Greek Salad (made with mostly local ingredients)

Island Hot House Sweet Bell Peppers

 This time of the year, Greek salad  is a staple on our supper table.  The veggies are fresh and local.  The garlic is from this year (especially if we have been to Salt Spring Island!  The best garlic!  I usually buy two braids and that gets us from September until about April).  The local cheese places all do their own version of Feta cheese.  And sometimes we even get some local goat feta (but it costs twice the price for half as much!).  And the oregano is from our own patch.  Both dried and fresh.
Unfortunately, we don't have local lemons...we don't have local Olive oil and we don't have local olives...And greek salad just wouldn't be the same without it.  Oh well, another reason I have a really hard time with that 100 Mile Diet!
I have read a number of recipes for Greek Salad and some use lemons and some don't.  For me, it just doesn't taste right without the acid added to the dressing.

Long English Cukes, from Port Alberni

Paradise Island Feta Cheese

Fresh tomatoes

Chopped veggies ready for dressing

 

 The recipe for Greek Salad is very simple:
3 tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 large sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 long english cucumber, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives (from the deli counter, not from a can!)
125 grams of feta cheese, coarsely chopped.

Veggies tossed, ready for dressing

Then you are ready to make your dressing:
Juice of 2 lemons (juice lemons at room temperature, you will get more juice)
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I grate mine)
1 heaping tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste (go easy, you will get salt from the olives and the feta)
Good extra virgin olive oil...1/4-1/3 cup depending on how juicy your lemons were.
Combine all ingredients except for oil.  Mix or whisk until well combined.  While still whisking, add olive oil, in a steady stream.  Whisking while adding, helps to bring the dressing together.
Pour over veggies.  Toss.  Add olives and feta.  Serve immediately.  Usually serves 6-8 people.  Unless one of them is my husband, in which case, it serves 5.

Maybe just a bit more garlic...

local garlic!

Best way to get all the juice out...Citrus Remer

Ready for the feta

Save some for the salad

Ready to serve!

They don't grow them here yet...

Use this salad with chicken breast and homemade tzatziki in wrap.  So yummy!  (if you have any leftovers!)
Head over to What's cookin Wednesday and check out some more delicious eats!

Happy Packing!

Kim