ISO Your best Greek Salad & Dressing recipe

[SilverSage]

I want a real Greek salad tonight to go with the spanikopita. Besides, I have to use up another pound of feta cheese! It's not something usually on my radar, so I'm starting from scratch (so to speak).

Give me your best recipe for Greek Salad dressing and tell me what you put in your Greek salad to make it special.

[BreezyCooking]

I can't say this is "best", because I make "Greek" salads frequently & kind of use what I have on hand.

But for a basic salad I use chopped Romaine lettuce (soft lettuces simply don't hold up to the rest of the ingredients), sliced or chopped red onion, pitted Kalamata olives (a MUST!! And I love the fact that I can now buy them already pitted.), peeled & chopped cucumber, tomatoes only if it's tomato season or I can find nice ones (like "Campari" or nice-looking cherries), crumbled feta cheese (of course!!!), dried oregano & a dash of crushed dried red pepper flakes. Sometimes I'll also add in some drained canned chickpeas - one of our local markets sells them in tiny little cans; just perfect for salads.

Dressing is either just red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, & a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice; or a quality bottled dressing, like Ken's Greek dressing, etc. Yes, bottled dressing will seem like sacrilege to some, but to be honest, Ken's is nice, & has gotten kudos from guests. And we like it too, which is really all that matters in the long run. . . .

Oh - one more thing. This makes a fabulous hot-weather main-dish salad with the addition of some bite-size poached chicken folded in. Some pitas on the side & you're all set. Sometimes, for a main-dish salad, I'll ring the dish with some chilled canned stuffed grape leaves. Love those too!!)

(Edited to add that I also sometimes add anchovies & capers to this as well, depending on the other ingredients at hand & diners' wishes. :))

[RobsanX]

To me, Greek salad is BIG! It should cover a whole plate, and be a meal unto itself. Romaine lettuce, tomato wedges, kalamata olives, onions, and crumbled Feta cheese.

I would make a very light dressing. Probably olive oil, rice vinegar, and a little Dijon mustard mixed and tossed with the lettuce before plating.

[BreezyCooking]

Mustard in a Greek Salad dressing? I'd definitely pass on that.

[vyapti]

Isn't a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice pretty traditional?

[CaliforniaCook]

I round up all the usual suspects lol, black olives, tomatoes of choice (cherry, grape, sun-dried tomatoes, etc), oregano, feta (of course), and add in sliced cukes, diced red onion, garbanzos & sometimes toasted pine nuts, & garlic (if you wish). I use bottled zesty italian dressing, or oil & vinegar sometimes lemon juice. I serve over a med cooked pasta(penne, macaroni, bow ties), orzo or couscous - or spinach.

Here is a Greek-inspired salad I like (you can use orzo or couscous). Salads are pretty flexible, for me.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1065523

[Sass Muffin]

Can't say I've ever made a greek salad dressing, but ALL of these sure do sound good!

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/greek-salad-dressing-recipes.html

[BreezyCooking]

Oooh, yeah - I sometimes add toasted pine nuts too. Assuming I remember them - lol!!

[RobsanX]

Mustard in a Greek Salad dressing? I'd definitely pass on that.

A little mustard just adds a little kick to it. Try it!

[Sass Muffin]

A little mustard just adds a little kick to it. Try it!
I sure will Rob, if and when I ever make a Greek salad.
Those recipes for the dressing I found using mustard actually sounded quite delicious.

[SilverSage]

Isn't a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice pretty traditional?

When I think of Greek, I think of lemon, olive oil, and oregano. But I've never really made Greek dressing. I was wondering what else belongs in the mix. If it has lemon juice, does it also need vinegar? If so, what tyoe would be most typically Greek?

Tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, kalamata olives, red onion were all on my list. But the garbanzos, pine nuts, and mustard all sound like interesting possibilities.

And while I appreciate the suggestions of good bottled dressings, I prefer to make my own. SousChef would move out if I served bottled dressing!:dizzy:

[Sass Muffin]

When I think of Greek, I think of lemon, olive oil, and oregano. But I've never really made Greek dressing. I was wondering what else belongs in the mix. If it has lemon juice, does it also need vinegar? If so, what tyoe would be most typically Greek?

Tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, kalamata olives, red onion were all on my list. But the garbanzos, pine nuts, and mustard all sound like interesting possibilities.

And while I appreciate the suggestions of good bottled dressings, I prefer to make my own. SousChef would move out if I served bottled dressing!:dizzy:

Somehow, something as splendid as a Greek salad wouldn't deserve a bottled dressing, wouldn't that be considered a sacrilege?
That would be like slapping margarine on a beautifully baked Idaho potato for crying out loud!:yum:

So Sage, whatcha gonna do wit yo salad?

[lilylove]

My Greek MIL mixes Olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and vinegar, shakes well and pours over

Seeded tomatoes,
Seeded and peeled cukes
Red onions
and olives
Feta is then crumbled on top.

I've been to Greece a number of times and have never seen lettuce in a Greek salad...
But I think a salad can be anything you want it to be. If ya like lettuce there's no reason not to add it.