Martha's Favorite Vinaigrette

 

I just had a catastrophic shelf collapse in our kitchen in the cabinet right next to our stove top. It's the cabinet that holds all the bottles of oils and vinegars, salts and extracts, and other delightful things in glass bottles. To say it made a mess is an understatement and I just lost my morning to cleaning it all up. The upside is that we now have incredibly clean surfaces and a stovetop but boy had the department of health seen the bottom of that shelf (which rests just above eye level for me) we would have been shut down in a heart beat. I even had to clean the inside of the door, which meant I had to take down my two decades old article on "martha's favorite vinaigrette" that has adorned it and been much ignored since it went up. What a better time to blog it, no? So, with out further ado, here we go. 

 

Directions

     1. In a small bowl, whisk:

•  1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• a pinch of sugar.   
   
  2.  Slowly add 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, whisking until emulsified, or simply shake the ingredients of the jar, or alternatively whirl them in a blender. 
   
  Choose the variation you would like:
  1. Garlic: Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/2 clove crushed
  2. Balsamic:  Substitue balsamic vinegar for the wine vinegar
  3. Lemon Parmesan: Use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar; add 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan. 
  4. Scallion: Add 3 chopped whole scallions (about 1/4 cup)
  5. Herb: Add 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, parsley or tarragon. 
  6. Blue Cheese: Add 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, such as Roquefort. 

   
  Enjoy!  

Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette and other ideas

Sorry for the blurry photo but I was rushing to get dinner on the table while the pasta finished cooking. I made Marisa's viniagrette below and put it over this wonderful soft salad made of red leaf lettuce, cut orange tomatoes, avocado, and yummy Love beets.

I am posting some recipes here to save them in advance of tonight's homemade pasta party. Tonight we will be celebrating the completion of the lemons as well as my salt preserved eggs!

I will add some pictures after the party.
From Epicurious:
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped
• 1 pinch salt

 Or this Vinaigrette from Food 52: (from a sweet recipe for watermelon and feta salad- https://food52.com/recipes/37110-watermelon-with-preserved-lemon-vinaigrette)

• Rind of half of a preserved lemon, rinsed and finely diced (about 2 tablespoons in total)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons of your favorite extra-virgin olive oil

Or this Preserved Lemon Aioli from Food 52

But I think the direction I will take is from Marisa's post on Food in Jars : http://foodinjars.com/2013/01/preserves-in-action-pureed-preserved-lemons/

To quote Marisa: "
The best thing about blending the lemons is that once you’ve scraped what you can out of the blender pitcher, you’re already halfway to a great salad dressing. Because it’s inevitable that you won’t be able to get every last bit out of the blender. Instead of surrendering and cleaning it out in the sink, add a little water, honey, and freshly ground pepper. Put the pitcher back on the blender base, run the motor on low and drizzle in a little olive oil. As soon as it develops a thick consistency, you’re done.
The finished dressing is creamy and tart, but without the throat-catching acidity that a vinegar-based dressing can have. I made a not-so-seasonal salad of halved grape tomatoes and avocado, covered it with my blender dressing and heaped it on a pile of torn lettuce. It made for a really great weekday lunch."

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette is one of my favorite dressings for one of my favorite salads. Though originally served and purchased often at the Sundown Saloon, I have managed to recreate this in my own kitchen for a close second version of a long time favorite. The Salad this goes to I will be naming the Tex Mex chopped salad, but I can think of a lot of other salads or grilled meats this would taste superb on.

Ingredients
8 tablespoons oil.
6 tablespoons Lime juice
1 or 2 cloves garlic
Half a bunch of fresh cilantro
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar (if dressing is too sour add more)
1 teaspoon salt

1 raw egg - optional to those who fear them.

Process

1. In a blender combine the ingredients.
2. Taste.
3. Adjust ingredients or seasons to your liking. I like mine on the limey/sour side, but you may want it creamier.