Cooking by the Seat of Your Pants: Versatile Vinaigrette
Why is it that good cooks never get flustered? No matter what challenge comes their way, they spring into action, and when you sit down at the table, you'd never dream that things hadn't been planned that way.
Most of it comes with confidence and experience. After you've burnt your share of dinners, you start to figure out what helps save the day. And after you've toodled around in the kitchen long enough, you develop a collection of never-fail tricks that can get you through any emergency.
One of those tricks is to get comfortable with vinaigrette. When it comes in a bottle, we call it Italian dressing. When we make it from scratch, we call it vinaigrette. Either way, it's an all-purpose flavoring, marinade, sauce and enhancement. And once you get comfortable with it, you'll be able to make it without any measuring spoons, and you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.
A true vinaigrette is a precise ratio of vinegar, olive oil and seasonings that is whisked together briskly to create an emulsion. That's where everything is blended and suspended, nothing settles.
Our versatile vinaigrette is much more informal than that. The quantity of olive oil is reduced (to save a few calories), and we don't use a whisk. We just stir it together, and it works pretty darn well.
As you're getting familiar with making this versatile vinaigrette, you may want to measure ingredients. But once you get used to how it works, you'll soon just "know" how much to use. You start to develop a special feel for the process. Trust me….you will!
Here's the basic formula:
Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning blend
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
Directions:
Chop up about 3 or 4 cups of raw veggies. This can be a combination of bell pepper, cucumber, celery, carrot and tomato, but just about anything will work. Place the veggies in a serving bowl, and drizzle with olive oil, about a tablespoon, but just enough to lightly coat the vegetables when stirred together. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. Splash on the red wine vinegar, stir well and there you have it! Versatile vinaigrette.
You can customize this many different ways: different types of vinegar, different seasonings, or add in extra flavors like Dijon mustard, soy sauce, or ginger. Use your imagination, and who knows? You may create your own signature dressing.
What can you do with this versatile vinaigrette? It might be easier to make a list of what you can't do! When we say versatile, we're not kidding! Here are a few suggestions:
- Place in a plastic bag and marinate chicken, beef, pork or seafood.
- Mix with leftover cooked vegetables for a marinated vegetable salad.
- Toss with cooked pasta, leftover bits of meat and chopped veggies for a yummy pasta salad.
- Use as a grill basting sauce for vegetables or seafood.
- Blend it with leftover rice and cheese for a hearty salad.
- And here's a novel idea: use it on tossed salad.
Liven this one up with all kinds of herbs—it’ll stay lively in the fridge up to a month in an airtight container.
Versatile Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbs red or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk mustard while drizzling in vinegar. Then whisk in olive oil. Season to taste.
