Rosemary & Garlic Vinaigrette

I’ve been making this Rosemary Vinaigrette for a client all autumn long and using it in lots of different ways. It’s seasonal, festive, flavorful and super easy to make. I’ve tossed it with steamed green beans & feta and drizzled it over roasted broccoli. I’ve also used it in a more traditional way – tossed with baby spinach, roasted carrots & fresh mozzarella. Basically, it’s a great way to make fall & winter veggies taste amazing.

Now, let’s talk for a quick second about vinaigrette ratios. The traditional vinaigrette ratio is 3:1, olive oil to vinegar/acid. It likely won’t surprise you that I like a different ratio, and I’m sure some chefs would turn their noses up (it’s a good thing I don’t care *wink*). The traditional ratio is just too oily for me. I like it heavy on the acid, so my go-to vinaigrette ratio is 1:1. My sister likes it even more vinegar-y than I do, so don’t be afraid to play around with the ratio and find your perfect combination.

Rosemary & Garlic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
rosemary leaves from 4 6” sprigs
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey, or sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, to taste

To Make

In a small sauce pan heat the olive oil, rosemary leaves and garlic over medium-low heat. Once they begin to sizzle, continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The garlic should be golden and the rosemary leaves dark green. Allow to cool for a minute. If necessary, transfer to a heat safe container to avoid garlic or rosemary from burning.

When oil, garlic and rosemary are fully cooled, blend with remaining ingredients.

Notes

When you don’t blend a dressing in the traditional way by slowly drizzling the olive oil into the other ingredients while blending/whisking, it’s likely the vinaigrette will “break” or separate when stored. This is totally normal and all you have to do is shake the container to re-combine. Call my lazy but because I don’t care about the dressing breaking, I can just blend or shake all the vinaigrette ingredients together and the whole process is quicker.