History
Greek salad is a popular salad in Greek cuisine. Generally made with pieces of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, bell pepper, feta cheese, and olives. It was created in the late ’60s or early ’70s in "Plaka" (a picturesque area in Athens). There, local caterers found ways to get around government fixed prices on tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables. To a salad made of fixed-price vegetables, they added feta cheese and so created a new dish. It seems it was created as an attempt to exploit a loophole in the law at that time.
Ingredients
For Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, more for sprinkling
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For Salad
- 1 medium red onion sliced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut into halves
- 1 cucumber cut into halves and sliced1/4 inch thick
- 1 green bell pepper cut in to 1 inch peaces
- a handful pitted Black olives
- 150g of Greek feta cheese cut in to dice
- Fresh Parsley or mint for garnish
Instructions
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
On a large platter, arrange the cucumber, green pepper, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, red onions, and olives. Drizzle with the dressing and very gently toss. Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of oregano and parsley or mint. Transfer in to salad bowl and serve freshly.
