Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette is a simple thing to make and like most simple things you need the every best ingredients to make it. If you use just any old thing as it is a main flavouring agent then it will taint the dish you are making.

You will need:

A good virgin olive oil. Extra virgin if you can get it and if it is the first pressed extra virgin olive oil the better.

Then you will need a vinegar of some kind. You do not want any thing that is to harsh. What you want is good quality white wine vinegar or a cider vinegar if you can get them,

Then some salt and some pepper.

If you add any thing more than this then it becomes a dressing, not a Vinaigrette.

For a vinaigrette you need to take the oil that you have selected and pour it in to a blow of some kind. Now you need about three parts oil to one part Vinegar.
So if you use about three tablespoons of oil to one of vinegar you will have enough dressing for a salad for abut tem or more people. Then add a little salt and pepper to taste. Then take a whisk and beat it all together and that is your vinaigrette.

You can keep this in a jar in the fridge if you like but remember that the olive oil will solidify when it gets cold so take it out before you use it. The give it a good shake and take just a spoon full to coat the salad leaves with the dressing.

You do not want them dripping with to much dressing as it will over power the salad and enhance the salad. Also the vinegar in the vinaigrette will start to cook the salad leaves so do not dress your salad till you need it.

A lettuce leaf can be a delicate thing and does not go to well with it sitting in vinegary oil for a long time it will start to go limp and lose its crisp fresh taste.You can from this very basic mix of vinegar and oil make a number of changes. Add a mustard, fresh herbs or garlic. Change vinegar for balsamic and use lemon juice not vinegar. The way you use this basic principle of vinaigrette is up to you but as long as you can make the basic vinaigrette, you will not go far wrong.