I noticed that I had recently purchased a nice container of feta cheese blocks in brine. There it was, sitting patiently in my refrigerator, waiting to bring joy to anyone smart enough to use it.
Then I thought about the big jug of excellent Greek kalamata olives I had purchased (Attica® brand, seven pound bottle, via Amazon®) and, well the next move became obvious. Note: Kalamata olives vary a lot in quality/taste. The jars of them on supermarket shelves are generally not worth much, especially compared to the best ones you can purchase in bulk. Of course, there are lousy brands available in bulk too!
I just had to have a crisp and tasty Greek salad! After checking my inventory of fresh vegetables, I knew I had all the essential ingredients. I also found recipes for two different nice dressings for that type of salad.
Ah, yes ... Food Nirvana just gets better and better ... lucky me! And, lucky you! Have fun with this refreshing and lively (once you add either dressing) salad.
You can serve it with most any well seasoned grilled meat or seafood entree, or even a curry, along with an appropriate carbohydrate, perhaps couscous, or rice for a curry, or even just a fine loaf of any artisan bread with butter or Pita bread with seasoned olive oil (you can find a perfect recipe for that oil in the Food Nirvana appetizer section ... a clone of the seasoned oil served at Carrabba's® restaurants). And don't forget a chilled bottle of light white wine like Pinot Grigio.
As the applause starts you can take bows for your excellent skills as a chef.
When appropriate, like now, I like to remember fine friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. Here's to you, Nick Marcopoulos! You were a great guy and a truly fine friend! So I make this one in memory of you.
Ingredients: (six generous servings)
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small red onion thinly sliced
1 cup of Kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise, or kept whole if they contain pits
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 1 1/2 cups of small salad tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 of an unpeeled English cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers, ends cut off, sliced lengthwise in half and sliced thinly crosswise
1 cup (or more) of finely cut or crumbled feta cheese
Ground pepper and salt to taste
Directions:
Prepare all of the above and combine and mix those ingredients in a large, shallow salad bowl.
Serve the salad chilled. Mix individual servings with Greek Salad Dressing per either of the recipes shown below.
Enjoy ... And yes, you will do exactly that. Maybe with a nice loaf of Italian Sesame Scala bread or warm chewy rolls and butter (or seasoned olive oil) and the chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio wine.
Don't forget the grilled meat or seafood entree. Actually, the first time we had a Quiche, which normally wouldn't excite me, but in this instance it was okay as it kept the meal simple, providing both the protein and the carbohydrate. But I much prefer a well seasoned grilled meat entree, like grilled sausages or a grilled seasoned ground lamb patty.
I have two Greek Salad Dressing recipes from the Internet that looked pretty good. I show both of them below. I've tried both and they are both very good. The second one uses lemon juice instead of wine vinegar and I think it is the better choice for this salad, but that is strictly my personal opinion. You may prefer the wine vinegar version instead.
Beyond that I checked out the use of Xanthan gum powder to make the oil and lemon juice version, which, after a day of refrigeration and a few moments of shaking, made it miscible and creamy, which made using it and enjoying it a lot nicer. It stayed creamy and well mixed on/in the salad instead of separating in the manner typical of oil and vinegar dressings.
Here is a valuable digression/lesson regarding the use of Xanthan gum powder. If you decide to use it then use an immersion or regular blender for three minutes at high speed to blend it in with all the other salad dressing ingredients, ergo, have the blender mixing the other ingredients before very gradually introducing the Xanthan gum powder into the mixture, so it can't clump together. Use it at the rate of 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthan gum powder per cup of salad dressing.
For these Greek Salad Dressings it is best to start by blending the Xanthan gum powder with just the olive oil. Then add the other ingredients and continue to blend for two or three minutes. Start with 1/8 teaspoon of Xanthan gum powder per cup of salad dressing, and if necessary, after the initial mixing, add a second 1/8 teaspoon of the powder (in total) gradually during a second cycle of mixing. Important point: I found that waiting a day before using the dressing worked wonders in how creamy it was after light shaking. I stored it in the refrigerator for that day.
Most of all, don't use very much Xanthan gum powder. A little goes a long way. Overdo it and you will make a slimy mess. Simply remember that more can be added and mixed in later if desired. You can buy Xanthan gum powder cheaply in a one pound quantity, which will last a very long time, via the Internet, at www.BulkFoods.com ... I store mine in a tightly sealed large (about three cups volume) seasoning bottle that used to contain a dried herb.
Greek Salad Dressing Recipe #1:
As shown, this recipe does not make use of Xanthan gum powder.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. of dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. of dried basil
1 tsp. of ground black pepper
1 tsp. of sea salt
1 tsp. of onion powder
1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of water
Directions:
In a one quart bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon mustard.
Pour in the vinegar and the water, and whisk vigorously until well blended.
I use a one pint canning jar with a lid so I can shake the dressing to blend the ingredients, albeit temporarily as oil and vinegar aren't miscible without a thickening ingredient like Xanthan gum powder. That means you can use the Xanthan gum powder method described earlier with this dressing if you want, instead of mixing the ingredients in a bowl.
Add the dressing to individual Greek salads after shaking each time the dressing is used.
Enjoy!
Greek Salad Dressing Recipe#2:
As shown, this recipe provides both the regular mixing method and the Xanthan gum powder mixing method .
Ingredients:
2 large cloves of garlic, grated or minced or squeezed through a garlic press
2 tsp. of dried oregano
1 tsp. of kosher salt
1/2 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed, strained lemon juice
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. of Xanthan gum powder (optional)
Directions:
Grate or mince or press the cloves of garlic and put the contents into a one pint canning jar.
Add the oregano, the salt and the black pepper to the jar.
Pour in 1/4 cup of the strained freshly squeezed lemon juice and the water.
Pour in the olive oil.
Screw the lid onto the canning jar.
Shake the jar for half a minute or longer to mix the ingredients (or use the Xanthan gum powder method described earlier, in which you start with only the oil and use a blender).
Test the dressing on a small sample of salad for taste and acidity. If it needs more lemon juice then add another 1/8 cup of strained freshly squeezed lemon juice to the jar of dressing and repeat the shaking and the taste testing, etc., until you have the acidity level you want. We did not add any extra lemon juice. It wasn't necessary.
Serve the salad and let each person use the amount of dressing they want. Then, swoon with delight.
You can store these types of salad dressings, sealed well in jars, in the refrigerator. They will remain good for about a month. If you want to store them under refrigeration or in a food pantry for longer periods of time then you need to add a preservative like sodium benzoate when making the dressing, at a rate of 1/10th of one percent by weight for the total weight of the dressing. Read the Food Nirvana Technology section on the use of preservatives for more detail on amounts and methods.
Enjoy!