Greek Salad (Small Batch)

 

On Wednesday nights I usually go out to supper with my father and his friends, so I don't actually cook much around here. I do have lunch however, and I try to keep that light. Today I fancied a salad and so I decided to small batch my favorite Greek Salad. 

 

I can enjoy one serving of it today, and then tomorrow I can enjoy it again, although in all truth it will be more like a pickle by then, but that's okay. I like pickles!

 

Greek Salad is actually something I make all year round, not just in the summer months.  I love all of the elements of it.  The crisp cucumber, the sweet cherry tomatoes.

Then you have the sharpness of the red onion, not quite as sharp as regular onion, but still making its presence known.

I love the meaty tang of the kalamata olives and don't get me started on that salty creamy Feta cheese!  Oh my, just those ingredients alone get  my taste buds tingling.

Add in a zippy red vinegar, olive oil, lemon and oregano vinaigrette dressing, and I am in salad heaven!  This makes a lovely lunch with some crisp crackers or bread sticks on the side.  I can't get enough of this stuff!

 

What's lovely about it as well is that there are no lettuce leaves to wilt.  It is completely portable, which makes it a great salad to tote along to work, school or for taking on intimate picnics for two people.

Of course I would pack any dressing on the side so as to keep the vegetables nice and lovely and crisp.  But that is just me. 

You could also turn it into a full meal by adding some chopped cooked chicken, lamb or salami, or even tinned salmon or tuna, and then serving it spooned over a bed of lettuce, but trust me when I say, it is completely delicious on its own.

This is a recipe that I adapted to make only two servings that I found on Delish.com a while back  What I liked about it was that it was simple and not artsy fartsy. There is no pretense here. Simple ingredients put together simply and in a delicious way.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A SMALL BATCH GREEK SALAD

The same as what you need to make a large batch, just in smaller quantities.

• 1/2 English Cucumber, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
• 1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
• 3/4 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup (90g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 3 ounces (85g) feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

For the dressing:

• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil

 

You could totally use a regular cucumber in this, but I would peel it and remove the seeds.  The one thing I really love about English Cucumbers is that there is no need for that. Just wash, trim and slice.

You could also use regular sized tomatoes.  Just cut them into 1 inch chunks. I would remove the seeds in that case.  

I buy the feta cheese in brine and cube it myself. It does tend to crumble more than cube, but it tastes delicious.  Nice, tangy and a bit salty.  Made from sheep's milk.

 

I love Kalamata olives.  They are beautifully tangy and yes salty as well. They are real Greek olives, deep purple in color, some of them almost black.  I would not use any other kind.

Also don't be tempted to substitute regular onion for the red onion. Regular onion has too harsh a flavor.  

Red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil are a must for the dressing and dried oregano is perfectly ample. If you do have fresh oregano, you will need roughly twice the amount. Be judicious with the salt as both the olives and the cheese are salty.

 

HOW TO MAKE A SMALL BATCH GREEK SALAD

This is really a delicious doddle.

Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and olives in a medium sized bowl. Fold in the feta cheese with a gentle hand.

Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

This is really a fabulous combination of textures and flavors. I wonder if they really eat this salad in Greece?  Greece has been on my bucket list of places to go since I saw Haley Mills in the Disney film, The Moon Spinners when I was about 10 years old.  I doubt that I will ever get there now, but hope springs eternal!

Some other salads here in my English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:

BACON AND EGG SALAD -  This is a real favorite of mine. Crisp Baby Gem Lettuce leaves broken into a bowl (you can use Romaine) and topped with sliced boiled egg, salty crisp bacon and sweet roasted baby plum tomatoes.  A creamy Parmesan Dressing is drizzled over top and then you top the salad with some crisp and buttery homemade croutons. This is a fabulous combination of textures and flavors.

CHICKEN NICOISE SALAD PLATTER - The perfect meal salad for a warm summer night.  With roasted sliced chicken, cooked string beans, boiled egg, salty feta cheese and a mix of black and green olives. You could add some sliced roasted potato wedges for the carb lover. I added some steamed asparagus and topped it all off with a tangy lemon vinaigrette. You can either make this carb free, or add carbs depending on your preference!  Delicious either way.

Greek Salad (small batch)

Yield: Serves 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 20 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Crunchy, rich, creamy, salty, tangy and moreish. One of my all time favorite salads, downsized to feed only two people.

Ingredients

• 1/2 English Cucumber, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
• 1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
• 3/4 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup (90g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 3 ounces (85g) feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

For the dressing:

• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup (30ml) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine the cucumber, onion, tomatoes and olives in a medium sized bowl. Fold in the feta cheese with a gentle hand.
2. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

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