Bread and Dipping Oil

I think that bread is the best way to really taste a vinaigrette.  The bread is neutral: a perfect vehicle for an unobscured sampling of the vinaigrette.  It may taste different, better or worse, on a salad, but trying it with bread first is best.

Awhile back at an office party my friend Renee brought in a delicious Italian bread with olive oil and a dipping bread herb mix from DeLallo, a Pittsburgh area purveyor of Italian food (www.delallo.com).  It was very good -- maybe a little salty for me, but as I told her, I could have sat there all day tearing pieces of bread and dipping them in that oil.

I think that is what led me to the idea of testing all vinaigrette with bread.

But we also tried the garlic flavored oil for dipping enhanced with some oregano.  Delish. I have a number of idea dipping oil ideas that I look forward to trying.

Among the possibilities

I have been studying and trying vinaigrette recipes and combinations over the last several weeks.  Dried or fresh herbs can be used, but I suggest you make sure they are very finely chopped to really spread the flavor.  To me it is at least as much about the aroma of the herbs as the taste.  And I love the smell of fresh basil.

I recently tried a basil vinaigrette that also included a large quantity of parsley (1/2 c. each fresh basil and parsley, 1 c. olive oil, 1/2 c. red wine vinegar, garlic and mustard).  Note that the oil/vinegar ratio is different from a more standard vinaigrette.  I thought that might be a problem, that it would taste too vinegar-y, but that was fine.  But the volume of basil and parsley was so much that it was very dense.  Despite my own advice, I think I should have chopped the basil more finely.  It was heavy and overwhelming to the lettuce, but it was delicious with bread.  Much more robust than a normal dipping oil, of course, but it tasted great.

I am going to explore some dipping oil combinations over the next few weeks, so if you are interested, look for something in future posts.

Apple Season

There is no time of year better for apples than the fall.  So many varieties, whether you want tart or sweet, red or green or yellow, crisp or soft -- they are all readily available and at their peak.

Sliced or chopped apples in a salad is also a delicious seasonal treat.  That's the salad my friend Carol used with an apple vinaigrette I made  from Mollie Katzen's 1982 classic,  The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.  Mix 3/4 c. apple juice, 2/3 c. cider vinegar, 1/2 c. oil  (I used olive oil), 1/2 t. salt, 1 t. prepared mustard, 1/4 t. celery seed, and fresh ground black pepper.  Whisk until well combined.

When I made this dressing, I just added some feta cheese to the greens.  Carol and I discussed that it would also work well with a salad with dried cranberries or raisins.

By the way, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest and its predecessor, The Moosewood Cookbook (1977) were my first and are still my favorite cookbooks. Vegetarian, but not vegan, they were quite exotic to me 30+ years ago -- and are still a pleasure now.

Starting with Vinaigrette

It seems that every cookbook with more than one or two salad dressing recipes includes a recipe for vinaigrette.  Generally the formula is three to four parts oil (usually olive oil) to one part vinegar, with salt and pepper.  Garlic and/or a teaspoon or so of Dijon mustard are almost standard. Herbs and other extras, if you wish. Whisk or shake -- I don't think it makes a difference.

So, there is the basic recipe.  Plain vinegar, cider or white or red wine vinegar: sure it changes the taste a bit, but the same basic recipe works.  Balsamic vinegar makes the biggest difference in the taste.  My friend, Barbara recently mentioned that she has been getting all kinds of compliments on her "new" salad dressing:  balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Can't get much easier than that.  I will have to try it.