Happenstance

August 11, 2008 · Filed under Cooking · Tagged blueberries, blueberry vinaigrette, Cooking, food, salad

I don’t believe in kismet but I do believe in the significance of leftovers.

Let’s phrase that a bit differently: I’m not sure I believe the old apothegm that everything happens for a reason. I think things happen – things such there being leftover soup, and although there’s too much to throw out, there’s really not enough left for a full portion. When something like that happens, when life gives you just the right amount of leftover soup, it’s what you do with it that counts.

But I’m not here to philosophize. I’m here to tell you about this blueberry vinaigrette I dreamed up from leftover blueberry soup. It’s an unlikely progression, I suppose, but it worked. Not only did it work, it was refreshing.

Ok, I hate to use that word – refreshing – in reference to this salad, because the word refreshing is so overused, especially this time of year. But the nature of the vinaigrette, cool and pleasantly tart, leaves me little choice. This vinaigrette is a sitcom that entertains without rubbing my face in its awful, over-written innuendo. It’s the other driver who politely allows me to merge in the school pick up line.

And it’s my Emmie telling me, between mouthfuls, of course, that the salad is delicious. That’s refreshing, my friends.

Here’s how it happened: I’ve had blueberries on the brain for weeks, and I’ve been mulling over thoughts of a blueberry vinaigrette. I was going to go the obvious route of pureed blueberries mixed with olive oil, white wine vinegar and finely chopped mint and basil. But then this quarter cup of remaining soup was there, virtually alone on the refrigerator shelf and I thought, what if? What if I added a tablespoon of white wine vinegar to what was, essentially, almost my aforementioned recipe? It was this close, after all.

The result was a slightly creamy, perfectly tangy and herby blend that was appropriately fruity. I joined it with a mess of baby greens, chopped almonds and crumbled blue cheese. If you want to circumvent the soup leftover route and just head straight for the salad, here’s the recipe.

Blueberry Vinaigrette

I’m submitting this to the “No Croutons Required” August dressing event*, hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes!

1 C fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

1/4 C white wine vinegar

1/4 C nonfat plain yogurt

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp finely chopped basil, mint or both

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour the mixture through a sieve, if desired.

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