Soy and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is a good vinaigrette dressing. It comes from The Good Cook, by Anne Willan, published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang.

This is a dressing for tart greens such as spinach or arugula and for salads containing cooked root vegetables, such as potatoes and celery root.

Soy and Balsamic Vinaigrette
makes 2/3 cup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 finely chopped garlic clove

6 tablespoons walnut or hazelnut oil

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegars, soy sauce, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the oil in a steady stream so the dressing emulsifies and thickens slightly. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

A Few Tips for Making and Using Good Vinaigrettes

So as not to overwhelm salad greens, use only a little dressing (1/4 cup dressing for 6 cups (about ½ pound) of greens. Use a gentle dressing for salad greens.

Vinaigrettes make a good marinade for vegetables to be grilled.

Taste the Vinaigrette twice, once when it is made, and a second time after it is mixed with the salad. Adjust the seasonings if needed.

"I would not enter on my list of friends
(Though graced with polished manners and fine sense
Yet wanting sensibility) the man
Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm."

William Cowper, poet