Nutty Vinaigrette
Ingredients
½ cup pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or walnuts
1 small clove garlic, peeled
¼ cup sherry, balsamic, or good red wine vinegar, more if you like
salt to taste
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking almost constantly, until fragrant. Place them in the container of a blender or small food processor along with the garlic and pulverize.
Put the ground nuts and garlic in a bowl and add the vinegar, salt, and pepper; stir. Add the oil a bit at a time. The mixture will become creamy and quite thick. Taste to make sure the acid balance pleases you and add more vinegar if you like; if the taste is good but the mixture is too thick, add warm water, a teaspoon at a time. This is best made fresh but will keep, refrigerated, for a day or so; bring back to room temperature before using.