By The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Poweshiek County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.
The recipe this week: caprese salad. Standing at the stove, Marlene's wooden spoon in my hand (the cracked one, the one that will outlast us all), the recipe either from the card box or from my own expanding collection, both equally real, both equally mine. The kitchen holds all of it — the old recipes and the new ones, the teacher's food and the student's food, the grief and the joy and the cinnamon. All of it. Always.
The garden at peak production — tomatoes by the bushel, corn taller than Jack (which is saying something now, the boy is tall), peppers in every color, the zucchini in its annual attempt to conquer the neighborhood. I've left three on the neighbors' porch. They know. Everyone knows. The zucchini phase is endured, not discussed.
The garden was giving everything it had this week — tomatoes, peppers, zucchini left anonymously on doorsteps — and after sitting across that kitchen table in Poweshiek County and watching two people’s faces shift from fear into something like hope, I came home wanting something that matched that feeling: fresh, unhurried, quietly joyful. The strawberries had been sitting in the colander since morning, and this dressing came together in almost no time, the kind of recipe that earns its place in both the card box and the memory.
Strawberry Salad Dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prep the strawberries. Rinse and hull the fresh strawberries. Pat dry and halve them. Set aside a few slices for garnish if serving immediately over a salad.
- Blend the base. Add the strawberries, shallot, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor. Blend on medium-high until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds.
- Emulsify with oil. With the blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream until the dressing is smooth, glossy, and emulsified. Taste and adjust salt, honey, or vinegar as needed.
- Chill and store. Transfer to a jar or airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together. Shake or stir well before each use.
- Serve. Drizzle over mixed greens, spinach, or any simple green salad. Pairs especially well with goat cheese, toasted pecans, and thinly sliced red onion.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 98 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 82mg