Italian Balsamic Garlic Vinaigrette

Staple Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

Classic Italian balsamic vinaigrette recipe! It doesn’t get more Italian than quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This is one of those recipes that you make time and time again because it is simply a classic. Serve it with any salad and use it in a variety of pasta salads. Best part, you just shake-shake-shake it in a glass jar. You barely need a recipe, although, the ration of acidity to oil really make a difference…

Vinaigrette Basics

The standard ratio for vinaigrettes is three parts oil to one part vinegar. But it’s a flexible ratio, so use more vinegar if you like a tart dressing or more oil if you like it richer. This is also not something for which you need to take out the measuring cups — eye-balling the proportions right in the salad bowl or jam jar is perfectly acceptable behavior.

Balsamic vinaigrette will take you far in life. This is made just with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and the balsamic adds just the right touch of sweetness when tossed with salad greens. If you’re feeling fancy, you can add other ingredients the mix, like a dollop of grainy mustard, some minced shallots, or a tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs. If you’d like a little more sweetness, whisk in some brown sugar or honey.

From: The Kitchn

A Dressing that Lasts!

Save that extra $5-10 dollars on bottled salad dressing and make your own. You will know exactly what goes in the dressing and won’t find weird stabilizers or preservatives.

I usually make about a cup of dressing at a time and keep it in a jam jar on my counter (no need to refrigerate unless you add fresh ingredients!). Since this recipe has fresh garlic I, personally, leave it on my counter for about a week before putting it in the fridge, but many prefer to refrigerate right away. This will last me through about a week’s worth of salads. The vinegar and oil will separate after a few minutes, but shaking the jar to re-combine the vinaigrette is just as easy as pulling out a store-bought bottle.

Olive Oil and Vinegar I Recommend

When making a dressing or vinaigrette I recommend using quality ingredients since you will taste the flavor difference! These are brands you can find at most grocery stores in America:

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar- Colavita, Bertolli, California Olive Ranch, HemisFares , and Spectrum

Is Balsamic Vinegar of Modena the same as balsamic vinegar?

In short, yes…Only two consortia produce true traditional balsamic vinegar, Modena and neighboring Reggio Emilia. True balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of pressed Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes. The resulting thick syrup, called mosto cotto in Italian, is subsequently aged for a minimum of 12 years in a battery of several barrels of successively smaller sizes. The casks are made of different woods like chestnut, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash and juniper. True balsamic vinegar is rich, glossy, deep brown in color, and has a complex flavor that balances the natural sweet and sour elements of the cooked grape juice with hints of wood from the casks.

Don’t worry you can use any balsamic vinegar you can find. If there is more acidity in it simply add a little sweetener.

From my Cucina to Your Table. Mangia! Mangia! (Eat!)

Made with Amore, Elena

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