Greek Salad with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
Greek salad is a bit of a funny name. I always thought it was weird that we throw some olives and feta cheese into a salad, and that makes it Greek. According to Wikipedia, “True Greek salad is essentially a tomato salad made of sliced or chopped tomatoes with a few slices of cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and kalamata olives, seasoned with salt, black pepper, oregano, and basil and dressed with olive oil… Lettuce and vinegar are also used but not the main ingredient.”
So there you have it, the Greek idea of a salad is very different from ours. I guess they don’t like feeling like rabbits eating all that lettuce. The Wiki goes on to say “The term ‘Greek salad’ is also used in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom to refer to a lettuce salad with Greek-inspired ingredients, dressed with vinegar and oil. Lettuce, tomatoes, feta, and olives are the most standard elements in an American ‘Greek’ salad, but cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, radishes, dolmades, anchovies/sardines and pickled hot peppers are common.”
I made my version of the Greek or Greek American or Americanized Greek Salad from a recipe in Garde Manger
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: Garde Manger
For the Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette:
Yield: 32 fl oz / 960 mL
6 fl oz / 180 mL lemon juice
2 fl oz / 60 mL Champagne vinegar
1 oz / 28 g Dijon mustard
½ oz / 14 g minced garlic
1 ¼ oz / 35 g minced shallots
salt, as needed
coarse-ground black pepper, as needed
1 tbsp / 6 g fennel seeds, crushed
1 ½ tsp / 3 g red pepper flakes
8 fl oz / 240 mL olive oil
4 fl oz / 120 mL extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz / 28 g chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ oz / 14 g chopped oregano
Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes.
Whisk in the oil and reserve.
Whisk in the parsley and oregano just before service. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Chef’s note: This versatile dressing can be used not only on green salads, but also as a dressing for grain or legume salads. The spices can also be adapted to suit a variety of regional flavor profiles.
For the Salad:
Yield: 10 servings
10 oz / 284 g Kalamata olives
16 fl oz / 480 mL Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
2 lb 4 oz / 1.02 kg romaine lettuce
10 whole wheat pitas, cut into 8 wedges each
1 lb 4 oz / 567 g seedless cucumbers, peeled, sliced 1/8 in / 3 mm thick
1 lb 4 oz / 567 g cherry tomatoes, halved
10 oz / 284 g yellow peppers, cut into julienne
10 oz / 284 g red onions, peeled, sliced 1/8 in / 3 mm thick
15 oz / 425 g feta cheese, crumbled
Drain the olives and mix with 4 fl oz / 120 mL of the vinaigrette and allow to marinate overnight.
Clean the romaine lettuce and partially remove about a third of the stem. Wash and spin-dry.
Just before serving, whisk the vinaigrette vigorously and reseason. Toss 3 ½ oz / 99 g of the romaine lettuce with 1 fl oz / 30 mL of the vinaigrette for each serving.
Arrange the wedges of one pita around the rim of a chilled plate. Place the dressed romaine lettuce in the center of the plate and top with 2 oz / 57 g sliced cucumber, 2 oz / 57 g tomatoes, 1 oz / 28 g peppers, onions, and olives, and 1 ½ oz / 43 g feta cheese.
