Greek Salad
The Greek salad most people actually make and order — crisp romaine, juicy tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, and crumbled feta, tossed in a sharp red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing spiked with garlic and oregano. Punchy, cold, filling, done in fifteen minutes. Works as a side or a full lunch with pita on the side.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium English cucumber, halved and sliced
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
- 150g / 5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- to taste salt and black pepper
Method
- 00
Make the dressing: whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, Dijon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or jar until emulsified. Taste and adjust acidity.
- 01
Soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 5 minutes to mellow the bite, then drain and pat dry.
- 02
Combine romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and olives in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated.
- 03
Scatter crumbled feta over the top. Do not toss again — leave it on top. Serve immediately.
Notes from the kitchen
- ·Soak the red onion in cold water — raw onion is sharp enough to overpower everything else.
- ·Dress only what you plan to eat; dressed romaine goes limp within 20 minutes.
- ·Add grilled chicken or chickpeas to turn this into a full meal.
- ·Cherry tomatoes hold up better than sliced tomatoes if prepping a few hours ahead.
- ·A pinch of sugar in the dressing rounds out the vinegar if it tastes too sharp.
