Greek Salad



When I first thought about venturing into the concept of this blog, this recipe, however simplistic, was the one that kept popping into my head as a perfect fit, and I couldn't wait to share it with you. Here's my take on Greek Salad, and I must say, it's my personal favourite. You see a lot of variations on Greek Salad, or Horiatiki, but mine is the traditional. To this day, whenever I enter a restaurant and see a Greek Salad on the menu, and right next to it a picture of a big pile of lettuce with a few mealy tomatoes, onions and an olive, I get this little twinge of wrongness. It's not to say that Greeks don't use lettuce in their salads, on the contrary, they do all the time. But when you're talking about an authentic Greek House Salad, this is the one.

You may notice that it has an unusual oil to vinegar ratio - 1:1. But I just don't find this salad needs much oil. As you wish, though. I will say that many people don't even put anything acidic on it, but personally I find it really needs it. This recipe, as most European recipes go, is one that you should just learn to eyeball so you can just dump it in the bowl. I happen to be pretty good at doing this, and this is what I put in. If you can find the real Greek feta, pay the extra for it. Bulgarian or Sheeps/ Goats milk feta are great, more affordable alternatives.

Recipe (Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main meal):

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges or about 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups cucumber, quartered and then sliced
1/2 a green pepper, chopped (optional - I usually don't do this, but some people do)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Greek feta
a handful of olives
1/4 of an onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp regular white, or red wine vinegar
1/2 clove minced garlic - optional
a good amount of salt

Literally, dump it all in. That's all! You do need to taste and see if the seasoning is to your own liking, because everyone is different. If you want to be fancy, save a little feta, olives, oregano and oil, and after mixing it all up, sprinkle it on top. At least, I think it looks nice that way. Here you go!

Great with souvlaki, chicken, salmon, my zucchini patties, or pretty much anything. Or, can be a great meal along with some baguette, tzatziki and a great glass of red wine. Heaven!

Have a great day!