Vinaigrette basic

On a chopping board, finely mince and smash your garlic cloves. Before doing anything, though, sprinkle the garlic cloves with salt to prevent the pieces from sticking to your knife as you mince. This also comes in very handy, as you will be adding salt to your vinaigrette later on, anyway.

Transfer the garlic to a small or medium sized bowl. Add in your vinegar, sugar, and black pepper and whisk it together. Adjust the taste as you go along. Whisk in your oil and adjust the seasoning again as you see fit, adding more salt and pepper if needed. A vinaigrette can have several variations. For a different approach to your dressing, you can try whisking in some shredded Parmesan cheese to add salt and flavor. Adding sun-dried tomatoes is also a good idea, or even some minced herbs. Make your dressing even more unique by adding ingredients that bring surprising flavors, such as cumin, fresh ginger, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and even soy sauce for that Asian zing.

Another vinaigrette prep tip: you can easily create a base for your vinaigrette and you don’t have to worry about it being thick because it won’t have any oil yet. Do this by combining all your ingredients except the oil and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. Whisk together the right amount of vinaigrette base and room temperature olive oil. Toss it with your salad and enjoy!