Vierge Dressing

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Lifting a simple pasta out of the realms of the ordinary can be as easy as making special the salad you serve with it. And that can be done with a vierge dressing.

Like most cooks, I have a selection of empty screw top jars in my pantry. They come into their own when I want to make small quantities of something special, and and a vierge dressing is certainly that. Yet it is so simple anyone can do it. The trick is to make it often enough to ensure you have a constant supply.

In a small, clean screw-top jar put a handful of basil, something similar of parsley, two twists of black pepper and a bruised clove of garlic. You bruise it by hitting it with the flat blade of a knife. There is no need to peel it.

Now fill the jar almost to the brim with your favorite olive, macadamia nut or grapeseed oil, screw down the lid and leave it in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 weeks.

When the time comes to use it, strain the oil and put it back into the jar. Sprinkle a tablespoonful over your salad with two teaspoons of white wine vinegar and a little salt. You will never taste better, and you have a dressing with zero cholesterol as an added bonus.