients, like sauces, in their cooking. This has made me bolder in experimenting with my own shortcuts, and one of mine is to use salad dressing as a marinade.
The first time I did it I combined Caesar salad dressing with bottled barbecue sauce, and marinated steak tips overnight – which were astonishingly good when grilled the next day.
For a long time I kept this “recipe” a secret. When steak tips went on sale I’d buy a bunch, throw them in one or two sealable gallon bags and add a generous squirt of salad dressing and the same amount of barbecue sauce. Overnight marinating works best, and it also freezes well. No need to marinate before freezing, the marinating will happen while the meat defrosts.
A dressing I like for chicken kebabs is one I tested for the Pollan Family Table that includes white balsamic vinegar and raspberry vinegar. Chicken marinates quickly and you don’t want to leave it in a strong-flavored marinade for very long; for kebabs, an hour or two in the fridge at most.
My family’s favorite salad dressing is the creation of our friend Vasilka Nicolova. It’s flavored strongly with lemon and garlic, and is also great made with balsamic vinegar instead of lemon. Its piquant flavor is great on salads to accompany roasts and braised foods, but it is also an excellent marinade for lamb planned for the grill.
For meatless grilling or broiling, I like a marinade with Asian flavors. Whisk together 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup mirin, 2 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Add 2 teaspoons sesame seeds and 1 finely sliced scallions. This is a great marinade for tofu and nice brushed over vegetables on the grill.
My daughter Sara was visiting last week and I’d bought a boneless butterflied lamb roast to marinate overnight in olive oil and garlic and dried herbs, but then I had a better idea. Sara had volunteered to make her homemade dressing for our lunch salad. She warned me that there was much more than we’d need in the jar she’d shaken up. That was all I needed to hear. I put the lamb in a plastic bag, poured in the leftover salad dressing, and refrigerated it. It was easy, and even better, the next day the flavor of the grilled lamb was perfection. Lazy cooking maybe, but also smart.
Vasilka’s Garlic Salad Dressing
This vibrant garlic salad dressing is the creation of retired knitwear designer Vasilka Nicolova, who often makes it with balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice — and sometimes uses even more garlic cloves than called for here. It takes just a few minutes to mix together, and will last up to a week if kept chilled in a cooler.
This dressing is excellent for a salad to accompany wintry foods that could use a piquant counterpart, and also makes a great marinade for chicken kabobs, needing only an hour or two in the fridge.
Ingredients
- •60 ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
- •4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- •1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- •177 ml (3/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, and mustard.
Beating constantly with a fork, add the olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture is thickened and smooth. Store in a covered jar, chilled, for up to one week; shake well before serving.
Sara’s Shallot-Walnut Salad Dressing
This recipe for shallot-walnut salad dressing is the creation of Sara Grinspoon, a speech therapist in Newton, Massachusetts. It’s a recipe that is easily adjusted to taste. The walnut oil is optional, but Sara recommends it for the balance of flavor and the consistency it adds to the chilled dressing. It also makes a nice marinade for lamb, with or without the walnut oil.
Ingredients
- •2 teaspoons minced shallot
- •2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- •60 ml (1/4 cup) red wine vinegar
- •Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- •158 ml (2/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- •2 tablespoons walnut oil (optional)
Preparation
- In a mixing bowl or mason jar, combine the shallots, mustard, vinegar, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Whisk or cover and shake to blend well.
Add the olive oil and walnut oil, if using. Whisk or shake again to emulsify. Adjust salt and pepper as needed, and whisk or shake once more. Lasts about a week covered and refrigerated.