Cherry Vinegar Dressing
A super easy salad dressing you'll want to put on everything.
Vinegar is one of those sneaky, transformative ingredients that can both brighten and bring depth to a dish and is why I’m kind of always on the lookout for new ones to try. Like this dark cherry vinegar I bought on a whim, lucky for me. It sat on the counter for a little while until I discovered its full potential as an ice cream topping (reduce it down to a glaze and add it to melted dark chocolate) and as the overarching theme for this salad dressing.
Yields 4-6 servings—but I promise how ever much you put out will be gone by the end of the meal.
DRESSING
2.5 tbsp dark cherry vinegar
.4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
SALAD COMPONENTS
1 head of radicchio
1 head of baby butter lettuce (or any soft, leafy lettuce you like)
1 shallot, quick pickled
2-3 tbsp pistachios, chopped
2 radishes
Method:
DRESSING
Add all of the salad dressing ingredients to a jar and shake it all together. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one.
SALAD COMPONENTS
For the radicchio and lettuce I cut off the stem, take the leaves apart, and let them sit in a white vinegar/water bath for about 5 minutes (a process I talked about in a previous post), jostling every once in a while to shake off any dirt or insects that might have nestled in the crevices. Once rinsed, drain and dry in a salad spinner or with a clean kitchen towel.
Slice the shallot and “fluff” the slices with a fork to encourage separation of the layers. To a small bowl add about 3 tbsp of sherry vinegar (or enough to cover the shallots), .5 tbsp salt, and .5 tbsp sugar and the shallot slices. Let sit for anywhere from 10-30 minutes.
In a large bowl toss the clean lettuce and radicchio leaves together with a light drizzle of olive oil (maybe 1 tsp), salt & pepper
Roughly chop the pistachios
Slice the radishes in thin circles
Gently mix all of these components together plus the dressing (easiest to do with your clean hands), in one big bowl and transfer to a serving dish . You may not need all of the dressing this recipe calls for. I used just enough to lightly coat all the leaves and finished with a light drizzle before serving and saved the rest for later.