Underdog Loire Valley Wines
How to Make a Healthy Snack
McBites = Modern McNuggets?
When Should Bars Cut You Off?
The Perfect Party Cocktail
Mark McClusky's DIY Cheese
The Basics: How to Make a Greek Salad
A healthy, easy standby
From the store to the kitchen to the table: We outline the steps that get you from raw ingredients to your dinner tonight, free of measurements and complicated techniques. It’s a method you’ll remember and whip out whenever you like. It is the most basic way to make the thing you’re making.
- WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- - a large bowl
- - a small head of romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
- - half a red onion, thinly sliced
- - one cucumber, chopped (you can peel and seed it or not)
- - one tomato, chopped
- - a few handfuls of pitted kalamata olives
- - a few handfuls of crumbled feta cheese
- - a few sprigs of chopped fresh oregano or a dash of dried oregano (optional)
- - half a lemon
- - olive oil
- - salt and pepper
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
PRINT PDF1. Combine the lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato, olives, feta, and oregano (if using) in the bowl.
2. Squeeze the lemon half over the salad, drizzle generously with olive oil, and add salt and pepper.
3. Toss the salad with your hands and taste to check the seasonings. Add more lemon, oil, salt, or pepper if necessary and serve.
Illustrations by Bill Russell
The lettuce... not sure where that comes from, but I have to say the best Mediterranean/Greek salad had lettuce, an excellent creamy feta and a lovely mustard olive oil dressing.
I agree with the posters who say no lettuce. The slab of feta with the oregano is a must and the olives. You can add your own oil and vinegar or lemon juice. I have travelled extensively in Greece, especially in Crete and a lot of times just oil is served. Lettuce is very rare in Crete as it takes far too much water to keep alive. And you cannot call any feta cheese feta unless it is made in...+READ
I agree with the posters who say no lettuce. The slab of feta with the oregano is a must and the olives. You can add your own oil and vinegar or lemon juice. I have travelled extensively in Greece, especially in Crete and a lot of times just oil is served. Lettuce is very rare in Crete as it takes far too much water to keep alive. And you cannot call any feta cheese feta unless it is made in Greece. It is an EU law now. So no saying Danish or Bulgarian feta. Feta has to be Greek.-COLLAPSE
Unless the Greeks have been blowing all their money on lettuce, this is not a "Greek" Salad. I have travelling from island to island to island to island. The 'typical' Greek Salad in all the local tavernas consist of Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Cucumber, Black olives (Kalamata not those excuses u buy in cans over here) and Feta and mybe some oregano...there is a bottle of EVOO and a bottle of...+READ
Unless the Greeks have been blowing all their money on lettuce, this is not a "Greek" Salad. I have travelling from island to island to island to island. The 'typical' Greek Salad in all the local tavernas consist of Tomato, Green Pepper, Onion, Cucumber, Black olives (Kalamata not those excuses u buy in cans over here) and Feta and mybe some oregano...there is a bottle of EVOO and a bottle of Red wine vinegar on the table, so you dress it yourself...and that is a Greek Salad...which when you sitting in mid summer on an island taverna tastes like a million bucks, together with a chunk of Greek bread to mop up the left over dressing. (btw unless things have have changed drastically since I was over there its almost impossible to find decent greens on most of the islands.-COLLAPSE
Your salad sounds great, but in Greece you will rarely see lettuce included amongst the ingredients of a typical "Greek Salad". Having had many salads in Greece, the following is as close to typical as it gets. Note that the feta cheese is most often served on top of the salad as a slice onto which dried oregano has been sprinkled.
Traditional Greek Salad
Tomato, cut into wedges
Cucumber,...+READ
Your salad sounds great, but in Greece you will rarely see lettuce included amongst the ingredients of a typical "Greek Salad". Having had many salads in Greece, the following is as close to typical as it gets. Note that the feta cheese is most often served on top of the salad as a slice onto which dried oregano has been sprinkled.
Traditional Greek Salad
Tomato, cut into wedges
Cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
Kalamata olives
Onion, sliced thinly
Green pepper, sliced thinly
Capers, rinsed (optional)
Olive oil (extra virgin)
Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Feta cheese, slice (about ½ inch thick)
Oregano
Mix all salad ingredients and dress with olive oil and lemon juice. Top with a slice of feta cheese onto which oregano has been liberally sprinkled. (Although definitely not traditional, if larger tomatoes are not running well, I often substitute good cherry tomatoes.)
Enjoy!-COLLAPSE
I’m of Greek ancestry and have been to Greece. In Greece, Greek salad is sometimes made with romaine lettuce or occasionally with arugula, although usually not. However the list of ingredients is flexible. I make Greek salad with arugula (rokka in Greek) and peppadew peppers from South Africa and I often omit the oregano and never use capers. For me Greek salad reflects the terroir of the...+READ
I’m of Greek ancestry and have been to Greece. In Greece, Greek salad is sometimes made with romaine lettuce or occasionally with arugula, although usually not. However the list of ingredients is flexible. I make Greek salad with arugula (rokka in Greek) and peppadew peppers from South Africa and I often omit the oregano and never use capers. For me Greek salad reflects the terroir of the ingredients. To make really good Greek salad you need to start with really good ingredients. Lately I’ve been making it with dry farmed tomatoes and English cucumbers from a local food co-op and it’s been amazing. Greek salad is usually made with vinegar rather than lemon juice. The kind of vinegar you use is very important. Most store bought vinegar is very thin and bland. All you can really taste is the acetic acid. I make my Greek salad with Spanish sherry vinegar and it makes a big difference. The quality of the olive oil is important and does not always correlate with price. Use olive oil that tastes good and that lacks off flavors. Italian, Greek or Spanish oils usually are best. Feta cheese varies a good deal. I tend to like the Greek or French ones best. The other thing I do different from the recipe is that I don’t toss the salad. I layer the ingredients on a plate, then add salt and pepper and then add vinegar and olive oil. For some reason this seems to make a big difference. Tossing the salad seems to muddy the flavors of the individual ingredients. My recommendation to everyone reading this is: Make a big Greek salad before the summer is over. Use the best ingredients you can find. Make it as your main course for dinner. Serve it with some good crusty bread and red wine. Just do it. You will be happy that you did.-COLLAPSE
I think a lot of people are missing the point regarding this feature--the whole idea behind "The Basics", I think, is to enable people to create a simple, fast version of what is considered to be a fairly popular, perhaps non-traditional, recipe. I, for one, am pleased with the recipe for this type of Greek (shall we say americanized Greek) salad and I intend to make it in the near future....+READ
I think a lot of people are missing the point regarding this feature--the whole idea behind "The Basics", I think, is to enable people to create a simple, fast version of what is considered to be a fairly popular, perhaps non-traditional, recipe. I, for one, am pleased with the recipe for this type of Greek (shall we say americanized Greek) salad and I intend to make it in the near future. Afterwards, I'll tweak it to my taste. This is not the place for people to create authentic recipes from various countries.-COLLAPSE
Sounds good to me. My family would never turn it down, that's for sure.
I like the idea of adding the shrimp and beets. This would be an entire
meal, and we could still call it a "Greek Salad" as long as it has Feta
cheese and the Greek olives. LOL
Kitcat22791
This sounds yummy, but I have always loved greek salad for that hidden mound of potato salad at the bottom of the bowl under the lettuce. Also, I too, prefer the "creamy" greek salad dressing. Top it off with some pickled red beet slices, greek peppers and a few cooked, chilled shrimp and then you really have a great Greek Salad!
Cucumbers yes, lettuce no in an authentic Greek salad. If it were a Greek-American salad, I'd want a creamy Greek dressing. Oh well.
I also prefer lemon over red wine vinegar, which seems to be used more often in Greece. Either way, I'll eat it. Excellent summer fare.
cali órexi!
I agree with the others. NO LETTUCE. White cabbage maybe but never lettuce in Greece.
@pomme de terre: When a recipe on Chow is titled "How to make a Greek salad," there's a certain expectation of authenticity. This isn't "Better Homes and Gardens" here. If I'd wanted an Americanized recipe...
So anyway, lettuce in a Greek salad is a big mistake.
As long as the pasta is properly cooked and not too-too al dente,
I think it would be just great. We are not so fussy about extra
ingredients, but it's the taste that counts. The dilled potato salad
was a first, and it too was really delicious. I like the idea of a
pasta married to Feta Cheese and Greek Olives.
Its yummmy also for a added twist you add Pasta(PENNE) thick pasta shape is excellent as well.
I agree with pomme de terre. This site has the biggest collection of food snobs. This looks like a simple tasty salad.
No one gets a gold star for pointing out that OMG, a recipe does not bind to the strictest, most traditional version of said recipe. Especially when you're not even the first person in the thread to say so.
We've enjoyed so many Greek Salads all over the country, and
have found that like American Tossed Salad, there are many
different versions. I'm not sure there is "just one" recipe for any
type of salad. Salads have always been made pretty much based
on what was available. We've eaten Greek Salad which had a
wonderful potato salad containing fresh dill among other things
and it was...+READ
We've enjoyed so many Greek Salads all over the country, and
have found that like American Tossed Salad, there are many
different versions. I'm not sure there is "just one" recipe for any
type of salad. Salads have always been made pretty much based
on what was available. We've eaten Greek Salad which had a
wonderful potato salad containing fresh dill among other things
and it was absolutely delicious. The two things that most make
the best Greek Salad are the Feta Cheese and the wonderul kalamata black olives.-COLLAPSE
As others said before, in Greece they never put lettuce in their salad. However at some places they put capers in it, it was amazing!
I definitely prefer from my GARDEN to my kitchen table! But yes, a wonderful summer fare.
And I do like the Romaine lettuce..my friend from Greece who has a Grk restaurant uses it, she's very fussy for freshness and keeps the lettuce in very cold water in the walk-in. I keep mine from my garden in cold water in my fridge as well. It keeps crisp SO much longer; and is as crisp as my ice-berg as...+READ
I definitely prefer from my GARDEN to my kitchen table! But yes, a wonderful summer fare.
And I do like the Romaine lettuce..my friend from Greece who has a Grk restaurant uses it, she's very fussy for freshness and keeps the lettuce in very cold water in the walk-in. I keep mine from my garden in cold water in my fridge as well. It keeps crisp SO much longer; and is as crisp as my ice-berg as well!
Each to his own taste-buds re lettuce or oregano in G Salad!-COLLAPSE
in the real greek salad there is no lettuce or lemon.....
some people though add bell peppers!
oriana
disappointing!
I love this series for giving me simple formulas for stuff that otherwise looks complicated. Greek salad does not require simplification!
Loose the lettuce, you'll never find a GREEK salad with lettuce in Greece, and I agree with Pomme de terre, oregano is a must.
Ack, my bad! Oregano is one of my favorite herbs. And I personally like lettuce in Greek salads. Chunky ones are tasty, but I like some iceberg in there too for crispness.
No oregano? Booo.
Yum! This would work really well as a side salad for moussaka.
Lettuce in Greek salad is just wrong
Also add one or two peppers of your preferred color (I like one green for that vegetal bitterness and one red/orange/yellow for sweetness), chopped. I think a few handfuls of canned chickpeas adds a different dimension, plus a little more protein.
Mmmmmmmm, I love Greek salad!