..where teens can learn to cook restaurant quality meals for the family
Salad with Vinaigrette
This simple recipe is designed to help you learn about balancing flavours. By focusing on tasting and adjusting, and knowing how to notice flavours, you'll be able to do this for all the other recipes you cook.
ADJUST SERVINGS
Most of our recipes are for 4 people. You can check and adjust the serving size by clicking on the red number above.
BEFORE YOU START
Tips for Vinaigrette:
The key to a great vinaigrette is the balance between the oil and the acid. The classic ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.
Whisking (or shaking, if using a jar) emulsifies the ingredients, creating a cohesive dressing. (Oil and vinegar do not naturally mix well, but when you shake them up, the oil breaks down into tiny droplets that disperse themselves throughout the vinegar. This is what emulsifies means).
Taste and adjust the seasoning and various ingredients to your preference. That is the point of today’s lesson! We want you to make it taste the way you want it. More mustard can emulsify and thicken the vinaigrette further, while adjusting salt and pepper can enhance flavors.
GET SHOPPING!
This is a reminder to check what ingredients you need to buy and add them to your shopping list. It’s good to do your own food shopping, but at the very least, you’re head chef, so send a family member out to the shops for you!
GET ORGANISED
Remember ‘Skill 2’ of the Big 5: Become super-organised.:
Add your own private notes:
Equipment
- Large salad bowl
- Small mixing bowl or jar with a lid (for vinaigrette) or you can even use a mug
- Whisk or fork (if using a bowl or mug for vinaigrette)
- Measuring spoons
- Knife
- Cutting board
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 lettuce or bag of salad leaves choose whatever you want for this
- 1 cucumber
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion (or a white onion, or even spring onions)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 slices bread (slightly stale is better than fresh)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese (Just grab the block of cheese and we'll peel off what we want later!)
Instructions
Prep in Advance:
- Wash and spin dry the lettuce and tomatoes (or if using a bag of salad it may already be washed, so check). If you don't have a salad spinner, we highly recommend this one:OXO salad spinner
*Note, for transparency, we get a tiny commision if you click this link and buy, and it's at no extra cost to you! It just helps us keep the site running.In the meantime just shake the water off, and put aside to dry on paper towels. Wash the cucumber and put it aside to dry. - Tear the lettuce leaves up however you like (you want them to look nice, so be creative) and add them to your large salad bowl
- Slice the cucumber into thin discs then add to the bowl (your knife skills from the last lesson are coming in handy!)
- Cut each tomato in half then add to the bowl
- Mince 1 clove garlic (see video)
- Make some croutons. We suggest one slice of bread per person, and use the video to learn how. Once made, put them aside in a bowl
For the vinaigrette:
- Add the 1/4 cup olive oil to a small mixing bowl, jar or mug
- Add 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Add 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Add your minced garlic and whisk up with a fork (or shake if using a jar with lid). You want it to go cloudy. That's the emulsification taking place.
- Now, remember the point of this lesson is for you to taste and adjust accordingly so that you're happy. So, play around by adding a little more of any of the ingredients (More pepper? More vinegar? A bit more salt? A pinch of parika? A half teaspoon of runny honey perhaps? Maybe some capers or sumac if you have any?) Always add a tiny amount, stir, then taste with a clean spoon. Then add more of whatever else you need to balance it. Taste again (again with a new clean spoon). And repeat until you're happy.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad in the bowl.
- Toss the salad gently to coat all the ingredients with the vinaigrette. Note: Some top chefs insist that the right amount of vinaigrette is enough to coat the salad but so that nothing drips off when you lift a salad leaf up. However, we say, do it however you and your family like it. That surely trumps their advice?
- Add your croutons and toss again lightly
- If using, top the salad with shaved Parmesan cheese. Do this by holding the cheese in one hand and using a vegetable peeler, peel shavings off so they land into the salad
- Top with some black pepper
- Serve immediately to ensure the croutons remain crisp.
Please share with us how you went!We need your feedback so we can improve the recipes and help others succeed! Please let us know by leaving a comment 🙂
What an informative post! I found the information really valuable, especially in today’s world where maintaining good health is more important
than ever. You’ve done a great job breaking things down (no pun intended).
I’ll be linking to this post on my own blog, where I write about wellness and nutrition, so others can enjoy your insights.
Thanks for sharing