Greek Salad

This has Spinach AND Butter Lettuce — an economy of abundance…DAT WAY!

Though her family hails from the borscht-laden tables of the Ukraine, my Mum’s favorite dish is Greek Salad. After a weekend of rich and succulent food, sometimes I crave a zesty (💅) and bright dish and I remember her go-to bowl of crunchy, tangy, delightfulness. It’s kind of the perfect weekday meal for lunch or dinner — even a late-night treat when you don’t know what you want but need to nosh (N2N). I keep most of the ingredients on hand.

The salad’s precise origin is unclear — Greek farmers likely wrapped chopped-up veggies in little cloth napkins (when I was a child, I thought I’d be eating way more meals like this) for a quick-and-easy field lunch. The cute little parcel meal may have been a necessity in part due to widespread poverty following Greek bankruptcy in 1893 and defeat in the Greek-Turkish war of 1897. But I digress. Restauranteurs started adding the dish to their menus in the touristed parts of Athens around the 1960’s.

Traditionally served as a stack of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta, and olives, I make a couple of tweaks to my version. I rely on romaine or butter lettuce for my base (a nod to a deli-style Greek salad generally served as a side dish for yummy Gyros). Heck, you could even mix it up with some Spinach as well. I like to chop up my veggies because there’s nothing more offensive than a massive quarter of a watery tomato. Small-medium dice on the tomato and cucumber, mandolin the onions, and thin-ish chop on the greens. Not necessarily ribbons, but not too hefty. I don’t add bell pepper because fuck that. I’m always optimizing for crunch (lol to my previous comment about bell pepper), so I like to throw in some crushed pita chips, which will soak up any errant liquid and become little bursts of flavor in their own right. I also chop pepperoncini and black olives together for some nuance. Pickled peps are so freaking delish with anything, but particularly Greek food. Crumble some feta on top and you’ve got your base.

Time to get dressed. I like a 1:2 ratio of red wine vinegar and olive oil shaken with two cloves of shaved garlic and a generous pinch of oregano. If you want, you can get that protein rep in by grilling chicken tenders (yes, tenders), marinated for 30-ish minutes in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and shaved garlic. Call me lame, but I will always suggest chicken tenders. “Tender” is in the title. Slice the chicken, leave it whole, whatever shape you want to chew on. Throw everything in a bowl and toss that salad. Barehanded for bonus points (but def wash before and after unless you are a nasty little freak). What you’re left with is a beautiful, big, brassy dish that’s busting with flavor.

Anyway. Shoutout to my Mum for putting me on as a young guy. Love you Mum.

Xoxo,

G