Grace Your Salads with Raspberry Vinaigrette
July is the time to buy or pick your own raspberries, and at no other time of year will you find them in such abundance. Most of us think about eating raspberries just as they are, or in desserts or jams, and these are all wonderful ways to enjoy this summer treat. If you have just 2 cups of extra raspberries (wild or cultivated) to spare, perhaps you may want to try another use for raspberries that can be enjoyed year round: raspberry vinegar. I am fortunate enough to have wild raspberries growing at the edge of my backyard, and each summer I make a bottle or two of raspberry vinegar for use in home-made salad dressing. This is an extremely easy process that takes no more than 30 minutes of your time, and will provide you with raspberry vinaigrette that beats the bottled versions.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Rinse, drain and lightly mash 2 to 2 1/2 cup fresh raspberries.
2. Combine mashed raspberries, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 cups of red wine vinegar in a non-aluminum pot and cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, until mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat.
. 3. Pour mixture into large screwtop jar and store in a cool place for 3 weeks.
4. After 3 weeks, strain to separate the vinegar from the berries. Use a wooden spoon to lightly press on the berries to get out all of the juice. If you find the vinegar is a bit cloudy, you can pour it through a paper coffee filter if you wish.
5. Pour the vinegar into bottle(s). I like to use empty, green wine bottles that I’ve saved for storing my raspberry vinegar.
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar, 2 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Enjoy!
© 2011, Gretchen Scalpi. Publication rights granted to all venues so long as article and by-line are reprinted intact and all links are made live.
Gretchen Scalpi is an author, consultant, speaker and Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist, and Health & Wellness Coach. She opened her private nutrition practice in 2002. Gretchen’s practice provides individual nutritional counseling in the areas of diabetes, weight management, food sensitivities, gastrointestinal disorders, and general wellness.
