Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressings

by Vicki Reich, from the June 2001 Newsletter

I rarely make salad in the winter, mostly because I can't bear to put my hands in cold water to wash the lettuce and also because I want a heartier and warmer vegetable to stoke my fire.

But once the sun starts shining and the lettuce starts popping up out of the garden, I eat lots of salad. But what do I put on those lonely lettuce leaves? Salad dressing, of course. So this month Kenna, Laura, Erik, Peg, Megumi, and I dipped a bunch of baby carrots in four balsamic vinegar-based dressings.

Seeds of Change Balsamic Vinaigrette was our first dressing. It was sweet and thick, but didn't have a strong balsamic taste. Laura thought it tasted more like a French dressing. I thought it had a good taste, as long as you weren't hoping for that strong balsamic flavor.

Next up was Annie's Tuscany Italian Dressing. This had a good thick, stick-to-the-lettuce consistency, but it was not very balsamicy (I know that's not a real word but for this article let's just pretend it is). It was more like an Italian dressing with lots of Italian spices and garlic.

The third dressing we tried was Annie's Balsamic Vinaigrette. This had a strong balsamic flavor but a much thicker consistency that you would except from a vinaigrette. This dressing clung to the carrot sticks very nicely.

Last up was Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. This was by far the most balsamicy of the group. It was also light like a vinaigrette should be. Since it has no emulsifiers, you need to shake the bottle really well then pour it directly of the salad. This was not a good dipping dressing, but it is Laura's favorite.

In conclusion, I'd say my homemade salad dressing is the best. I do buy salad dressing to keep for emergencies, but I like making my own. It's inexpensive and easy and I always have the ingredients on hand. Here's my old stand-by vinaigrette recipe (play around with the kinds of oils, vinegars and spices to get different tastes).

Put equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Use slightly more vinegar than oil if you like dressing with a bite. Add a couple shakes of dried oregano and dried basil (1/2-1 tsp.). Grind in some fresh ground pepper and a little salt to taste. Add 1+ teaspoon of Dijon mustard, shake well and serve.

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