THE GREEK SALAD

What is your go-to food for the summer?

In the summer, like many others, my appetite changes where I’m craving for something more light, juicy, and refreshing. One of the easiest and also most delicious salads I make at home is greek salad. All you need are very few ingredients that you already may have at home. It pairs so perfectly with summer BBQ or any other lunch/dinner ideas.

Because there are very few ingredients in this salad, each ingredient participate heavily on the taste and texture of the salad. Hence, the quality and type of your ingredients especially the tomatoes and cucumbers matters here! If you want to have a slightly crunchy yet juicy and flavourful salad, you need to find the right vegetables.

So, let me lay it down here. The tomatoes I like to use are cherry tomatoes that are plump and still attached to their vines. I find that cherry tomatoes are quite perfect for salads because they are packed with flavour, slightly crunchy and sweet in flavour. To know if the tomatoes are good, they should be quite fragrant, especially their vines. The skin of the tomatoes should be tight but not too firm and the tomatoes should fall off their vine easily when you gently tug on them. Also, when you buy tomatoes, don’t put them into the refrigerator! It can degrade their texture and dampen their flavour. They need to stay in room temperature but out of direct sunlight with the stem side down for them to finish ripening.

Now, for the cucumber, I like to use those small sized Persian cucumbers (not gherkins) with smooth, thin skin surface. They are crisp, not too watery and slightly sweet and mild in flavor. I find that this complements the salad so well!

This is an awesome salad to add to your daily meal plan and it’s light, fresh, healthy, and so simple to make!

I hope you enjoy!

-Ari Yori

THE GREEK SALAD RECIPE

prep time: 10 minutes

portion: 2-3 servings

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INGREDIENTS

15-20 cherry tomatoes, slice into halves or quarters depending on the size

2-3 persian cucumbers, sliced approx. 3mm thick

1 medium sized red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup (90g) feta cheese, cubed (approx. half a package)

6-10 pitted kalamata olives, sliced into half

1 tsp dried oregano

3-4 tbsp red wine vinegar (fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar substitute for more subtle/milder flavour)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium sized salad bowl, add all the vegetables and olives together and toss gently until they are evenly combined. Let the vegetables sit and mingle for a couple of minutes.

2. In a separate small bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar and dried oregano. If you want more tangy and intense flavor, add more vinegar. Pour the vinaigrette evenly on top of the vegetables and gently toss the vegetables until they are well combined. Don’t be too aggressive when mixing the vegetables, you don’t want the tomato seeds to detach from the tomatoes. This will make your salad soggy.

3. Add the feta cheese and gently toss until the cheese is incorporated evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste.