No quippy intro this week, y’all. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends between work and news and re-planning a wedding.
Two housekeeping items:
if you’re receiving this email on irregular weeks, or haven’t seen it in a while, it may be going straight to your Promotions tab in Gmail or spam folder.
This is a stupid quirk of Gmail and I won’t apologize for it, because it’s not my or your fault. Add ingoodtaste@substack.com to your email address book and you should be back on schedule. It takes under a minute to do and really helps me out :)Check out the new ~~visual identity~~ for In Good Taste 😎 (it’s the banner at the top; it’s new; I’m excited).
SUGAR RAY: NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES
“I think it’s a stigma—lobster is a luxury item. I don’t understand it. But then I’m not a marketing person. I just go fishing.”
A quickclay landslide sweeping houses into the sea.
Sound on for this one.
Airlines are banning alcohol, which makes for … one fewer reason to fly these days.
The first cocktail book by an African American bartender in more than a century.
The hidden psychology of menu design.
MOST FOODS CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS SALADS OR SANDWICHES, IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT
I generally have a point of view on attributes of the food I like (salads that are crunchy, noodles that are salty, steak that is rare), then thoughts on how I build upon them. It’s one of the ways I avoid reading recipes literally; more as Strong Recommendations to take or leave or customize.
I make variations on this Levantine salad a couple times a week. The base is a crunchy vegetable salad with a salty cheese and briny dressing; the specifics are flexible and interchangeable. With a tuna packet, it’s a beautiful desk lunch; at dinner, it’s a side dish for almost anything. It’s textured, salty, and bright.
Making your own vinaigrette/dressing is non-negotiable. I’m just going to say it, I think you’re a fool if you’re buying pre-made salad dressings on the regular. So now that you know where we stand ...
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: You can do it
INGREDIENTS
For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon vinegar (go red wine if you want more Greek salad-inspired; champagne or white wine if you like a subtler vinegar moment)
½ shallot, minced
½ tsp. Dijon mustard (I like the coarse, grainy kind, but YMMV)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Dash of cracked black pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
For the salad:
1 cucumber, sliced and diced
1 package of grape tomatoes, quartered (or smaller portions of a big, beefsteak tomato)
½ a red onion, as finely chopped as you can get it
½ cup fresh herbs, chopped: basil, dill, mint are good combos
A healthy shake of crumbled feta or goat cheese
1 tsp. sumac (can be a little tough to find in the supermarket, but is like a nutty cross between paprika and lemon zest. It’s incredible.)
WHAT TO DO:
Build your vinaigrette:
In a small bowl or mason jar with a lid, mix together the salt, pepper, vinegar, garlic, and shallot. Let stand for about ten minutes.
Mix in the Dijon, then slowly add the olive oil, whisking with a fork (or … a whisk) as you pour. Taste it -- if it’s too sharp for you, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil (slowly whisking in, so it emulsifies and doesn’t break). Alternatively, you can add a dash of honey or agave syrup to give some depth.
Make the salad:
Combine all your chopped vegetables, cheese, and sumac into a large bowl, toss to combine. Pour enough dressing to coat and toss again (you’re not going to use all the dressing you’ve made, likely, but you don’t want to over-dress the salad so use your discretion). If you’re cooking other things with it, cover with Saran wrap and let it marinate -- this is best at room temperature. If it’s lunchtime, add your protein of choice and scarf it down.