Greetings Gang!I saw in the elevator this morning--we have one of those little ad screens that they attempt to legitimize by having news updates on it as well as "interesting" facts--that today is "Talk Like a Pirate Day." This special day was apparently started in 1995 by two friends from Oregon who decided that today was the day to use such phrases as "Shiver Me Timbers," etc. If that's what you want, today is YOUR day! (Maybe it's more popular than I think, but I lived in Oregon for three years and never heard of it. I guess I'm not in with the in-crowd. Guess I didn't pay my pieces of eight or adequately salute the Jolly Roger or something.) Anyhow...Today's recipe comes from my mom. This past weekend I tried this recipe because it sounded good, and the only drawback I can think of is that I didn't triple the recipe. Seriously: I could live on this salad. I hope some of you enjoy it too. - Devon
Greek Summer Salad
1 red or sweet onion (like a vidalia or walla walla sweet)
1 tsp white vinegar
5 medium tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 large green or red pepper
2-3 TBSP red wine vinegar
4-6 TBSP olive oil
3 oz crumbled Feta Cheese
12-16 Greek or regular black olives
Slice your onion and cover it with water and add the 1 tsp white vinegar. Let this sit for at least 10 minutes. In the mean time, cut the rest of your vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Drain the onions and toss the salad with the vinegar and oil, cheese, and olives. This is excellent right away. It's heavenly when it is chilled. The shelf-life, however, does have limits. It still tastes great the next day, but the cucumbers (as cucumbers do) sort of weep a bit, so you have to start serving it with a slotted spoon to get everything out of the liquid. Delicious, though. Also, next time I do this, I think I would use Kalamatas instead of Greek olives since they have a bit more body to them. Greek olives are tasty, but I (personally) think they're a little on the mushy side. Kalamatas tend to be a little firmer.
Red Onions are pretty in this, but at the height of the season, using a Vidalia will make you think you've ascended into the realms of Heaven. Avoid white onions, though: they're a little too sharp for this. If you just have to have this in the off-season, use a colored pepper instead of a green one: it will have a higher sugar content and be more palatable. It won't be as nice as it is in the summer when the ingredients are ripe, but while you can, if you're desperate enough, get away with cardboard-y tomatoes, a bitter pepper is hard to mask, no matter what you do to it.
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2 comments:
I could seriously eat this forever! Every time I make it I do it with black olives but would like to get more creative. Any suggestions about the most complimentary olive for this salad? It is so zingy with the feta and the vinegar I worry about clashing my olive with the already powerful tastes. My mouth is watering just thinking about this!
Try Kalamatas. They're mild and sweet and less canned tasting than regular blacks. Greek Olives is another pretty good alternative, though I thought the texture too soft for this salad.
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