Dressings on the Side

My friend Susie has an enviable job in food product development and an even more enviable collection of fancy ingredients that she gets to play with for work. Tucked away in a corner of her cozy San Francisco kitchen are  bottles of olive oils, nut oils, truffle oils, infused oils and tons of tart and fruity vinegars. It’s a salad nerd’s nirvana.

Last Sunday was cold and rainy, and she hosted a girls dinner in. Girls were being girls… cooking, drinking wine and gossiping about recent dates. Where was I? Huddled in the corner with my friend Lizzie sipping oils straight from the bottle — okay, we used a spoon — and dorking out over each new aroma and flavor. When I got up to leave, Susie has stuffed a bottle of Argan Oil (never heard of it, more background here) and White Truffle Oil (never have the nerve to spend that much on oil) into my purse. It was like Christmas! I faux protested until she said, “Just take it!”. UGH… FINE.

Fast forward to Tuesday night: An Indian dinner at home called for a dressing more exotic than my stand-by mustard vinaigrette. Hello Moroccan Argan oil!

A little Googling pulled up a blood orange and Argan oil vinaigrette recipe that looked delish. I was short an orange so I improvised with some other stuff in my fridge. The result was great – sweet, tart and nutty. I used it to dress baby greens topped with salty feta cheese (a key addition, and kalamata olives would have been great too.)

I know Argan oil is pretty spendy, but I justify it like this: its great for your skin and a hell-of-a-lot cheaper than Botox, which at times feels right around the corner. And, because it has a pretty intense flavor, a little goes a long way. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with Argan oil. Thanks Susie!

If you’ve got a great recipe or use for Argan oil, please share!

Blood Orange and Argan Oil Vinaigrette

Serves: Enough to dress 4-6 side salads

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup Blood Orange Balsamic (Earth & Vine Provisions makes a great product. You could also use equal parts blood orange juice and balsamic vinegar)
• 1/4 cup Argan Oil (Mustapha’s brand was delicious, but you can find Argan oil at specialty food and middle eastern markets)
• Splash of champagne vinegar (O Olive Oil brand is my new fave!)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Whisk together mustard and orange balsamic (or orange juice & balsamic). Add in a splash of champagne vinegar, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the Argan oil and whisk to combine. Taste the dressing and adjust the ingredients to your preferences – more mustard or vinegar may be needed to thicken the dressing or for flavor balance.

Enjoy!

- Hill