One of our readers asked us to share our recipe for vinaigrette. (It’s only “ours” because Steve forgot the cookbook, cooking magazine or cooking show he learned it from, and thankfully because “copyright” and “recipe” have an uneasy, vague relationship to one another.) We use this dressing for most salads, something we will eat with increasing frequency as our farm shares start to come in. It doesn’t overpower the other ingredients, just serves its intended purpose of bringing them together.
The dressing couldn’t be more simple. There are four ingredients:
- Shallots
- Salt (preferably fleur de sel)
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
We use about a tablespoon of minced shallots for every tablespoon of wine vinegar (and use oil and vinegar in the classic 3:1 ratio). Put the minced shallots and vinegar into a container, and sprinkle with salt. Let the shallots macerate in the vinegar for at least five minutes. Add olive oil, close the container and shake well.
A bit of sweet, a bit of sour, fruity olive and the clean taste of salt. Your salad wants some right now.
This is what converted me into a salad-dressing maker! It’s so good. I use sherry vinegar usually, but will try the red wine vinegar, too.
So many restaurants ruin their salads with cheap vinegar in the dressing.
Sue, you are exactly right. I think the original recipe, which Steve probably gave to you, used sherry vinegar. I love sherry vinegar, and we use that sometimes!