Nicoise Salad Dressing

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 7 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

Dimitri stopped by the bakery Saturday morning to eat spanakopita and tell Mama she is doing things wrong. She told him he had his chance. They argued. They ate. They loved. In that order, which is the only order this family knows.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made grilled octopus tonight — simmered first in wine and bay leaves, then charred on the grill until the tentacles curled. Lemon, olive oil, oregano. I ate it on the back porch while the sun set and the air smelled like rosemary and the evening air. A quiet evening. The food was good. Good is enough. Good is everything.

I visited the bakery this weekend. Mama was behind the counter, flour on her apron, her face set in the concentration of a woman who takes baking as seriously as other people take surgery. I stood next to her and rolled dough and said nothing because the silence between us is not empty — it is full of every recipe she taught me and every critique she gave me and every morning she woke at 4 AM to make phyllo that nobody else can make.

The octopus I described above — charred, lemony, drizzled with good olive oil and dried oregano — is the kind of food that reminds me how little you need to make something worth eating. That same instinct lives in this Nicoise dressing, which I have made so many times it has become reflex: lemon, olive oil, a little Dijon, a little garlic, the quiet authority of simple things done right. Baba would have approved. Mama probably would have added something and said nothing.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely minced or grated
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey (optional, to balance)

Instructions

Combine the base. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined.
Emulsify with olive oil. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously, or seal the jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds, until the dressing is smooth and slightly thickened.
Taste and adjust. Add honey if you prefer a touch of sweetness to balance the acidity. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.
Rest and serve. Let the dressing sit for 5 minutes so the garlic and oregano can bloom. Whisk or shake again just before serving over salad greens, roasted vegetables, or grilled fish.
Store. Transfer any leftover dressing to a sealed jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and shake before using.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nicoise Salad Dressing — The Lemon and Olive Oil That Carries Everything