Herbs for a delicious summer drink: Take a large handful of fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, and mint—or whatever you have in the garden. Sage and rosemary should be used in moderation, as these are quite strong. Add to the hot syrup and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the scent of herbs is obvious.
Ginger for a refreshing soda or hot tea: Peel and dice 1 large piece of ginger (about ¼ pound); add to medium simple syrup. Boil, then reduce heat and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Orange for a delicious soda: Zest 2 medium oranges and add to the syrup, along with juice squeezed from the oranges. Cook 10 more minutes. Let cool. It is great as a sweetener for iced tea or with soda water for a light orange soda.
To finish all syrup flavors: Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the syrup and discarding the solids. Pour the flavored syrup into a tightly covered bottle and store in the refrigerator.
To make an herbal, ginger, or orange soda: Pour 1 tablespoon or more syrup into the bottom of a tall drinking glass. Add a few inches of bubbly water and stir. Add ice cubes and pour additional bubbly water until the glass is nearly full. Stir again.
To make ginger tea: Add 1 tablespoon or more ginger syrup to a mug. Pour in barely boiling water and stir.
EVERYDAY VINAIGRETTE
Great on butter lettuce or other soft lettuce. Sherry vinegar is often from Spain and can be purchased in most quality markets.
Makes about ¾ cup
INGREDIENTS
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup or more vinegar (my favorite is a good-quality sherry vinegar)
Large pinch kosher salt
Several grinds black pepper
Small pinch sugar
2 to 3 cloves garlic—use garlic press or mince very finely
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
METHOD
– Combine all ingredients and whisk until thickened.
– Taste and adjust for seasoning; add more oil if too vinegary.
– Serve at room temperature but store in the refrigerator.
TRY THIS: A delicious variation of Everyday Vinaigrette requires just a few ingredient substitutions. For a lighter version, replace olive oil with ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup grapeseed oil. Replace the Dijon mustard with the juice of half a blood orange. Replace the sherry vinegar with ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (avoid the aged syrupy version). Add 2 additional cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced. Mix all ingredients but the oil together and taste. Drizzle the oil in while mixing; this will help the mixture emulsify for a thicker dressing. The dressing should be very garlicky with a sweet undertone.
FOOD SOURCES: Extra-virgin olive oil means it is unrefined; that is, produced without chemicals (a good thing!). Look for oil that is packaged in glass bottles, which prevents chemicals from leaching into the oil. First press means nothing, as there is no second press, but check the pressing or packaging date for freshness. California-produced olive oils score well on comparative taste tests, so try your farmers’ market producers. Now, for vinegars: a confusing array if there ever was one. I change up my vinegars depending on the type of salad made; they last indefinitely, so it is reasonable to have several types on hand. Frequently used vinegars for salads are sherry or champagne vinegar, which offer a bit of sweetness to vinegar’s tang. Nicole’s Market & Café and Surfas Culinary District carry a good selection of vinegars and olive oils. And last but not least is honey. For a real education, visit Victor Jaramillo, “the oldest beekeeper in the country.” He sells gorgeous honey made from his hives in El Sereno (see page 231).
WALNUT OR HAZELNUT DRESSING
Best used for “sweet” salads, such as mixed greens, dried cranberries, and goat cheese.
Makes ¾ cup dressing
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted
½ cup grapeseed oil (if using hazelnuts, hazelnut oil adds great flavor)
¼ cup champagne or sherry vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon honey
Large pinch kosher salt
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
METHOD
– Place hazelnuts or walnuts in large mortar and pestle and mash.
– Add oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, salt, and mustard and whisk until thickened.
BLUE CHEESE SALAD DRESSING
Best on romaine lettuce with ripe tomatoes; it is excellent with additional crumbles of blue cheese.
Makes about 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
4 ounces Roquefort or Maytag blue cheese, chopped or crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup heavy cream or ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
METHOD
– Place Roquefort or blue cheese, mayonnaise, cream or yogurt, vinegar or lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
– Mash with a fork until relatively smooth. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator. For chunkier dressing, reserve a third of the cheese, break into small chunks, and add after mixing.
FOOD SOURCE: It is not necessary to purchase expensive Roquefort or blue cheese for this recipe. I often go to Armen Market for their gorgonzola.
A SAMPLING OF MINH’S PANTRY ESSENTIALS
Minh Phan’s beautiful food usually starts with a base, such as her signature porridges, whose subtle taste allows for the addition of more intense flavors that come from personally crafted pantry items. Her judicious and informed use of simple-to-make ingredients yields unique and complex flavors. I have found that these ingredients serve as a kit of parts, interchangeable and applicable to my own food as well.
MINH’S NEGI OIL
Makes approximately 1 cup
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch Negi (Japanese onions) or green onions, finely sliced, green sections separated from white
1 cup grapeseed oil, divided
METHOD
– Place the white sections of the onions in a medium heat-proof bowl.
– In a small pan over a medium flame, heat ¾ cup oil.
– When the oil is hot (around 350°), remove pan from heat and add the remaining ¼ cup oil. The temperature of the oil will reduce to about 250°.
– Pour the oil over the white onion slices; let stand for 1 minute.
– Add the green sections of the onions.
– Cover the bowl and let onions steep at room temperature for 24 hours.