The Saucy Lady: Ode to Vinaigrette

I have a confession. I don’t buy commercial salad dressings or vinaigrettes. Not because they are expensive because when they go on sale, they are like 99 cents but because once I started making my own vinaigrettes and salad dressings, I couldn’t stop! AND sure, if you do a comparison, 99 cents versus the pennies it costs to make a vinaigrette, it really is a no brainer. It tastes fresher & cleaner atop salad greens, fish or legumes- it’s not that creamy, gloppy mess that you usually reach for. But, the real reason why I love to make a vinaigrette is because I find the process of emulsification deeply satisfying. I feel so fancy drizzling a steady, even stream of oil into my vinegar while whirling it around with my whisk. IT’S SCIENCE, IT’S DELICIOUS! I know, I’m a total dork, but anyway making your own dressing is really worth the effort, because really, it takes NO effort. Once you know that the ratio for a classic vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar (or acid) the possibilities are endless.

I don’t really measure my vinaigrettes, just eyeball the ratio and taste along the way to ensure proper seasoning. Use whatever vinegar you have on hand add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor, be sure to season with salt & pepper and there you have a lovely traditional vinaigrette. Some people will also add a bit of honey or sugar to sweeten the vinaigrette, but I leave that ingredient to your discretion.

Since I’ve gotten into using fresh herbs whenever possible in my cooking, part of conundrum of buying fresh herbs inevitably becomes USING all of the fresh herbs. I see this part of kitchen cooking to be a challenge in my eyes. If I’ve purchased dill, thyme or even fresh rosemary, I will reach for whatever herbs I might have and throw those into my vinaigrette. Many of your herbs can also be frozen in a cube tray with a little bit of water and saved for future use. I’ll use a sesame oil as a base for Asian dressings with a little rice wine vinegar & honey, I’ll use orange juice instead of vinegar for a lovely citrus vinaigrette and dried herbs also can play really well here, so reach for your dill, smoked paprika, basil, thyme or whatever you might have and throw those in there too. Some other additions I like to add- a clove of minced garlic, a bit of finely diced shallot, some diced tomato, diced capers, finely chopped anchovies (ooh you fancy!)- if you don’t think a chunky dressing is your thing, go ahead and throw it all into your food processor. The point that I’m making here is that it is EASY once you figure it out, the possibilities are ENDLESS. If you are still not feeling quite so confident with your vinaigrettes pick up one of these fun, mid-century looking dressing bottles.

I got mine at Broadway Panhandler a few years ago, but a word of advice, just get it on Ebay or Amazon, it’s cheaper! The ingredients and measurements are listed on the side of the bottle making it foolproof. You want to get even easier, just dump all of your ingredients into a bottle, tighten the lid and just shake it up! Think we will only be using these for salads, think again- how about a nice marinade? The acid breaks down meat & tenderizes it OR how about a nice fresh citrus dressing for your fish dish? Go forth and try out some homemade vinaigrettes, you will not be sorry, your life will be simpler, tastier and maybe you will save a few pennies along the way.

Super Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

Can be pureed like below or left chunky

Ingredients