Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Balsamic Vinaigrette

















This recipe goes along with the Lasagna dinner post. Don't worry though, it's much simpler and faster to make than the lasagna! I've been making this a lot lately because my first crop of vegetables are ready and waiting in my front yard. There's nothing more satisfying than walking outside and pulling a bunch of radishes out of the ground and snipping some baby greens for a tasty simple salad. I can't wait 'til I have fresh tomatoes to add in the summer! This dressings even good with sweeter salad toppings like strawberries, raspberries or candied walnuts.







Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 medium garlic clove
1 1/2 Tbs. honey*
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper

In a blender, blend the vinegar and garlic for about 30 seconds until well blended. Add the honey, salt and pepper and blend a bit more. Next, with the blender running, pour in the oil in a slow steady stream until the dressing thickens. If you want the dressing to stay thicker, you can also add about 1 tsp of dijon mustard when you add the honey. It also adds a nice subtle flavor. Toss the enough dressing with whatever salad greens your using until all the leaves are lightly coated.

This dressing keeps a while in the fridge which is great. If the oil solidifies, just let the dressing sit out at room temp for a while before using it.

*You can leave out the honey, but the taste will change a lot.

1 comment:

Molly said...

Yum! That sounds really good right now. It sounds way better than the italian dressing I used on my salad last night.