…of salad dressing at the supermarket.  Seriously, of all the easiest items to make quickly and well, salad dressing tops the list for me.  Rarely any ‘cooking’ involved, and far superior to anything that comes off a shelf with stabilizers in it.  I always dress my salads just before serving, and lightly, so as not to drown the leaves or weigh them down.  Why put out an assortment of bottled dressings on your table when you have made a lovely salad that needs only your own dressing to make it shine?

Try this for openers – it’s a great stand-by to keep in the fridge, but needs to come back to room temperature or run the tightly closed jar under warm water for a bit, because the olive oil does tend to solidify when chilled:

ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup cider vinegar; 2 tbsp water; 1 minced or crushed garlic clove; 2 tsp sugar; 1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 or 2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano; 1/2 tsp oregano; 1/2 tsp basil

Combine all in a tightly lidded jar and shake well.  I found this very utilitarian shaker/pourer for dressing recently at Crate & Barrel – a great little tool for your kitchen.  And yes, it’s half full.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/oxo-dressing-shaker/s149864