No.105 Not so Greek Salad

There’s not much that needs to be said about this recipe. In its simplicity it is genius. Greek salads are a chunky mix of vegetables and the secret lies in using a lot of vinegar. Red wine vinegar is what gives the distinct sharpness than brings to life some fairly standard vegetables. It tastes even better if you leave the vinegar to work to soften the vegetables over night.

Oregano is a traditional used herb to flavour this salad. As you can guess the idea behind this salad is that these are all vegetable that would be ready to pick in the garden or be waiting in the pantry. I like to add some sumac Turkish spice to give a zesty flavour similar to lemon. Also some Turkish Pul Biber, also known as Aleppo Pepper, to add a gentle heat.

Serves:3-4

Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Straight forward

1 Large Cucumber
2 Green Peppers
2 large Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
12 Kalamata Olives
120g of Feta
50ml of Red Wine Vinegar
3 tablespoons of good quality Rapeseed Oil or Olive Oil
1 tablespoon of Oregano
Half a tablespoon of Sumac
Half a tablespoon of Pul Biber/Aleppo Pepper

1. Remove the skin of the onion and chop in half. Slice into thin long strips. Add to a large bowl with the red wine vinegar.

2. Chop the peppers into chunks, then de-seed the cucumber and chop into chunks. De-stone the olives and chop in half. Seed and chop the tomatoes. Add the peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and olives to the red wine vinegar and onions.

3. Add the oregano and mix well. Leave to sit for at least 10 minutes to let the oregano to impart it’s flavour.

4. Add the oil and mix well. Arrange on your dish of choice with the feta, either cubed or crumbled. Drizzle over the excess vinegar.

5. Mix together the pul biber, sumac and remaining oregano. Sprinkle over the salad.