Salad days. Youth, summer, innocence. We can stand to get a little Shakespearean sometimes, can we not? Lettuce is going to seed in our garden, herbs are fragrant in the air from small hands brushing through them on the way to a game of make-believe. I have a small abundance of basil, and so I make this dressing. A while ago I posted a recipe for Awesomesauce, a tahini-soy-nutritional yeast dressing that blew the lid off our winter salads. Consider this number two in the sauce trifecta (yes, there are plans for a third). It’s from the Rebar Cookbook, which I’ve talked about many times, but it’s just that good. This makes a nice marinade, dressing for panzanella, tomato-bocconcini salad, or a regular dinner salad with anything/everything in it. Basil is that friendly.

Basil Vinaigrette

Adapted, barely, from the Rebar Cookbook

Ingredients

2 medium garlic cloves

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 oz (45 g) fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 cup olive oil

Method

Combine all ingredients before oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. You could also use a blender, but it may not puree everything as well. With the processor on, slowly add the oil in a thin stream until the dressing is thickened. Check if it needs more salt or pepper. This will keep in a jar or bottle for about five days in the fridge.

What are your favourite recipes with basil?

XO

Ria