DISH NAME : GREEK SALAD

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : No

Chilling Time : 15 minutes

Description

Greek salad is commonly served as a part of a traditional Greek meal. It is one of the most popular salads in Greece and Cyprus. It is light, refreshing and easy to make. It is made during the summer months. Real Greek salad is essentially a tomato salad made of sliced or chopped tomatoes with a few slices of cucumber, and red onion. It is usually seasoned with salt, black pepper, and oregano and dressed with olive oil. Common additions include feta cheese, bell peppers and kalamata olives. Lettuce and vinegar are not usually added in a Greek salad.
Kalamata olive is a large, black olive with a smooth, meaty texture named after the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, Greece.
Feta is a curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta cheese has a creamy, crumbly texture with a pleasant saltiness. It can be paired with both fruits and vegetables. Feta is commonly used in Greek salad. Pairs extremely well with watermelon also. It usually comes packed in a liittle bit of brine solution to keep it moist. It is better to keep feta in brine / salt solution.

Note

1) If Feta cheese is not available substitute with Paneer. To make paneer soft, immerse in hot water for a few minutes. Drain and use.
2) Dried oregano, kalamata olives & extra virgin olive oil are available in supermarkets.
3) I got Feta cheese from Kodai cheese shop at Kodaikanal. It is available at Lulu hyper market kochi.It was made of cows milk using vegetarian rennet. Rennet are enzymes from the stomach of an unweaned calf, containing rennin and its used used in curdling milk for cheese. In case of vegetarian cheese microbial rennet or rennet derived from plants are used.

Method

1) Cut tomatoes into chunks or wedges.
2) Deseed cucumber and cut into chunks.
3) Mix all ingredients together.
4) Chill for sometime.

Serving Suggestions

Serve chilled