I can’t tell you how long I was intimidated by the mere idea of a homemade vinaigrette. Really and truly, it scared me, and I was so worried that I would mess it up and a salad would be ruined. So I thought today I would share some very simple, very basic steps towards making your own delicious vinaigrette.
First thing, you need a clove of garlic. Chop or mince it very finely- press it through a press if you’d like, however you need it to be, you need a clove of finely chopped garlic. Fresh is better, but in a very tight pinch, bottled will do I suppose. Place this chopped garlic in a small mixing bowl.
Next, grab a bottle of mustard. Dijon if you have it, grainy mustard works beautifully, Cajun if you can find it, but really, plain old yellow will work here as well. Add about two teaspoons of mustard to your garlic- no need to be precise, just grab a teaspoon and add two dollops to the garlic and you’ll be fine.
For the next step, you need some herbs. Any kind of herbs that you enjoy. If you have some growing fresh, use those, if your neighbor has some growing fresh, ask them for some (no really, they would love to share!), herbs you’ve purchased would be fine too, a good size handful of fresh green herbs will do the trick. Now give these some hearty chops with your knife. One of my favorite herb combinations to use for a salad is parsley, tarragon, and chives, but any will do as long as you like them. Chop, chop, chop, and
then add them to your mustard and garlic. Your bowl should be smelling fantastic right about now!
But wait! I don’t have any fresh herbs- or it’s the middle of winter and fresh herbs are but a memory. Then go ahead and grab your favorite herb blend and add about a teaspoon or so to your bowl instead of the fresh herbs. Make sure it’s a blend of some kind- an Italian blend would be fine, or herbes de provence, or any combination of herbs. You’ll want to give your dressing an extra 10 minutes or so at the end for the flavors to really develop, but many a successful vinaigrette has been made from dried herbs.
Now go to your pantry and find a bottle of vinegar. Plain would do, but for a salad dressing, you really want some flavor- anything will work here. Balsamic, white wine, raspberry, champagne, apple cider, or my personal favorite, red wine vinegar. Add about 3 tablespoons of your vinegar to your herb/mustard/garlic blend and grab your whisk. Whisk it all together. Since you’ve eyeballed the herbs and mustard, sometimes it may look a little thick here. That’s okay, add an extra drizzle of vinegar to thin it out a bit. Add a healthy pinch of salt and a grind of fresh black pepper and grab your favorite oil- I prefer olive, but use what you would like.
Now you’re going to whisk with your left hand and drizzle in oil slowly with your right. Don’t worry, this isn’t as hard as it sounds. You actually don’t even need a real whisk- a standard table fork will do the job as well. Just keep stirring while you’re drizzling. I like to add my oil in a 2:1 ratio to the vinegar. Many recipes say 3:1, but I like the zing of vinegar, so start by adding about 6 tablespoons of oil. Now give it a taste. Add more oil if you like, extra salt and pepper if it needs it, but now your vinaigrette is ready to go. At this point you could also add some extra flavor enhancers- some crushed red pepper flake, some finely chopped chiles or some finely chopped kalamata olives or sun-dried tomatoes to name a few.
The world is your oyster at this point, and your vinaigrette is ready to use in whatever way you want. And because you used your favorite ingredients, it should be exactly how you like it. Your vinaigrette will keep refrigerated for about a week, which may not sound very long, but once it’s gone or past its prime you have the perfect opportunity to start again with another blank slate. The possibilities are endless. I’d love to hear some of your favorite vinaigrette combinations.