Tomato Tomatoe

traditional greek salad

When I first visited Athens, Greece, I knew that immediately after stepping off of the plane, I needed to find my first traditional Greek salad. The simplicity of this salad blew me away. The juicy ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, creamy feta cheese topped with the most delicious olive oil; it was pure perfection. In North America we’re accustomed to a “Greek” salad which usually consists of romaine lettuce, feta, olives, cucumber and onions. The authentic version is the real deal, and you will fall in love with the simplicity and freshness of the flavors.

This salad is the best during the summer months when tomatoes are at their peak ripeness. I could eat this salad every day. It’s an easy salad to serve at a dinner party or to bring over to a friend’s house. Make sure you use really good extra virgin olive oil and ripe local tomatoes. Since this dish is so simple, you want to make sure that you are using the best and freshest ingredients.

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traditional greek salad

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatoes
• 6-8 slices of red onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and cut into half moons
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 oz of good quality feta cheese
• sprinkle of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives
• 2 tbsp capers
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and add to a medium size bowl. Peel and slice the cucumber in half then chop into half-moons. Slice the red onion and add to the bowl. Toss the vegetables in olive oil and salt. Add the kalamata olives and capers. Place a large chunk of feta top of the vegetables. Drizzle the feta with extra olive oil and sprinkle the oregano on the feta cheese. Finish with flaky salt.