An Under Appreciated Hero

Today I thought that I would talk about one of the unacknowledged, under appreciated part of making a good meal or at least a good salad. Yup. You guessed it, I'm going to devote today's post to salad dressing. No wait, just think about it for a minute. Salad dressing is the thing that turns some plain old lettuce and a few chopped vegetables into a salad. Frankly, it's the dressing that stands between an excellent salad and rabbit food. I can just hear what you are thinking now, "I don't eat salad dressing, it's so bad for you." And you're right, if you're talking about the stuff that comes bottled from the grocery store and can live in your fridge for nearly a decade without suffering any ill effects. I wouldn't eat that stuff either. What I'm talking about is different; so different in fact, that from now on, I'm going to stop referring to it as salad dressing, it is now a vinaigrette.

There are a multitude of vinaigrette options and I will feature many different alternatives on this blog, but sometimes, you just need a simple dressing with a good acidity. The acidity helps bring out the flavor of the lettuces and cuts through a rich dish or salad topping. In some ways, this vinaigrette can be thought of as the starting point. It's quick and easy enough for everyday and yet versatile enough for almost every dish. It's the go-to and it's made with only three ingredients: good quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes "good quality" olive oil. I recommend that you experiment with different brands and countries of origin until you find one that fits your definition of "good quality."

The first thing that sets my vinaigrette apart from the other recipes you will find is the method for making the vinaigrette. Other salad dressing recipes you will find will tell you that the key to a good vinaigrette is to slowly drizzle the olive oil into the other ingredients while whisking as hard as you can. They will say that the only way to emulsify the oil and the other ingredients is with this frenetic whisking. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. That’s not to say that the whisking method isn’t successful, it is, but it isn’t the only method available. I find that the whisking method has two fatal flaws, first it requires dirtying the whisk and mixing bowl (which being wide enough for wisking isn't appropriate for controlled pouring so it creates unnecessary dishes) and second, it is hard to make just enough dressing for two salads with this method. One always ends up making too much dressing.

Try it this way instead. Put 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, a small pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil into a small jar with a tightly fitting lid (I prefer a recycled Dijon mustard jar). These amounts should give you enough dressing for two small side salads. Just preserve the acid to oil ratio and you can increase the recipe for as many servings as you need. Put the lid on the jar and give it your best Carmen Miranda shake. Voila! Well emulsified salad dressing and you were able to make only enough dressing for the salads at hand. Just pour and enjoy. Bon Appetit!

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