I find most generic olive oil and vinegar just as bitter and nasty as lettuce. Back in college, I learned that delicious olive oil existed. I was fortunate enough to come across some super extra virgin olive oil from nuns in San Jose, CA. The nuns loved telling the joke that it is the mostextra virgin olive oil in the world. Later when we were living in Sacramento, I fell in love with olive oil and vinegar from Katz and Co. We were able to find it at the local Co-op. I will sacrifice a lot, but good olive oil and vinegar are a must in my pantry (be sure to buy in bulk to save money). Through trial and error, I have a vinaigrette recipe that makes lettuce tasty even when I’d rather eat something else.
Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- salt
- ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon of nut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of honey, jelly, marmalade, or mustard (optional)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions
- Pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar into a bowl.
- Using a fork or whisk, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Whisk in nut oil.
- Whisk in honey, jelly, marmalade, or mustard.
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil, tasting as you go until the dressing is not too sour or overly oily.
- Add washed and dried salad greens right before serving and toss with hands!
Notes
- Taste the vinegar after adding the salt. The salt helps balance the acid of the vinegar. You will have to find the right balance of salt to vinegar each time you make the dressing. My taste for acid changes daily. I love adding nut oils like almond, hazelnut, walnut, pecan, and pistachio to my salad dressing. You will have to experiment with red and white vinegar and the various nut oils available. I’ve never found a terrible combination. I always add a bit of honey, marmalade, or mustard to my salad dressing to get it to emulsify. Marmalades add a wonderful preserved fruit depth to your dressing.
HandmadePhD 
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