Southern Pecan Salad Dressing

The main attraction in these early days of the farmers markets here is the wide variety of lettuces and salad greens.  But I skip right past those stalls, because this year I have a big beautiful, bed of lettuces in my own backyard, with a little help from Bennett-Burk Farm.  I have eaten lettuce every day, and passed on large amounts to family and friends.  With all this lettuce going around, I had to create the perfect Southern salad dressing to go with it all, so I turned to local pecans and pecan oil for nuttiness and crunch.

A local pecan grower here sells pecan oil, which adds such a nice, rich pecan taste.  They sell it online, but if you can’t find pecan oil, use a neutral flavored oil like canola or light olive (not extra virgin, the taste would be too strong.)

Southern Pecan Salad Dressing

3 large cloves of garlic

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¾ cup pecan oil or vegetable oil

¼ cup chopped pecans

Place the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in the carafe of a blender and pulse a few times.  Add the vinegar and blend until smooth.  With the motor running, drizzle in the oil until the dressing is emulsified and looks creamy.  Pour the dressing into a tightly sealing jar, add the chopped pecans and shake.

The dressing will keep for 2 days in the fridge in the sealed jar.  Shake to combine before using.

Makes 1 cup dressing