From bland to beautiful

Cooking isn't just about ingredients in their natural form. I mean..very few people would enjoy pulling a full grown carrot out of the ground, washing it, and eating it. Even those advocates of raw carrot, would still peel it and then perhaps grate it or juillian it into little match sticks. The point being, all ingredients need a little help to achieve their full potential. 

The best example of this is the salad. A salad can be a starter or main, lunch or dinner. However there is virtually NOTHING worse than an undressed salad. No one wants to chew away at dry leaves, cloying to the roof of your month as you valiantly try to imitate a cow in chewing the cud. Nope, it is my pet peeve when out for food and a café or restaurant offer up a salad, which though perfectly acceptable in every other way, is without dressing. 

And dressings are so simple! Even a drizzle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar lifts leaves from the mundane to the extraordinary. It is what separates us from the kolas. And while for some a shop bought version will do, there is nothing easier than to make your own. Four ingredients and you've got your elixir (maybe not to eternal life, but to perfect salads). 

So here it is..the simplest, most perfect salad dressing recipe you'll get anywhere. You will need:

an old jam/coffee/mustard/honey (you get the idea) jar with lid
olive oil
white wine vinegar
honey
Dijon mustard
garlic (optional).

The ratios for this recipe are subject to change, as I tend to do it by eye. But get your jar and using a 2:1 ratio of olive oil to vinegar fill to almost the top. Then add a tbsp and a half of honey and a tbsp of mustard. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. The garlic can be added, crushed and finely chopped. Close the jar and shake well. Open, stir with a spoon to make sure the honey hasn't just settled at the base. Et vóila! This dressing goes with any type of salad (other than a Asian one) and can be enjoyed as a hangover cure with crusty bread..but I digress. This does not need to be stored in the fridge, in fact it's much better just kept in a press or cupboard. I defy anyone not to like this dressing, I've been making it for around 7 years and it graces the table for everyday eating and special occasions (though maybe take it out of the jam jar for the Christmas table)