Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shows us how to make Italian dressing.
Many Italian dressings are simply a drizzle of oil and a dash of balsamic tossed through salad leaves, but this dressing will keep in a bottle in the fridge for a couple of months, as it does not include herbs.
You can add chopped herbs at serving time if you wish.
The olive oil may harden in the fridge, but if you take it out half an hour before you use it or run it under warm water briefly it will return to oil.
Because it is not emulsified it will separate, so shake the bottle before serving.
Italian dressing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
350ml rice bran oil
150ml olive oil
150ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1: Put the mustard and garlic in a bowl.
2: Mix the two oils and pour them slowly in with the mustard and garlic, whisking constantly.
3: Add the vinegar, still whisking, then season to taste. You can use a stick blender instead of a whisk to mix this.
4: Store in a bottle in the fridge and shake before serving.
This is particularly nice with sliced tomato, torn basil and feta salad with chunky olive oil-roasted croutons.
If you would like to request a particular technique we haven't already shown, please email odt.features@odt.co.nz with 'Cooking 101' in the subject line.