It’s true that travel is an important component of any burgeoning chef’s education, but sometimes you go somewhere and the lessons don’t stick. For example, I spent ten days last summer in Spain–most of that time in Barcelona–and though we ate some truly extraordinary food, I can’t really say that it changed the way I cook. Yes, I use smoked paprika a bit more freely in my food and I’m very intrigued by the possibilities of pairing chickpeas with seafood, but beyond that? I’m still the same old me in the kitchen.
However, the trip I took in 2005 with my family to Greece (see here), stuck in a very important way: I now make a very good, very authentic Greek salad.
It doesn’t take much to do it. The first thing to know is that an authentic Greek salad isn’t anything like the Greek salad you might order at, say, a Greek diner. There is no iceberg lettuce, the dressing isn’t emulsified or bottled. The remarkable thing about an authentic Greek salad is that it’s made, mostly, with stuff. By that I mean, no filler–no lettuce–it’s just cucumbers, green peppers, tomatoes, red onion and Feta cheese, all of it cut relatively big.
To make my signature Greek salad (inspired by the salads I ate that summer) buy an English cucumber, peel it just a little so there are vertical stripes running the length of the cucumber. Cut it into 1-2 inch rounds and place in a bowl.
Cut a green pepper into strips and dice a red onion not too small; add them to the bowl. Finally, cut up tomatoes (which are best in season, though I found some decent ones at Gourmet Garage recently.)
Mix it all together and then add a generous splash of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir it up and taste. How is it? Adjust it so it tastes terrific.
Finally, take authentic Greek feta (it’s a bit more expensive than the other Fetas you might find) and slice into large squares which you should lay on top of the salad. Sprinkle everything with dried oregano.
Voila! You’re done: an authentic Greek salad.
And if you make the leg of lamb I posted yesterday, this is a great way to serve the leftovers:
So there you go; proof that traveling halfway around the world has a payoff. Not that you needed proof of that, but for those that did, there you go.
My grandfather came to America from the Southern tip of Greece. His salad didn’t use peppers and he added pitted Kalamata olives – Yum!
Heresy! Pitted Kalamata olives lose their unique flavor. Your Grandmother probably didn’t like him spitting out the pits…
You’re a silly man, John!! Haven’t you ever thought about learning how to pit them yourself just before adding them to the salad!! ;-)
FYI, this “silly” man is of 100% Greek heritage and has been a professional in the Foodservice industry for over 40 years. I have worked with hundreds of chefs, managed restaurants and am a purist when it involves Greek cooking. I am considered an expert in my field and I work for the inventor of the food processor – Robot Coupe, #1 in the world.
Well now, aren’t you just so very special – NOT ;-) Big deal that you work in the food industry; it was ‘the regular people’ who created traditional recipes whether regional or within their own families!! And big deal that you are 100% Greek; so was my Grandfather!!!!!!
OW! Spoken like a “Xenis”! I was not bragging, I was just giving you my background. Yes, many recipes evolve from home cooks but lots of them have been enhanced by today’s chefs. Not always better, but that’s what Chefs do.
Oh, and you shouldn’t be such a smart aleck because my grand’father’ pitted them so none of the children would choke on a pit!!
Heresy! Pitted Kalamata olives lose their unique flavor. Your Grandmother probably didn’t like him spitting out the pits…
Heresy! Pitted Kalamata olives lose their unique flavor. Your Grandmother probably didn’t like him spitting out the pits…
Hey Adam, no Greek Village Salad is complete without real, un-pitted, Kalamata olives. I use authentic Mt Vikos Greek feta or Bulgarian feta. I also add Golden Greek pepperoncini (not the green Italian) and no recipe is complete without Greek (not Mexican) dried oregano… Yassou!
Hey Adam, no Greek Village Salad is complete without real, un-pitted, Kalamata olives. I use authentic Mt Vikos Greek feta or Bulgarian feta. I also add Golden Greek pepperoncini (not the green Italian) and no recipe is complete without Greek (not Mexican) dried oregano… Yassou!
Very close to the original Greek salad congrats.