Basil Vinaigrette

I'm not sure this is a true vinaigrette in the classical sense.  Vinaigrettes are vinegar, oil and seasonings, like herbs, spices and lemon juice.  The star of this recipe is the herb itself.  The oil and vinegar are almost incidental.  And neither is this just a salad dressing.  It is delicious on simply sliced tomatoes, but would go well with pasta, pizza, grilled chicken or fish and other vegetables.

Basil is the noblest of herbs. In fact the French call it l'herbe royale, or "the royal herb."  Easy to grow, it is thought to have some therapeutic properties and has been used over the centuries in certain religious rites.  We grow basil at our house in a countertop fashion, and routinely harvest it for use in recipes like this one, originally from the "Gimme Some Oven" cooking blog.  My Number One Fan gets all the credit for finding and preparing this recipe which I had last night on sliced tomatoes with sliced fresh mozzarella cheese - sort of a lazy man's Caprese Salad. It was the star of the meal!

Ingredients
2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, rinsed and dried (this equates to about 8 ounces of fresh basil leaves, minus the stems)
3/4 cup olive oil
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 to 3 tbsp water
pinch red pepper flakes

The Recipe
Combine all ingredients, except the water in a blender and puree until smooth.  If the vinaigrette is too think, add the water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce loosens to your desired consistency.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours and allow the flavors to amalgamate before serving.