I grew up eating most salads with Italian dressing or plain old oil and vinegar, which was the closest I came to vinaigrette. But now I can’t live without vinaigrettes; they’re so easy and flavorful. Here is one of my favorites, which I often make with the dregs from a jar of mustard that would otherwise have been thrown away.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 cup

　　

Step 1

Place 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and 1 smashed and minced garlic clove in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to mix. Add about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and shake to combine the ingredients. Season with fresh herbs to your liking and drizzle over salad or grilled chicken or fish. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use, or for up to 1 week.

　　

Know-how: Mixing Dressing in a Jar

Step 2

I often mix vinaigrettes like this one in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Dump in all the ingredients, screw on the lid, and shake to mix. That way, your vinaigrette is ready in a flash and already in the perfect storage container.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.