By David Harbilas
Vinegars infused with herbs and fruits seemed to be a trend that came and quickly went in the early ‘80′s, a seemingly bland, health-conscious choice over creamy dressings.
Yet we never really seemed to learn the lessons of these early innovations, which is a shame since improving on those early methods is a relatively simple matter.
Rather than simply placing an assortment of tomatoes in a jar with some vinegar, here a jam-like sauce is made and allowed to cook with a mixture of both red wine and red wine vinegar.
The tomato is actually not the star ingredient and acts more like a seasoning. This sauce goes well with beef, chicken, and pork, as well as salads.
Makes about 2 cups
- 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 cup of red wine
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- 2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
- salt to taste
- ¾ cup olive oil
Place the tomato in a small saucepan with about 3 tablespoons of water and cook over medium-low heat until soft and thick, about 30 minutes. Remove and cool. Place the red wine in another saucepan and reduce over medium-high heat by ¾. Remove and cool. Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil to create a smooth, emulsified vinaigrette.