Distress Signals from Martha's Vineyard

There are two things I spend a small fortune on in the summer: Goldbud peaches, and Morning Glory Farm tomatoes. It’s not Goldbud season yet (soon enough though!) so lately I’ve been eating a lot of tomatoes.

I cherish a good tomato. Not just a ‘good’ tomato, but a perfectly ripe, sweet, deep red tomato. I mean one that makes you close your eyes when you take that first bite. I’m such a tomato snob that I rarely eat out of season tomatoes- why bother? For me, Morning Glory’s tomatoes are just perfect.

A friend of mine gave me a lovely birthday gift of Mermaid Farm feta cheese, which I had never experienced before. Let me tell you- this stuff is the best feta I’ve ever had.

I like to eat my tomatoes with some salt n’pepa, crumbled feta, and my mom’s recipe for vinaigrette. My mom is from France, so this recipe comes from a long line of French cooks. It’s the perfect sour accent to all things. The first thing I ever learned how to cook was this vinaigrette (I know you don’t actually cook it). Even before I could cook, when I would burn all my grilled cheese sandwiches, I could at least make this vinaigrette.

I thought I’d share the recipe with you, though I have to point out that my Dad would say I was “doing it all wrong.” He likes his on the vingear-y side, and my Mom and I tend to make it on the mustard-y side. No matter your tastes, you can make this however you’d like, and it will be good on literally everything. I put in on steak, vegetables (cooked or raw), and sometimes I just lick it off my finger straight from the jar. This vinaigrette is my comfort food.

First, you start with a jar to put it in. I like to use an old Grey Poupon jar from the last batch of dressing.

The basic ratio of oil to vinegar is two to one. So, what I do is throw a good amount of oil in the jar, depending on how much I want to make. But you should make a lot, because you’re going to use it on everything.

Then we need some oil. I have canola here- pick your favorite and go with it. I’ve tried olive oil a couple of times, but it congeals in the fridge and becomes a useless mess. Learn from my mistakes!

Also, you might be wondering why I’m making this on the stove. Well, in true Vineyard housing style I have zero counter space. Zero. Usually, I use my cutting board to cover half of my sink and use that as a counter. Plus, I wanted to show off my Mexican skull from my trip in March.

Once you’ve got as much oil as you want, put half that amount of vinegar in there. I’m using red wine vinegar. It’s okay if you put in too much or too little. You can always counter your mistakes by adding more of one of the other ingredients. You can never mess this up.

Then we need mustard. Or, “moutarde” in French. You can use any kind of moutarde you want- except that terrible yellow stuff! My favorite brand is Maille, that’s what the French use. Why not try something different- how about a course moutarde? I’ve never tried horseradish, but maybe that would be good? I have Trader Joe’s dijon, which is very sour. If I had another moutarde open, I would’ve used something else. Use as much moutarde as you feel like. I use a heaping fork-full.

Then stir vigorously! If you’re lazy or hate the sound of metal on glass you can put the lid on your jar and shake it around. It just so happens that this time around I made it perfectly on the first try. If yours seems really thick, add more vinegar or oil. If it’s really red, you need more mustard.

From here you can use it as is, or you can add some flare to your vinaigrette. Salt n’pepa, shallots, garlic- whatever you feel like.

So cut up your tomatoes, crumble some of that feta…

And pour a generous amount of my family’s French Vinaigrette on top!

Bon Appétit!