yield varies
The most fundamental flavor profile in the Greek kitchen is the mixture of fresh lemon juice and olive oil called ladolemono. When whisked and emulsified, the combination becomes a viscous, creamy elixir, the Greek answer to French vinaigrette but predating it by millennia; the ancient Greeks were fond of acidity and used vinegar in many different sauces and dressings. Lemons, while not the first citrus fruit to travel from the Arab world to Europe, were an early one, arriving on the shores of the Mediterranean some time around AD 1000 and faring well in the region’s temperate climes.
In Greece, circa 2018, lemon trees grow in country gardens, and the main variety is one that bears fruit twice a year. Commercially, there are a few places renowned for lemon cultivation, and these happen to be the same regions where the olive tree also flourishes best: the Peloponnese and Crete. Other varieties of citrus fruits abound in many parts of the country: kumquats in Corfu; mandarins in Chios; oranges of every sort in Argos and other parts of the Peloponnese; the odd citron and bergamot here and there. In Athens, city streets are lined and shaded by thousands of bitter orange trees, nerantzi in Greek, the juice of which is a great substitute for the lemon juice called for in this recipe. Green, young, and whole, or ripe and carefully skinned for their the peel, bitter oranges become the stuff of spoon sweets, preserved in a sugar syrup and served forth as an offering to visitors at home.
The perfumed travels of lemons and their like have been long and meandering in this sunny country. Like most Greek cooks, I use ladolemono on a wide range of foods, from dressing a simple shredded cabbage slaw to drizzling over all manner of fish and seafood. Indeed, the creamy, almost yellowish-green, soothing but astringent mixture is the de facto dressing to be spooned over basic grilled fish and much, much more.
Fresh lemon juice, strained
Extra-virgin Greek olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
The basic ratio is 1:3—that is, one part fresh lemon juice to three parts olive oil. Put the lemon juice in a bowl and, while whisking vigorously, drizzle in the oil. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper, if you like, and oriste—that’s “voilà” in Greece—you have ladolemono, the most basic Greek sauce and dressing.
NOTE: You may also add 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano to this; whisk it into the lemon juice at the start before adding the oil.