This red pepper vinaigrette was developed after a trip
to Taos New mexico. I had a very similar dressing in one
of the local Eateries and decided I could create it myself.
This dressing works well on almost any salad and tastes
great.
Yield: 1 quart
Ingredients:
2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, large diced
3 Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
3 large red bell peppers, seeded and1 inch diced
1 c. fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
2 T. honey
10 cloves peeled garlic, minced
½ c. sherry vinegar
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss
onions with 1/3 the garlic, a few tablespoons of olive
oil, and salt and pepper. Spread out on a sheet pan. In
the same mixing bowl toss the peppers and tomatoes with
the rest of the garlic and a little more olive oil and
place them on another sheet pan. Place pans in the oven
and roast for 20-25 minutes. When the vegetables have
charred slightly and are soft remove them from the oven
and cool them to room temperature. In the bowl of a food
processor, place the basil, and pulse to chop the leaves,
now add the onion, peppers, and tomatoes and pulse to
combine. Next, add the vinegar, honey and salt and pepper
again pulse to combine. Now turn on the processor to run
and in a smooth and steady pour add the rest of the olive
oil. Chill and serve.
Note: When creating vinaigrette salad dressings
it is important to follow the directions as the process
will help to create a good emulsion. An emulsion is when
two ingredients that don't normally mix like vinegar and
oil suspend together. The ingredients in store bought
salad dressing often contain emulsifiers such as carrageen
and guar gum. These are natural and help to maintain the
emulsion. When cooking at home these agents are unavailable
so we rely on technique. If the dressing breaks and separates
simply shake or stir well before serving. Also, keep some
left over jars or containers around so if you make more
than you need you can be neighborly and give some away.
