Dressing Salads: Classic Italian Dressing

Classic Italian Dressing

Italian dressing in United States cooking is a vinaigrette-type salad dressing consisting of an emulsion of water, oil, chicken stock or the juice from a cooked chicken,vinegar or lemon juice, salt, pepper, minced onions and bell peppers, often sugar, or high fructose corn syrup, and a variety of herbs and spices including garlic, oregano, fennel, and dill.

The U.S.-style Italian dressing is unknown in Italy, where salad is normally dressed at table with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and sometimes black pepper, and not with a pre-mixed vinaigrette.


Ingredients

¼ cup drained capers
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 shallot, minced
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 small dried red chile, sliced
½ teaspoon crushed fennel seed
1 tablespoon white Chianti or dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Procedure

Combine all ingredients in a jar with tight-fitting top.

Shake well.