Homemade Viaigrette

A classic vinaigrette (salad dressing) is typically a mixture of two-thirds oil and one-third acid, like vinegar or lemon juice. Here is a delicious recipe from Heleen Meyer, to add to your repertoire. She says, playing with seasonings like lemon rind, different kinds of mustard, herbs and dried spices make it easy to have a different flavour profile every time. Different herbs will all lend different flavours or by just substituting wholegrain mustard for a mild Dijon (French) mustard, you will already have a different flavour. By making your own dressing, you know exactly what is in it, rather than a shop-bought version that can be very salty or even contain more sugar than you may realise.

A light and fresh dressing, seasoned with mustard, herbs and lemon juice, like in this recipe is perfect for a fresh green salad or lightly steamed green veggies. Adding a spice like ground cumin or smoked paprika to the dressing makes it perfect to use with lentils, chickpeas or any other beans or legumes in a salad. It’s even delicious with a pearled wheat or bulgur salad or try it with roasted butternut or cauliflower. See the variation below.

Quality ingredients for a quality dressing

Using a good quality oil is non-negotiable. Choose between olive, avocado or any nut oil you enjoy cooking with. The type of vinegar will also add different flavour and colour tones to the dressing, so be creative with the different options. Apple cider vinegar is very delicate, while grape or wine vinegar has a slightly more prominent flavour. A fruity vinegar, like apple cider or raspberry vinegar, is absolutely amazing with a fresh salad including seasonal fruit, like berries, apples or nectarines, and grapes in summer. Heleen says, spirit vinegar is too harsh and will overpower all the other delicate flavours in a vinaigrette like this, so she recommends to rather avoid using that.

More ways to use it

Pour the vinaigrette over your favourite salad or toss cooked baby potatoes in the skin through some of the dressing for a quick potato salad. The vinaigrette is also perfect for a chicken salad. A vinaigrette like this can even be used as a marinade for chicken, pork, steak, fish or to season veggies before roasting them. Prepare a double batch of the dressing and store it in a sterilised jar in the fridge to use it in a variety of ways.

Vinaigrette with mustard and herbs

Recipe by Heleen Meyer

Makes about 250 ml

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

60 ml (¼ cup) apple or white grape vinegar

20 ml (4 tsp) wholegrain mustard

30 ml (2 tbsp) honey

30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh thyme leaves or chopped Italian parsley

salt and black pepper to taste

1. Whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard and honey together until well blended. Stir in the herbs and season to taste. Or place all the ingredients in a clean jar and give it a good shake.
2. Keep the salad dressing refrigerated in a clean glass jar. Remember that the oil may set in the fridge, which could look a bit strange, but once taken out, it will become liquid again very quickly.

Variation:

Substitute the mustard with 15 ml (1 tbsp) finely grated lemon rind, 10 ml (2 tsp) ground cumin and 2,5 ml (½ tsp) ground cinnamon. Use 45 ml (3 tbsp) fresh chopped coriander leaves and 20 ml (4 tsp) fresh chopped mint leaves as the herbs in this version.

OR substitute the cinnamon with ordinary or smoked paprika for an entirely different flavour profile.

For more recipes like this visit Heleen’s website.

Image by Adel Ferreira, for LiG Tydskrif