What's in that Greek Salad Dressing?

Sal writes: "Recently I had dinner at a Greek restaurant and part of a most wonderful meal was the salad. Upon questioning the manager about the salad dressing and asking for the recipe, I was dismissed with the answer that the dressing was lemon juice and olive oil. After trying many combinations with no success, I am asking you for assistance. Do you have a recipe for Greek salad dressing using fresh lemon juice and olive oil?" Sal described the salad as romaine and iceberg lettuces, spinach, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and Kalamata olives.

The simplest of all salad dressings is simply a drizzle of Greek extra virgin olive oil and wedges of lemon on the side - squeeze to taste. For salads with feta cheese like the Greek Salad: straight olive oil (with a little water). For salads with cucumber, I like oil and vinegar.

My favorite dressing, which I use on Maroulosalata pictured above (a salad of Romaine lettuce, spring onions, and fresh dill), is an oil and vinegar dressing:

For 1 cup of dressing: 3/4 cup of Greek extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of good quality red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Whisk together in a bowl, or place in a tightly covered jar and shake to combine.

_{Photo © N. Gaifyllia, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

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