The Essentials / Salad Dressing
5 years ago by
We are continuing our Essential Receipe series with Mia Rigden’s classic salad dressing. I’ve never made salad dressing from scratch, so I’ll let her take it from here…
Let this effortless and delicious salad dressing be your new go to for dinner parties and easy weeknight meals. The dressing is made in the actual salad bowl, giving the added bonus of less dishes and less waste. When it comes to basic recipes like this, quality matters! Don’t skimp on good olive oil and fresh, organic greens. It makes a different in both the nutrient value and the taste.
Serves 4
Makes enough for 1 large salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
1 tbsp shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp red, white or sherry vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Salad:
4-6 cups of salad greens (whatever you fancy!)
Fresh herbs (optional)
Directions:
In the bowl you plan to serve your salad in, add shallots, vinegar and salt. Whisk to combine and let set for 5-10 minutes.
Whisk in Dijon mustard, followed by olive oil, until fully emulsified.
Add lettuce and toss to coat. Top with fresh herbs and freshly cracked pepper as desired.
Great recipe! I’m quickly coming to the realization that shallots and cumin make salads even better! Atowle|http://formationvacations.com/
Salad dressings are the most challenging part for me. Thinking about a course where to learn the proper mix of ingredients!
Jordana, if you think of vinaigrettes as about proportions you can make it anything you like. Everyone likes slightly different proportions: I like more oil and some people like it vinegar-y. You can use vinegar or lemon juice for acid. Put flavorings in the acid to permeate or dissolve: garlic, salt, mustard, shallots, etc. Then add olive oil. I like about 1 measure of acid to 4 or 5 measures of oil, as done here.
I use a mason jar to make a large amount of dressing and let it sit on the countertop; without garlic it will be fine.
My Greek relatives used a large wooden salad bowl and would rub half a garlic clove all over it and then put the dressing over the salad in it. A nice way to have that bit of garlic taste without the bite and the possibility of garlic going bad.
Homemade vinaigrette is so easy–you will never buy dressing again!
I’m a chef and I love everything about this story/recipe. Beautiful presentation and simplicity. well done!
Another tip–
The Freshest Salad:
lemon//olive oil//crunchy sea salt//black pepper
A big beautiful bowl of washed and dried greens
A big squeeze of lemon (taste for brightness)
A long drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
A big pinch of Maldon sea Salt Salt or Camargue Fleur De Sea crushed between fingers
Toss with clean hands and season to taste.
@stovetopped
So good and so refreshing! Great recipe!