STELLA'S COOKBOOK
FOOD & ART
Greek Country Salad
Introduction
One of my favourite childhood salads is the Greek country salad, which reminds me of my idyllic annual visits to Rhodes Island with my family.
What better way to enjoy the late summer tomatoes when they are at their peak than to make this iconic Greek country salad ‘salata horiatiki’. Last summer I chose sun-drenched, juicy heirloom tomatoes from the Balsam Farm Stand in Amagansett, New York for this vibrate salad.
To these flavour-packed tomatoes I added sweet red onions, crunchy cucumbers, briny Kalamata olives and slabs of creamy, salty Greek feta sprinkled with dried oregano. This salad is just perfect for lunch, with some warm crusty bread to mop up the generous olive oil vinaigrette and tomato juices or as a side dish with grilled food.
Enjoy making this simple, colourful salad this weekend!
Steps
Cut the tomatoes into wedges and drain in a colander.
Place the onion, cucumber, olives and capers ( if using) in a salad bowl. Just before serving stir in the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, and season with salt. Do not add too much salt as the feta is already salty. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss the salad gently.
Cut the feta cheese into large slabs and place on top of the salad then sprinkle with the oregano.
Serve at room temperature with warm crusty bread.
Ingredients
3 - 4 large vine-ripe or heirloom tomatoes
1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced in rounds
2 young cucumbers peeled and sliced thickly on the angle (or English cucumber)
⅔ cup Kalamata whole olives
¼ cup capers (optional)
7oz (200g) Greek feta cheese
¼ cup capers (optional)
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
For the dressing:
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
sea salt to taste.
