Ode to Lemons

This is my ode to lemons.

I recently received a zester for Christmas and ever since I have been a zesting fool. I never realized what a difference a little lemon makes; not only with the zest but the juice too! My salads have transformed.

I think every family has their preferred salad dressing, their “go-to” dressings if you will. Take my family for example. My dad is blue cheese lover, his favorite, hands down is Roquefort dressing (a type of blue cheese, native to Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France). He actually loves it so much at this particular restaurant (the Stagecoach in Boise ID) that we always have to buy a quart to take home.

Our house always had at least three to four dressings, which included Roquefort for my dad, ranch for my brother (and sometimes mom), Italian for me (and sometimes mom) and the occasional seasonal dressing like raspberry vinaigrette or Caesar.

Frank’s family however has one traditional dressing… salt, pepper and lightly drizzled olive oil- which was my inspiration for my new favorite salad dressing. I adapted the Frank-Family-Favorite by simply adding lemon zest and lemon juice! Voila! DELICIOUS!

I wish I could give you the ratio to perfection, but I have found that people have varying degrees of scour preference just like people have varying degrees of spicy. I will however give you what MY perfect ratio-

-          Serving: 2 people

-          ¼ Lemon

-          ¼ Lemon Wedge Zest

-          Coarse Ground Pepper

-          Fine Sea Salt

-          Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I didn’t put a volume or measurement on the pepper or salt because again- it varies depending on the person. Typically when I make my salad, I get a large to medium mixing bowl, add my spinach/kale/lettuce (depending on the day), and add any extra salad toppings (onions, avocado, kalamata olives etc.).

Then sprinkle the whole surface with coarse ground pepper evenly. Repeat the same process with salt, but use about ½ the salt (very lightly shake). Squeeze the lemon juice evenly across the salad. Then, using a handy dandy lemon zester, zest the back of the lemon wedge onto the salad. 

The last step is the most tricky, adding the olive oil. Slowly drizzle the surface with olive oil. I hate when I add too much, because I end up adding MORE salad to balance the oil. Therefore be very careful not to add too much. I have found that using the lid to help moderate the flow of oil helps, or even putting the oil in a container with a slow pour lid can help as well.

Once all my ingredients are added I mix, taste, and add addition pepper/salt/lemon to taste. Instant deliciousness! Simple, easy, and very fresh.

A little dressing story:

When I was little I was also a big fan of Roquefort dressing. So much so, that I’m pretty sure my iceburg lettuce was literally dowsed in Roquefort, 1 part “lettuce” 9 parts dressing. As I got older, my ratios for dressing to salad became a little more reasonable- and my preference for dressings also a little healthier. I realized that eating a salad drenched in dressing wasn’t a “healthy” choice.