Greek Salad
Another recipe we learned at Meliartos restaurant & cooking school in Athens. The traditional Greek salad is a rustic dish, with large chunks of vegetables. You can cut the vegetables smaller, as we did in the class. Unfortunately that photo was too dark to see, since we were eating at night on a rooftop looking up at the Parthenon! However, I have included other photos–just cut the vegetables to your preferred size. Unlike in the USA, the feta cheese is typically served as a huge slab on top of the salad. This is a sign of generosity and hospitality. Also, it keeps the cheese from getting broken up and goopy in the salad, and allows diners to pick how much they want. I recommend this approach.
- Prep Time: 20
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: For 4–6 people 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
- 10 big kalamata olives
- 85 grams feta cheese
- 4 Tbsp. Greek extra virgin olive oil
- Dried oregano, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut vegetables to desired size
- Rinse red onion in cold water to ease some of the sharpness
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl
- Dress with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper
- Arrange the olives around the bowl attractively
- Balance a huge piece of feta cheese on top
- Drizzle with even more olive oil!
Notes
Serve family style in a large shared bowl. Enjoy your salad the Greek way: sop up the tasty juices with a piece of homemade bread (usually more like French bread, and not pita).
