Balsamic vinegar is the key ingredient in many dressings, from salad dressing to dips for pinzimonio. To prepare a balsamic vinegar vinaigrette, you only need four ingredients and a glass jar that you can shake to mix them. If you're passionate about cooking, you can learn how to make balsamic vinegar at home. The whole process takes at least twelve years, but it is a project that can give you great satisfaction if you follow the rules and have the patience to wait.
Ingrediants
- 180 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 60 ml of balsamic vinegar
- salt
- pepper
- Rustic mustard (optional)
- Garlic (optional)
- Shallot (optional)
Yield: about 250 ml of vinaigrette
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Make a Balsamic Vinegar Vinaigrette
Step 1. Combine the vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
The simplest choice is to pour 180 ml of oil and 60 ml of balsamic vinegar directly into a glass jar with an airtight lid. Alternatively, you can pour them into a small bowl.
- The jar will need to be shaken to mix the ingredients, so it's important that the lid allows you to fully seal it.
- If you have chosen to use a bowl, you will need to mix the ingredients with a whisk.
Step 2. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the same amount of pepper
If you don't want to dose them so precisely, simply use a pinch of salt and a couple of ground black pepper. Remember that it is best to add a small amount at a time, both salt and pepper, and possibly add more only after tasting the vinaigrette.
Step 3. Consider adding other optional ingredients
You can flavor the vinaigrette using a teaspoon of rustic mustard or finely chopped garlic or shallots. If you like the taste of these ingredients, add them in small amounts and then taste the vinaigrette to see if the dose is enough.
- Mustard makes oil and vinegar bond more easily.
- You can also use other ingredients, such as sugar, honey, a strawberry puree or perhaps an egg yolk to thicken the consistency of the vinaigrette.
Step 4. Screw the lid onto the jar and then shake it to mix the ingredients
Seal the glass jar and tilt it to make sure it doesn't leak. If it's airtight, shake it for 10-15 seconds so the ingredients have time to blend. The vinaigrette is now ready to use.
If you are using a bowl, mix the ingredients with the whisk
Step 5. Play with the proportions of oil and vinegar
The standard proportion is three parts of extra virgin olive oil for each part of balsamic vinegar. However, many prefer a more acidic flavored dressing, while others want it to be more delicate. When the ingredients are blended, taste the vinaigrette to decide if any adjustments need to be made to achieve the ideal flavor, based on your personal tastes.
The best way to taste vinaigrette is to dip a lettuce leaf in it
Step 6. Store the vinaigrette in the refrigerator
It will last for many weeks. If you have only used oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, it is not necessary to keep it in the refrigerator. On the other hand, if you have added fresh ingredients, it is best to keep it in the refrigerator to make sure it lasts a long time.
- In both cases, keep it in an airtight jar.
- If you made the vinaigrette in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container.
Method 2 of 2: Make Homemade Balsamic Vinegar
Step 1. Squeeze the grapes to use the juice
The Lambrusco (black grape) or Trebbiano (white grape) varieties are those traditionally used to prepare balsamic vinegar. Mash the grapes in any way you like, for example by pressing them with a kitchen utensil into a bowl.
- Keep in mind that usually several kilos of grapes are used which are crushed with a machine that breaks the berries and separates the pulp.
- The juice released by the grapes during this pressing phase is called "must".
- Wear an apron to avoid getting the grape juice on your clothes.
Step 2. Filter the crushed grapes
Transfer the broken berries and liquid to a colander to sift the seeds, skins, pulp and get a clear juice. Place the strainer over a bowl that can hold the juice. Press the pomace and pulp in the colander in order to extract as much liquid as possible.
Step 3. Cook the grape juice over low heat for 2-3 days
Transfer it to a large pot and simmer until it has reduced by a third or half, making it thicker as a result. Let it cook slowly so that it just simmers. Once reduced, it will have a thick consistency and a nice golden color that will make it resemble caramel.
- Cooking grape juice is essential because the heat will kill the bacteria;
- The temperature of the juice must not exceed 90 ° C;
- Use a large pot or large teapot to cook the grape juice.
Step 4. Pour the grape juice into a wooden barrel
You may need to use more than one if you have squeezed a lot of grapes. Close the opening of the barrel with a clean rag to facilitate evaporation.
To produce balsamic vinegar it is necessary to purchase a battery of barrels, generally made of different woods and of different capacities
Step 5. Store the grape juice in wooden barrels for at least twelve years
Producers of balsamic vinegar allow it to age for 25-50 years, but the minimum is 12. Storing the juice in the barrels helps it to transform into acetic acid.
The barrels do not need to be in a controlled temperature place, an attic or similar environment is ideal since surprisingly the temperature changes have a positive effect on the process of transforming the juice into vinegar
Step 6. Transfer the juice to a smaller barrel each year
After it has rested in a barrel for a year, it will have lost about 10% of its volume. It is important to transfer it to a smaller barrel each time. The use of barrels made of different woods, for example cherry, oak and juniper, causes the vinegar to acquire different aromatic nuances each time.
- Your battery could consist of six barrels of various sizes, each made from a different variety of wood, for example cherry, acacia, chestnut, oak, juniper and ash.
- Transferring the vinegar to a new barrel every time 10% evaporates is what makes its flavor unique, so if you don't have a full barrel battery you can't get a high quality product.
- The size of the barrels depends on the amount of initial juice.
Step 7. Continue to transfer the liquid until you are satisfied with its taste
When the balsamic vinegar has reached the age of twelve, you can freely decide if the time has come to use it. Taste it to test its texture, density and taste. If it still doesn't look ready, transfer it to a smaller barrel and let it age again.
