I would rather eat a dry salad rather than dousing it with a bottled vinaigrette. I do not consider myself a food snob. I'm not the kind of person my friends worry about inviting over for dinner because their food might not be good enough. I will eat pretty much anything (except quiche) and I don't pass judgment on other people's food habits. Except for one thing, bottled vinaigrette. It is so easy to make yourself and honestly doesn't take much more time than opening a bottle (ok, you do have to open three bottles). The thing is if you want to take the extra time by adding some fresh herbs or garlic you can go from really good to fabulous in no time. I will promise you this basic recipe that can be made in 3 minutes flat tastes better than any store bought dressing you will ever taste. I used Balsamic Vinegar, but Red Wine or another other will work great too. This does not follow your standard 3 to 1 ratio for Vinaigrette as I prefer a little more flavor.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard (such as Grey Poupon)
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
In a standard one cup measuring cup pour olive oil to the 1/2 cup line, then add balsamic vinegar to the 3/4 cup line. Add the Dijon mustard and fresh ground pepper. Blend with an immersion blender for about 5 seconds. Pour directly from measuring cup onto salad or transfer to another container if you are feeling fancy.
I'm totally with you on homemade vs bottled.
ReplyDeleteSo many store-bought dressings contain unnecessary and often unpronounceable ingredients--not to mention sugar. Oy, there's high fructose corn syrup in EVERYthing.
I don't typically use Dijon, though I love it, so I'll throw some in my next batch, thanks!
The Dijon just helps emulsify the mixture. It doesn't really add any flavor, but you could use more if you wanted the flavor more pronounced. David actually likes it that way. If I know we are going to be eating a lot of salad I will double or triple it, two or three days later it still has not separated.
ReplyDeleteCool, I didn't know Dijon would help with emulsion. I thought I was doomed to a life of frantically shaking bottles before every salad.
ReplyDeleteAnd THAT's why I read this blog.
Wow, your salad just catches my eye, it's so colorful and bright. Something this beautiful makes eating vegetables a joy.
ReplyDelete