Speed Gibson

In the Taste section of today's Minneapolis Star Tribune is a profile of a local good cook. She has a garden and as a co-op shopper, seldom buys anything out of season. As expected, we get a couple of recipes, for vinaigrette and croutons. Let's do the easy one first, the croutons. You'll need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups bread cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon each of seasoning (your choice, like cumin, garlic, fennel, oregano ...)

Mix them in a cold heavy pan, turn on the heat, remove when done, let cool before using. This technique is going to save me a lot of time and frustration, avoiding the hassle of getting those little bread cubes in and out of the toaster.

Now, the salad dressing, made from:

• Vinegar of choice
• Oil of choice
• Seasonings of choice, like the above list
• Powdered or prepared mustard to taste

With such flexibility, how can you miss? About the only specific is that the ratio of oil to vinegar be 3 to 2, half the cookbook standard of 3 to 1. With strong vinegar, 4 to 1 is often used, and Julia Child liked 5 to 1. So imagine how acidic this dressing must be for most palettes.

I'm not making fun of the cook at all, which is why I'm not including her name. I am having some fun with freelance writer who submitted this to the paper and perhaps the undemanding layout editor who accepted it. Sadly, I bet that this cook has any number of much more interesting recipes that would take full advantage of her garden.