Our creamy all-purpose dressing

Throughout May we had the pleasure of guest writing a collection of Summer recipes for Aspall vinegar. As two girls who weave acid into almost every dish we create this was nothing short of a dream collaboration for us. And flying the flag for an incredible local Suffolk brand..? We couldn’t say ‘yes please ‘ to the gig fast enough.

Aspall have kindly allowed us to share these recipes on joeyandkatycook.co.uk too, so over the coming weeks you’ll see a collection of 4 super flavoursome, super versatile dressings appear, as well as many summer recipes which use these dressings in delicious, creative ways. Apsall’s #DressUpForSummer campaign encourages us to think beyond leafy salads… dressings can be so much more.

If you whip up on of these recipes in the coming weeks, be shall a pic on Instagram and tag @aspallvinegar and @joeyandkatycook using the hashtag #DressUpForSummer - we’d love to see! Right, on to dressing number one.

This one is a true crowd pleaser. It’s creamy, tangy and has a light allium pungency from fresh chives. It can be used like a Ceasar dressing or a Ranch dressing on firm favourites such as Caesar salads, Cobbs and even Niçoise style salads, but it’s equally delicious simply spooned over baked potatoes, dolloped onto gazpacho, and served alongside grilled fish. It’s very versatile, super speedy to whip up, and it will last in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

 Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

This recipe yields 360 ml or approximately 12 servings (1 serving = 2 tbsp)

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Ingredients :

• 60 ml (¼ cup) Aspall cyder vinegar

• 250 ml (1 cup; 260 g) Greek yogurt

• 5 tbsp (75 g) mayonnaise

• 1 tsp mustard powder

• 3 tablespoon finely chopped chives

• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill, optional

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

Method:

1. Stir the mustard powder and sea salt into the Aspall cyder vinegar and fully dissolve to get rid of any lumps.

2. Finely chop the chives and the dill, if using, and mince the garlic as finely as possible using a microplane or hand greater as well as your knife.

3. Pop everything together in a small mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.

4. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be, then store in a spotlessly clean, dry jar or container where it will keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Made a full batch? Here are 3 vegcentric serving suggestions:

1. A classic Cobb salad. This creamy, amenable dressing works wonderfully with all the bold flavours and contrasting textures of a classic Cobb salad. Fill your salad bowl with chopped romaine lettuce, then dress the bed of leaves with rows of chopped chicken breast, crispy bacon bits, crumbled blue cheese, quartered cherry tomatoes, diced avocado and chopped egg. Drizzle your salad generously with this creamy all-purpose dressing. 

2. With jacket potatoes or ‘loaded skins’. This recipe idea plays on the classic pairing of jacket potatoes, sour cream & chives; ‘loaded skins’ elevate this winning combination even further. Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out the majority of the flesh. Mash the flesh with a few spoonfuls of your dressing and some grated cheddar cheese, then pop back into the oven, right at the top, to crisp up for 10-15 minutes. Serve your loaded skins with lots of extra dressing on the side, and a fresh green salad.

3. Creamy tarragon roast chicken. Adding a tablespoon of chopped, fresh tarragon to the dressing makes it a winning partner for golden roast chicken, particularly if it’s been served warm, or at room temperature in the summer months, rather than piping hot with gravy in the winter. The dressing can be served as a sauce at the table for guests to help themselves, or spooned over a platter of carved roast chicken and topped with a scattering of fresh herbs. Simply boiled new potatoes and steamed asparagus make wonderful accompaniments here.