Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salad)
At some point, after binge eating several dozen Takis, I concluded that I needed to eat something healthy, like a salad. As per usual, when that inevitable moment dawned on me, I found myself asking two things: one, what’s the dressing going to be like, and two, can I put cheese on it? Alas, the first salad to pop into my head was a favorite of mine; the Greek salad, aka horiatiki salad.
Generally, the main ingredients are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and feta cheese. People also like to add in bell peppers, capers, and even anchovies. In Greece, the feta cheese is served as a whole chunk on top rather than sliced into small pieces. If you’re eating this salad solo, I would recommend this method, but if you’re planning on sharing, which I like to do with most of my food (hands off my Takis, doe), chop the feta into tiny squares.
Everything in its place
I find a Greek salad to be a very refreshing experience, especially in the summer months when it’s hot and humid in New York City and I need a light and flavorful respite from the muggy weather. All of the ingredients in a Greek salad work together as a team to make a meal that’s tasty and full of texture. From the soft tomatoes to the crunchy cucumbers, crisp bell peppers, creamy feta, and firm olives, this salad has a little bit of something for everyone. It’s also a simple recipe that’s super easy to make. All you need to do is chop and assemble everything, in addition to measuring and mixing the dressing. It’s another one of those “you can’t possibly screw this one up” meals, which I really appreciate because I feel like I’ve been sleepwalking as of late. There’s not enough coffee in the world to keep me satisfied, but at least I have a pound of feta to enjoy!
What is a salad without dressing? Come on
Mini whisks are great for making salad dressing, FYI
When slicing the vegetables for this salad, I try to cut everything into similar sizes so you can get a little bit of everything in one bite. Still, I like the look of longer onions, so that’s pretty much the only ingredient that isn’t chopped into a uniform shape with the recipe's other components. If you fancy yourself some more greens in your salad, I would cover the bottom of the bowl with chopped romaine lettuce or baby spinach and arrange the Greek salad ingredients on top to form a makeshift mandala. This is one of those recipes where creating a presentation easy on the eyes isn’t difficult in the least.
Whoever said you don’t win friends with salad never tried a Greek one
As for the dressing, all you have to do is mix everything into a cup or bowl and whisk the ingredients together for a few moments before pouring it over the salad. At the end of the whole process, I sprinkle the oregano or the optional fresh dill, and that’s really all there is to it.
One of my favorite parts of eating this recipe is dipping some crusty bread or warm pita into the juice at the bowl's bottom after I finish the salad. I can polish off a small loaf of bread this way, and it’s slowly becoming my favorite part of making this salad.
Cue the 90s sitcom music and disregard the Puglia table cloth!
Salad Ingredients
1 cup of feta cheese, cubed
1 English cucumber, chopped into half-moons
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into short strips
12 ounces of grape tomatoes, halved
1 small to medium red onion, sliced
1/4 a cup of Kalamata olives, pitted
1/4 a cup of green olives, pitted
3 teaspoons of oregano
1 tablespoon of capers
(optional): 3 teaspoons of fresh dill
(optional): Baby spinach or chopped romaine lettuce
Dressing Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Instructions
Chop all of your vegetables and the cheese into similar sizes
Arrange the salad ingredients into a bowl, platter, or over a bed of lettuce/baby spinach
Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together, so all of the components are evenly spread in the liquid
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently
Sprinkle the oregano over the top and enjoy
