English ingredient: colman’s mustard

LONDON - I thought I would try something new. I want to look at key ingredients from England and find ways to incorporate them into interesting and tasty recipes that can be made by just about everyone. I enjoy food and there was a time when I could actually cook fairly well, but that skill has become rusty due to inactivity. I’m hoping that now that I have an apartment with a dining room, that perhaps I’ll be inspired to begin cooking and baking again.

I’ve actually started stocking up on baking supplies (I’m thisclose to making cupcakes) as that’s a fun pastime for me and I’m also slowly buying key spices and herbs. Now I just need to find people to cook for! Hmm, maybe that cute guy at work? …but if not, well, I’m hosting book club on Thursday, so perhaps I’ll try make something then, but I’m not making any promises.

Today, I wanted to introduce you to a very English ingredient called…

Colman’s is something that my father always had in the kitchen and it’s a mustard powder that he used for a lot of dishes. You will probably find Colman’s in most homes here in England and it’s relatively inexpensive.This is perhaps the second time in my life that I’ve owned this product and I’ve only ever used it for the recipe I’m planning on sharing with you. I’m not an enormous fan of mustard as some of them can be quite strong but I will say that I do enjoy American mustard with my hot dogs.

So, back to my recipe. As it’s summer time, it’s salad time and like you I can’t eat salad unless there is dressing. This is a great salad dressing and if you make it once, you’ll want to make it again.

POPPY SEED DRESSING

Mix all the following ingredients together and chill before serving.

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tbl onion powder

1/2 tsp colman’s mustard

1/2 cup sugar

Let me know what you think of the salad dressing. I know, that’s a lot of sugar, but it tastes really good. I’ve got a few more dressings I’ll share with you later. Till then, happy cooking.