Recipe: Basic balsamic vinaigrette

In response to a recent comment, here's my recipe. This, like many things I cook, is something I make by eye and taste rather than a recipe. I make it probably a couple of times a week to replenish a jar I keep in my refrigerator.


Here is the recipe, which I usually double:

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. prepared Dijon mustard
1 Tbl. minced shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredient except the olive oil in a glass measuring cup. Pour in olive oil slowly while whisking continuously.

This basic recipe can be adapted using other vinegars such as white wine and raspberry.

I rarely use other dressing for green salad and haven't bought bottled dressing in years. What I do vary are the additions to salad greens, according to what's in season.

Fall/winter: pear, fig, mandarin orange, persimmon, pomegranate seeds, Japanese turnips

Spring/summer: tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes (we don't eat fresh tomatoes at all in the offseason, so we're dying for them when they come in season), spring onions

This vinaigrette's uses extend well beyond a dressing for salad greens. I heat a couple tablespoons of it in a wok to saute winter greens and in the summer drizzle it over fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil for a quick appetizer. A true kitchen workhorse!