By I listed 5 new properties this week — each one a different story, a different kitchen, a different family waiting to happen. The spring market is alive with the particular energy of people who have decided this is the year they change their address and their life.
Mama called at midnight to tell me Dimitri needs a haircut. She reported this with the urgency of a woman who considers every piece of information critical and every phone call an opportunity to also critique my cooking from forty miles away.
The bakery smelled like honey this morning when I stopped by. That smell — warm honey and butter and the faint yeast of dough rising — is the smell of my childhood and my mother and my father and every Sunday morning of my life. Some smells are time machines. The bakery is mine.
I made chicken souvlaki wraps tonight — marinated, grilled, wrapped in warm pita with tzatziki. Thirty minutes from fridge to table. Greek fast food. We ate at the kitchen table, just the three of us, and for a moment the house was not quiet or loud — it was exactly right. Full. Fed. The sound of forks on plates is the sound I love most in this world.
The olive oil in my kitchen is from a Greek import shop in Tampa that sources from Kalamata. It is expensive. It is worth it. I use it on everything — salads, fish, bread, vegetables, the edge of a pot of soup — because olive oil is not a condiment in this family, it is a philosophy. Use it generously. Use it without apology. Use it the way you use love: poured freely, never measured, always more than you think you need.
The souvlaki gets all the attention on a night like that — and it should — but what I keep coming back to is the salad I tossed alongside it, dressed simply with this citrus dressing I’ve made so many times I no longer measure anything. It is the living proof of the olive oil philosophy: you pour, you taste, you pour again. If you’re going to use oil from Kalamata, this is exactly where it belongs — front and center, nothing to hide behind.
Savory Citrus Dressing
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 8 (about 2 tablespoons each)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 small clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the base. In a small bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Emulsify with olive oil. While whisking constantly (or with the lid on if using a jar), slowly stream in the olive oil until the dressing is fully emulsified and slightly thickened — about 30 to 45 seconds of steady whisking.
- Taste and adjust. Dip a leaf of lettuce or the tip of a spoon and taste. Add more salt, a squeeze of extra lemon, or a touch more honey to balance the acidity to your liking.
- Dress and serve. Drizzle over a simple Greek salad of romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and red onion. Also excellent over roasted vegetables, grilled fish, or spooned alongside warm pita and souvlaki.
- Store. Refrigerate any leftover dressing in a sealed jar for up to one week. Olive oil will solidify when cold — simply let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and shake well before using.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 75mg