- 4 tomatoes (3½ to 4 cups or 24 ounces total)*
- 1 slender cucumber (use 2 if small; an English cucumber works well, too)
- 2 large bell peppers (I like a mix of colors)
- 1 small red onion (or half a medium – may go lighter if preferred)
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives or mix of favorite olives (I like to slice; may halve or leave whole)
- 4 ounces (1 cup) feta cheese, crumbled
Greek Village Salad
Yield: approximately 8 servings (recipe may easily be cut in half or doubled)
This colorful salad is a rustic combination of garden vegetables, feta cheese and kalamata olives (but no lettuce!) that's tossed with a flavor-packed vinaigrette that will transport you to Greece.
For the salad:
For the vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons minced fresh oregano (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Optional: 1½ teaspoons minced fresh mint or dill
Instructions:
For the dressing: Add the ingredients to a screw top jar, seal and shake well. May prepare in advance; shake again before serving.
For the salad: Cut the tomatoes into wedges or chop if preferred. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise (or quarter if cucumber isn’t all that slender), and then in cut into chunks.
Core, seed and chop the peppers. Peel the onion, slice in half from top to bottom and then cut into thin slivers.
Place the prepared ingredients in a bowl and top with the olives and feta.
Pour the dressing over top, toss to combine and garnish with a few fresh herbs, if desired. Serve in individual salad bowls.
Notes:
*Regular vine-ripened tomatoes are perfect, although a mix including grape, cherry, and plum tomatoes is quite nice, too. When tomatoes are especially seedy and juicy, I like to drain the excess juice before adding to the salad.
If you’d like to further substitute or customize this salad:
•Kalamata olives are traditional, but I often add some green olives, too.
•For added protein and complementary flavor, you could add a cup of garbanzo beans. A whole can (rinsed and well drained) would turn this into a filling vegetarian meal (vegan if the feta is omitted), although you may wish to make extra vinaigrette in this case.
•If you’d like to serve with a grain, bulgur, couscous and quinoa would all complement nicely (opt for the quinoa if gluten-free). Again, you may wish to double the dressing recipe for drizzling over the grain of choice.
•Chicken, fish, steak and lamb pair beautifully with this salad, as does pasta. We’ve long enjoyed this recipe for Greek Pasta Salad, but you could also try doubling this Village Salad dressing recipe and adding pasta.
•If you’d like to serve Village Salad with Greek chicken, Absolutely Famous Greek Dressing makes a fabulous marinade. (It reminds me of Gazebo Room dressing for those who are familiar－which also makes a terrific marinade.)
•I haven’t tried, but those who are not fond of cucumbers could prepare this salad with fresh raw zucchini. Grilled and cooled zucchini would likely add great flavor but would lack the crisp crunch provided by the cucumbers. (But I think it would still be worth trying!)