Category: Greek Salad

Did you know that Kalamáta is not only the olive but a city in the south of Greece? There’s even a 13th Century castle and a Byzantine-era Church. Yeah, I feel like a dumb American. I thought Kalamáta was a type of olive popular in Greek cooking. Hey, give me some credit. At least I know enough to know the difference between Sparkling Wines and Champagne.

In our house, we serve up two salads when making a Greek Salad. The first is your traditional salad, the second is the salad minus the olives and Feta cheese. I’m not sure what you would call that, since the latter clearly lacks all those ingredients that make the salad Greek. I suppose a Greek Salad without Greek Olives and Feta Cheese it would be a Tossed Romaine Salad with a Lemony Olive-Oil dressing. Both Kiddo and I are avid olive eaters. We both love Feta Cheese. Hubby not so much. In certain dishes he will tolerate olives, but there is no way this man would intentionally pop a whole olive in his mouth. This doesn’t mean we don’t have Greek Salads. When I make my salad, I simply pull out some of the salad before adding the olives. Then I dress the salads, the dressing is the same, minus the Feta Cheese. If you have non-olive eaters in your house, it’s an easy solution and a delicious win for all concerned.

Greek Salad with Kalamáta Olives
The Salad
1 head Romaine Lettuce
2 Firm Red Tomatoes
1 English Cucumber
1 small Red Onion
1 cup Kalamáta Olives, pitted

Wash lettuce well. Tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Spin or pat dry. Place lettuce into a large bowl or serving platter.

Cut tomatoes in half, core and seed each half. Cut tomatoes into large pieces. Add tomatoes to the lettuce.

Cut cucumber lengthwise in half. Cut each half in half again to create quarter strips. Cut the strips of cucumber width-wise into 1-inch sticks. Add to the lettuce mixture.

Peel and thinly slice the red onion into rings. Break up the rings and add to the salad bowl.

Cut olives in half, toss into the salad mixture.

Toss salad well to evenly distribute the vegetables throughout the bowl or platter. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

The Dressing
3 tablespoons Olive Oil, extra-virgin best
1 lemon, freshly squeezed
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled

Measure olive oil in a non-reactive container such as a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Squeeze lemon over the olive oil. Add oregano, a pinch or so of salt and the fresh ground pepper.

Shake jar to emulsify the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Set aside until ready to use.

To serve: Shake dressing well, pour over the salad. Toss to coat in the dressing mixture. Crumble feta cheese over the top and serve.

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Looking for more salad ideas? Then check out my Ode to the Salad with everything from Arugula to Winter Salad recipes.