A dressing to make you WANT to make a salad.

Peperoncini brine is the trick.

Notice I said MAKE a salad, not eat a salad. If you don’t like to eat salads, I’m not here to sell you on some a snake-oil dressing that purports to change your inherent desires. We are who we are, and maybe I can interest you in this pantry pasta from the archives? I’m a people pleaser at heart.

Anyways, I LOVE to eat salad, it’s the preparation that trips me up. I’m all over restaurant Caesars, and Wedges, and Nicoise…but I have a really hard time motivating myself to make a salad in my own kitchen with all that washing and chopping. If that’s you too (or if you have a healthy relationship with salads, and can’t understand why this is a topic of conversation) then keep reading.

This ridiculously simple dressing takes me back to a core memory of eating peperoncini (a word I’ve spell checked a dozen times while writing this) out of the plastic clam shell container full of iceberg lettuce and roma tomatoes, in my small hometown’s local pizza place. I’m not sure why I’ve never thought to use this slightly spicy, punchy brine before, I love to put pickle brine in my tuna salad, for instance, but I sure am glad I finally figured out that it’s a secret salad dressing weapon.

I considered writing out a whole recipe for salad here, but that felt like a bridge too far as I heal my relationship with home salads. I will say it’s particularly good with those pizzeria-style ingredients: hearty romaine, salty feta and/or salami, sweet cherry tomatoes, and crunchy cukes.

Pouring this dressing over whatever veg I have in the fridge is a lifesaver on nights when we are having delivery pizza, or frozen chicken nuggets for dinner — which happens more than I’d like to admit — especially during sports season with my kids. Taking a moment to make something fresh, that I actually want to eat, brings a much needed dose of humanity back to dinners wedged between school and soccer practice.

I whir this together in a little mini blender, and suddenly it feels worth washing and chopping all those veggies. Occasionally my kids (especially Jack) will happily dig in.

I hope this inspires you to enjoy a well-deserved bowl of fresh veggies too.

PS: If you love salad, and more importantly, great writing, you must subscribe to the The Department of Salad: Official Bulletin, which is one of my all-time favorite Substacks. In every newsletter

emily nunn

shares robust and beautiful salads and prose.

PPS You all have been so lovely since I announced the winding down of not just co. It’s truly fortified me during a taxing transition, so thank you! I’m heading to California on a much anticipated family vacation next week, so no newsletter. I promise to come back with lots of fun food ideas from LA, Santa Barbara, and Carmel. If you have any must-eat-do-or-sees in any of those locales, I’d love to read your recs in the comments!

<3,

C

Peperoncini Salad Dressing

3.15MB ∙ PDF file

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Peperoncini Salad Dressing

Makes 3/4 cup dressing. Keeps in the fridge for 1 week.

EQUIPMENT:

A blender (a mini blender is best)

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup brine from a jar of peperoncini peppers (like Mezzetta)

1 heaping tablespoon of pickled peperoncini peppers

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in the cup a of a mini blender (or regular blender!) and blend on high until it gets a slightly creamy consistency, and the peperoncini are finely chopped .