Wednesday, July 20

The Ultimate Greek Salad

(Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson – gift from the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2003)
Ingredients:
1 red onion
1 T dried oregano
black pepper
1 T red wine vinegar
¾ c plus 2 T EVOO

Peel and finely slice the red onion and place in bowl.  Sprinkle with oregano and pepper.  Add red wine vinegar and oil and toss well.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave to steep for at least 2 hours or more.  I found that this can last in the refrigerator for a week. 
NOTE:  Magic happens with red wine and red onions; as they marinate they turn a luminescent pink and the taste completely changes.
Rest of salad ingredients:
5 good tomatoes
1 t sugar
pinch sea salt
1 very large head of romaine lettuce
1 bulb fennel
½ c pitted kalamata olives
14 oz feta cheese
juice of half a lemon
Cut tomatoes in quarters, then quarter again for small segments/wedges.  Spring the segments with the salt and sugar and let sit while you prepare other ingredients.
Tear romaine into big pieces and put in large salad bowl. Slice the fennel and add that, then the olives and feta (cut or crumbled into rough chunks) and toss well.  Now add tomatoes, the red onion (now pink) and oil, and the lemon juice.  Toss gently but thoroughly so that everything is well combined.
Jenn’s Notes:  This salad is one of our favorites.  Since it is usually just me and Joe, I use my own judgment and modify the ingredients for the two of us.  The onion/dressing will keep for a while in the fridge and you can use them in other salads or for other purposes.  Also, the fennel is a replacement for cucumbers.  I haven’t tried it yet but I plan to this summer.  However, it is noted that you shouldn’t substitute cucumbers for the fennel as they will make the salad soggy after a while.

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