Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette

This is the ultimate salad dressing. The one we use almost daily. It gets requested by my grandparents and several friends, too.

My Grandma Rossetti always hand-dressed her salad. Literally. She'd add the ingredients and then stick her hands in there and mix. Personally, I don't want anyone questioning whether my hands were clean before I handled their lettuce and I don't like getting my hands greasy, so I use a spoon & fork. You can take your pick.

Dad tweaked Grandma's recipe a little, and then Mom tweaked his. She didn't change the flavor, just started using a measuring spoon, mostly to get him to use less ingredients. They were ending up with soggy lettuce and lots of leftover dressing in the bottom of the bowl. No one wants either of those!

The best part about this dressing is that you can measure the ingredients right on top of the lettuce & veggies and mix. No extra bowl necessary.

Added health bonus: vinegar has been known to be a great digestive aid and has a lot of health benefits. This dressing has plenty of vinegar. We always eat our salads after dinner and I really think it works! It's also light on the oil, so it is naturally "light." Olive oil is a healthy fat that helps the body absorb the nutrients from the vegetables.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette
For 1 large salad

1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1 T extra virgin first press olive oil, organic
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T red wine vinegar

Prepare salad. Sprinkle dry ingredients one at a time onto the salad. (Don't dump them in a little heap! Sprinkle!) Do the same with the wet ingredients. I usually use the salad spoon in lieu of a tablespoon, and it works fine. The main thing is to have the ratio correct and not to add too much liquid. You can always go back and add more if needed. Toss salad well, making sure you don't see any clumps of dry ingredients. Add more vinegar if it is too dry.

Note: It's best to wait until right before dinner is ready to dress the salad. This keeps it nice and crisp.

Rossetti's Italian Vinaigrette