Winter Salad Dressing

I have certainly not invented anything new here, I like this salad dressing because once I made too much Baugna Cauda and had a lot leftover I then used over the next few days to figure out how adaptable this (recipe) is.

Very short and sweet the dressing is simple.

1/3 cup olive oil

4 or 5 garlic cloves (rough chopped)

3 anchovy fillets (or not)

2 tablespoons of vinegar (I used a sweet wine vinegar but REALLY any will work)

Pour the olive oil and garlic in a tiny saucepan and put on the lowest setting of your stovetop burner, the idea here is to warm the oil, not get it too hot. Eventually the garlic will brown but you control how done you like it. As the garlic and oil are heating, add the anchovies whole, dont worry, these will “melt” into the oil and no-one will be the wiser. I let mine heat different times for different results. For the bitter greens of chicory, the longer and slower the garlic cooks the sweeter it becomes. Remove from the heat and whisk in vinegar. Spoon over chicory greens while still warm to help wilt them.

• 

• 

Chicories are a family of hardy and bitter-flavored leafy vegetables that are closely related to lettuce and come into season in the late fall. In salads, they pair well with rich cheeses, nuts, and fruits—but their hardiness also lends themselves to sautéed and roasted applications.

I couldn’t possibly list all of the ingredient combinations; this is best left up to your imagination and palette. Keep in mind you are trying to balance flavors, the slight bitterness of the chicories, the saltiness of the anchovies, the sweetness of the cooked garlic all make a great base that can be adjusted to what you have on hand or find available in your winter garden or seasonal produce stand ;).

•