Lemon Vinaigrette

You know how mistakes have given us some of the best things on earth?  Well, this was kinda like that.  I'm not at all comparing this dressing to penicillin (because it tastes way better).  It was funny the way it came about and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I was in the mood for some homemade pizza and got a recipe from That Guy at Rock in a Sea of Chaos for one of his wife's pizzas.  Don't go there for the pizza recipe, it's not there either.  Good news!  That Guy posted the recipe for the Pizza de Parma.  Lucky you.  Oh, was it ever fantastic, but this isn't about the pizza (for now).  The recipe called for a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette.  Well, the local store didn't have any.  At all.  We did, however, end up with a lemon olive vinaigrette which I like but was no good for the pizza recipe (and my wife despises olives).  There is a significant difference between olives and olive oil.  Just FYI, but I'm sure you knew that.  Anyway, I just HAD to have this pizza, so I decided I'd try to make the dressing on my own.  It turned out so good I've made and gone through three batches already.  On top of that, it was EASY.  Here it goes, you won't be disappointed.  I used a shallot and a clove of garlic because when I did the test recipe 2 cloves was just too much garlic for me.  If you don't have a shallot you can exclude that, but I'd caution against 2 cloves of garlic.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (use good stuff for this, it makes a difference)
4 tablespoons freshly sqeezed lemon juice (yes, FRESH)*
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (stripped from stem and finely minced)**
1 clove garlic (minced or I prefer using a garlic press)
1 medium shallot (minced or pushed through garlic press)***
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (I love Kosher salt)
fresh ground pepper (to taste, a couple of pinches at minimum)

*1 lemon = about 1 tablespoon juice
** thyme can be optional, but it is really good
*** no shallots?  be careful using more garlic.  I'd use a couple tablespoons of sweet yellow onion first.

I mix everything together in a 2 cup or larger measuring cup (olive oil first to measure correctly).  Whisk it together or just pour it into your dressing bottle and shake it up.  Keep refrigerated.  Serve at room temperature and shake well before drizzling on salad (or pizza if I'm allowed to give the recipe).

Yields about 1/2 cup of dressing.

Enjoy!