Classic Greek Salad Revisited

I've been making my own Greek salad for years. The ones I have tried from most restaurants rarely satisfy. There is just no comparison to homemade versions. First, you typically only get about 4 olives, the Feta is not good quality and tends to be overly salty, and the vegetables are not as fresh as I would like, nor is iceberg lettuce of much use in terms of taste and nutritional value — it adds some crunch, but that's about it.

From my kitchen, you get a loaded up fairly classic version, with lots of good quality olives that are pitted just before being added to the salad and a decent quantity of delicious Greek sheep milk Feta. In addition to peppers, red onion and cucumber, I've added some slightly bitter endives, radicchio and some fresh leaf lettuce. For best flavor, mix your salad up ahead of time, seal tightly and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving to blend the loveliness.

Greek Salad

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Cuisine: Greek
Published on March 12, 2013

A dressed-up modern-style Greek salad with an assortment of leaf vegetables and plenty of feta cheese and Kalamata olives

Preparation: 20 minutes

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Salad:

a few handfuls of leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
4 Belgian endives, trimmed and chopped
1 small radicchio, trimmed and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 banana pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 small red onion, cut into half rings
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
few handfuls cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled + extra for garnish
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

Dressing:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
juice from 1 fresh lemon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
pinch or two of dried red chili flakes

Instructions:

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and gently toss to coat. Garnish with extra crumbled feta cheese.

Makes 6 servings