Anchovy Vinaigrette
Cookbook author and former Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell says this unfussy dressing is all about letting produce shine.
Serves4
As part of Kitchn’s celebration of all things California, we asked 19 cooks from various disciplines — chefs, photographers, writers — to see what dish they think best embodies California home cooking in 2019. See all the recipes here.
Cookbook author and former Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell’s idea of the ultimate California dish is a shaved vegetable salad using whatever fresh, gorgeous produce is in season. And considering that he wrote a book called Almonds, Anchovies and Pancetta, it should come as no surprise that his go-to dressing is a garlicky anchovy vinaigrette, which can be made with or without the boiled egg (in which case, Peternell says just use the olive oil and don’t worry about making the emulsion). It’s an unfussy dressing that lets the produce shine while adding just a touch of umami and acidity.
Anchovy Vinaigrette
Cookbook author and former Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell says this unfussy dressing is all about letting produce shine.
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
garlic clove, pounded with a pinch of salt to yield about 1/2 teaspoon
- 6
anchovy fillets (half of a 2-ounce can or jar)
- 1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon
lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon
red wine vinegar
Black pepper
- 1
raw egg yolk or 1 whole egg, boiled for 8 minutes and chopped
- 6 tablespoons
olive oil
Instructions
Mash the garlic and anchovies together, either in a mortar with the pestle or on a cutting board with a knife. Add the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and pepper to the mortar (or place them in a bowl with the garlic and anchovies) and stir to mix well. Add the egg or yolk, then stir in the olive oil. If you want the dressing to be thick and creamy, pour the olive oil in a thin stream as you stir spiritedly with the pestle or a whisk. It has always struck me as absurd that the pestle and the whisk, one so singular and the other so multiple, create emulsions equally well. Surely there’s some kind of science at work here, but I just love the magic. Use egg and anchovy dressing today, or tomorrow at the latest.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell, published by William Morrow, 2014.