So there are two “origin” stories for vinaigrette when you look them up but the timing of them makes one an actual origin and the other a weird fact. I want to start with the weird fact because I don't feel the need to make it super in depth but it’s worth knowing. In the Victorian era there was a non food item called a vinaigrette. It was a small, ornate box that was carried by women that contained a sponge soaked in vinegar and herbs and its purpose was to create a safe haven for the nose when in olfactory distress. It may also be used to revive a fainted woman. Basically, the source i used for this explained that there were many foul smells in the Victorian era from body odours and death to fecal matter in the streets.
Of course the origin of the name for this is the same as for the vinaigrette we know today. Vinagre, the french word for vinegar. However, the origin goes even further back to when even the food stuff called vinaigrette was nowhere near what we think of today. Vinaigrette began as a meat sauce! It is perhaps less French than medieval, illustrated in the 14th century Taillevent’s Le Viandier, one of the earliest surviving French cookbooks. Instructions for making “une vinaigrette,” state you start with a pig’s spleen, brown it on a spit, chop it up, add it to a pot with blood, broth, ginger, a pepper-like spice, saffron, wine, and vinegar (finally), and then boil. “It should be brown.” There are versions using different meats: a sheep-based vinaigrette calls for the head, stomach, and feet while a cow vinaigrette insists on using all four stomachs.
There is a lack of information from the then to the 16th century known as “the dark tunnel in French cooking,” that begins with food that you can cook in your fireplace and ends with more subtle or light cooking. So the different uses for the word vinaigrette make sense based on the cuisines that were being eaten. But the educated guess is that the new recipe actually comes from Italy but nobody will ever admit to it because of the rivalry.
This “new” recipe was used for dressing cold roasted vegetables and leafy greens, much the same as we use it now. The original recipe was simply oil, vinegar salt and pepper sometimes with some other herbs added in for flare. Now, we add in all kinds of things like STRAWBERRIES!
In addition to new ingredients there are also so many variants on what you can use for the oil and vinegar themselves. Good quality light tasting oils are best like extra virgin olive oil or canola. And for vinegars there is white, balsamic, wine, rice and apple cider. The suggested and traditional ratio is 2 - 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.
Ingredients
~½ cup (thawed) strawberries (I used frozen)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar (try it with apple cider or rice for a different flavour)
¾ cup canola oil
½ tbsp honey
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
Tools
Food processor or blender or *immersion blender*
Measures
Directions
In whatever blending tool or vessel you are using add your strawberries and balsamic vinegar. Blend these until they are smooth.
Slowly drizzle your oil while blending. This is a key part of creating a vinaigrette that looks nice, the emulsion. If you add your oil to quickly having it actually mix into your liquid ingredients is near impossible and much more difficult. By adding the oil slowly it allows the oil to incorporate the oil into the liquids in a homogenous mixture. Over time it will separate but not as quickly as it would without the emulsion.
Once your oil is entirely incorporated add your salt and honey to taste (start with my measurements but as always give things a taste and make sure they are to YOUR liking)
Serve or store in the fridge in a sealed container.
Serving
I have only used this as a salad dressing as this isn't the most versatile recipe but I have an inkling it would be delicious on cold chicken, maybe even on a sandwich? Post writing this I might have to try that!
I recommend a salad with dark leafy greens like spinach and nuts like pecans. Fresh strawberries would be a no brainer but other fruit would add a more complex flavour profile: other berries, pear or apple would be good ones to try.
Short and Gritty
Ingredients
~½ cup (thawed) strawberries (I used frozen)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar (try it with apple cider or rice for a different flavour)
¾ cup canola oil
½ tbsp honey
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
Tools
Food processor or blender or *immersion blender*
Measures
Directions
1. Blend strawberries and vinegar
2. Slowly add oil while blending
3. Add salt and honey to taste
4. Serve
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