Recipe

Rhubarb Vinaigrette

Recipe Information

Total Time: 

5 minutes

Servings: 

6

The key to a vinaigrette is a certain amount of acidity, sweetness, salt and oil. I suppose that is the secret to cooking in general---balance. Anyway, I think it is fun to use other ingredients on salads beyond vinegar or lemon juice.

In this recipe I juiced rhubarb to replace the vinegar. Rhubarb has a lot of acidity and has a unique sweet/tart quality. It's also not around all year. In Minnesota, it is recommended to stop cutting it around July 4th to ensure many years of bountiful stocks. I love rhubarb; it dances on the sweet and savory line.

This dressing could be used for most any salad, but for my demo at Durango Natural Foods Co-op, I kept it in the spring mood with an assortment of wild greens and pea shoots. That being said, a great spring salad to accompany this dressing would be shaved asparagus (just use your peeler to take off thin slices), toasted almonds and pea shoots, perhaps a light dusting of Parmesan or some chunks of pulled mozzarella.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup rhubarb juice* (one stalk)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • salt to taste

Preparation

  1. Juice the rhubarb using a juicer or use a blender and and strain out the juice.
  2. Whisk the rhubarb juice and remaining ingredients together.

Any ideas for other vinegar or lemon juice substitutes? I once used green strawberries.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 177, Fat: 17 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 1 mg, Carbohydrate: 6 g, Dietary Fiber: 0 g, Protein: 0 g