GREEK SALAD RECIPE WITH FETA CHEESE

Light Greek Salad with fresh cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, olives and capsicum

Greek salad  or some people call it Rustic salad is a very popular salad in the Greek cuisine. I LOVE it! It is a true summer salad, very bright and beautiful one. In Greece they use tomatoes, cucumbers, goat’s cheese, onion and olives. That is? Ye, almost. Add just some olive oil, oregano herbs, salt, pepper and your salad is ready!

Actually it is so ridiculously simple that it is arduous to get wrong. Outside the Greece I haven’t tried one that really amazed me. So let’s talk about the tips how to make classic Greek salad. I will start with feta cheese.
Feta cheese is the main ingredient of this salad. By the way the Greek take the first place in the world’s cheese consumption statistics. According to it an average Greek purchases up to 24-30kg of cheese per year. I am sure that half of this cheese is Feta. You always find this cheese on the table no matter what is being served. Feta cheese is like bread for the Greek people.

In your local supermarket you will get many different brands, it can be feta cheese made of cow’s milk or the combination of goats’s milk + sheep’s milk. Choose the one which suits you more.
This cheese is very watery which means it is low fat one. So it will be perfect for those who watch their fat intake.

How to choose feta cheese for Greek Salad?

1. Feta cheese made of cow’s milk will crumble easily and can stink as well. So if don’t want it, chose the one made of sheep’s+ goat’s milk.
2. If you have a chance to taste cheese, do it. It can be soft, medium soft and hard. Tastes differ. Choose the one you like.
3. Look at the color of feta. It should be white, not yellow. It should not stink; have bitter, fetid or sour taste. Remember it is gorgeous cheese with rich aroma.

Secondly, tomatoes must be ripe and sweet. As an option you can sprinkle them with some sugar.
I am not an onion –lover, I always soak slices of onion in vinegar or olive oil, this trick helps to make it less oniony. The authentic Greek salad includes Kalamata olives (big purple olives with meaty texture).
Oregano is the classic herb for this salad. Most people use dry herbs, but if you can have fresh ones at hand, chop and sprinkle them. For dressing they use red-vinegar and olive oil. So it was a classic Greek Salad.
I am so excited to share my version of this Salad.  I am gonna add a capsicum and Spanish olives instead of Kalamata ones.