Greek salad; 5 delicious traditional recipes

Greek salad - 5 very tasty traditional recipes

Greek salad is known all over the world; its unforgettable taste is incomparable to any other. In Greece it is called “choreatics”, which means “village”, and all because it consists of such goods that farmers have in abundance every day.

The most important ingredient in this dish is feta - a soft cheese made from sheep's milk, currently considered Greek. The cheese is rich in calcium and iron, which has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. It is very popular in all Mediterranean countries and is an indispensable element.

Production features include coarsely chopped vegetables, feta cheese, olives and olive oil. That is why this dish is rich in various vitamins and microelements, not least a very tasty salad with crab sticks. Now it is an integral part of the festive table, it is loved and appreciated all over the world.

Greek salad - Traditional step-by-step recipe

The key to a successful salad is the freshest vegetables, high-quality pitted olives, and good olive oil. Due to its own unique taste properties, it has become very famous. It has a huge number of varieties and is prepared differently depending on the region. So, we start making!

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 3 pcs.
Cucumbers – 5 pcs (small size)
Bell pepper – 2 pcs.
Onions – 1 pc.
Feta – 250 gr
Olives - to taste
Olive oil – 5 tablespoons
Lemon juice 1 tbsp. spoon
Salt, pepper and oregano - to taste.

Manufacturing method:

1. First, prepare all the necessary ingredients.

2. Wash the vegetables, then start cutting them: cut the cucumbers into large pieces, cut the tomatoes in half and cut each half into approximately 5 pieces.

3. Peel the bell pepper from the seeds and cut into large pieces. For the most colorful dish, we took peppers of two colors: yellowish and reddish.

4. Chop the onion into half rings and mix the chopped vegetables in a plate.

5. Mix salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil.

6. Cut the cheese into cubes approximately 1-1.5 cm.

7. Place chopped cheese and olives on a plate with vegetables, season everything with olive oil and spices. Sprinkle dried or fresh oregano on top. Our hearty and at the same time light salad is ready. Bon appetit!

The usual recipe for Greek salad with feta cheese

Almost everyone asks the question: “Why specifically cheese cheese and not feta?” Feta and feta cheese are identical, but still differ in their own taste and mixture. Brynza is the densest, hardest cheese that does not crumble when cut. This cheese not only tastes good, but also has the least amount of calories. It has 1.5 times fewer calories than feta. That is why almost everyone tries to add it specifically to this dish.

Ingredients:

Cheese cheese – 200 gr
Tomatoes – 1 pc.
Cucumbers – 2 pcs.
Lettuce leaves – 3 pcs.
Bell pepper - 1 piece
Olives – 50 gr
Olive oil – 45 ml
Oregano, lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste.

Manufacturing method:

1. First we will prepare all the ingredients and wash the vegetables.

2. Cut the tomatoes into small squares, as in the photo.

3. We also chop the bell pepper, having previously cleared it of seeds.

4. Cucumbers can be cut in half, and then into small halves.

5. Cut the cheese into cubes, approximately 1-1.5 cm.

6. Chop the onion into half rings and the olives into rings.

7. Cut the leaves into small pieces.

8. Place the chopped vegetables in a deep bowl and season them with lemon juice. Then add olives, onions and feta cheese. Add oregano and salt and olive oil to taste, mix gently.

The dish with cheese is ready. Bon appetit!

Traditional recipe for Greek salad with fetax like in a restaurant

With fetax it really is like in a restaurant. Fetax cheese is similar to feta cheese, but has the densest consistency, and its lightly salted taste has a huge number of different colors. Unique and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
Cucumbers 2 pcs
Fetax cheese – 200 gr
Lettuce leaves – 3 pcs.
Olives – 50 gr
Olive oil – 4 tbsp
Greens - to taste
Salt - to taste.

Manufacturing:

1. Prepare the necessary ingredients. Wash the vegetables.

2. Cut tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese into small cubes.

3. Coarsely chop the lettuce leaves or tear them apart with your hands.

4. Mix cubes of cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers with leaves in a deep bowl.

5. Add olives and pour olive oil.

6. Add salt and herbs to taste.

7. Mix everything well.

Thanks to the riot of colors in this dish, it looks even more appetizing and will decorate any table.

Salad with chicken and tomatoes

There are a huge number of different recipes for making this delicious dish, and now we will prepare it with chicken and tomatoes. Thanks to chicken, it becomes even more satisfying and appetizing.

Ingredients:

Chicken fillet – 300 g (pre-baked or boiled)
Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
Feta cheese – 150 gr
Cucumbers – 2 pcs.
Onions – 1 pc.
Olives – 50 gr
Garlic – 1 clove
Lemon juice – 20 g
Olive oil – 4 tbsp
Salt - to taste.

Manufacturing method:

1. We tear the lettuce leaves into small pieces with our hands.

2. Cut the onions into half rings.

3. Chop the cucumbers into rings, then into quarters.

4. Cut the tomatoes into slices.

5. Mix the vegetables in a deep bowl, pour them with olive oil, lemon juice and a garlic clove passed through a press.

6. Cut the chicken breast prepared in advance into large pieces and place it on top of the vegetables.

7. Cut the cheese into cubes and add together with the olives.

8. Mix all ingredients.

9. Salt to taste.

10. Our hearty and very tasty snack is ready.

Greek salad with mozzarella

Mozzarella is a soft cheese from southern Italy, famous for its delicate soft mixture and pronounced flavor properties. Mozzarella perfectly complements a Greek salad.

Ingredients:

Mozzarella – 150 gr
Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
Cucumbers – 2 pcs.
Bell pepper – 1-2 pcs.
Lettuce leaves - 2-3 pcs.
Onions – 1 pc.
Pitted olives
Lemon juice – 30 g
Salt, herbs, spices - to taste.

Manufacturing:

1. Cut the mozzarella into thick slices.

2. Peel the tomatoes and cut into large slices.

3. Chop the cucumbers into small pieces.

4. Diced bell pepper mode.

5. Cut the onions into rings.

6. Tear the leaves with your hands or cut them into small pieces.

Greek salad: recipes with photos

How to properly prepare Greek salad

The most important thing in a Greek salad is the freshest ingredients, not cutting or serving. The Greeks usually cut their own salad into large pieces, and put the olives right with the stone, while being Greek, with an oily taste. The main herb in the salad is oregano, with a little basil.

Cucumbers, shallots, and olive oil are often used in salads. Absolutely different tricks and options are allowed here. After all, Greek salad is a simple version of a country salad, made from the most basic ingredients found in any country house.

Therefore, when developing a dish, it is recommended to follow the same principle - whatever is found in the house from the necessary goods or their closest analogues, then eat.

Often, instead of shallots in recipes, sweet salad onions or even ordinary onions are used. Olive oil can be replaced with sunflower oil. It is better to take pitted olives. If you don’t have oregano and basil, you can replace them with ordinary lettuce leaves or any fresh herbs from the garden - the main thing is that it will be a summer and light salad.

The main ingredient, feta cheese, can now be found everywhere, but in the latter case you can exchange it for Adyghe cheese, feta cheese.

Greek salad according to traditional recipe

cucumber - 2 pcs.;
bell pepper - 1 pc.;
tomato with dense pulp - 2 pcs.;
medium-sized Crimean blue onion - 1 pc.;
olives, large and pitted - 20 pcs.;
olive oil - 2-3 tbsp. l.;
feta cheese - 80-100 gr.;
oregano - ½ tsp. dry grass;
lemon juice - 1-1.5 tbsp. l.;
salt, pepper - to taste.

Wash all vegetables. Cut cucumbers and tomatoes into large pieces (2-2.5 cm). Cucumbers can be peeled ahead of time if the skin is very hard.

Chop the blue onion into half rings. Peel the pepper from seeds and white membranes, cut into 2-2.5 cm squares. Olives can be thrown whole or cut in half.

Dump the vegetables into a salad bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything carefully with 2 large spatulas.

Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, add oregano to it, lightly rubbing the herb with your fingers. Season the salad with the resulting sauce.

Cut feta cheese into large pieces, similar to vegetables, and place on top of the salad. Throw a pinch of oregano on top. Salad ready.

It is allowed to replace part of the onion with garlic in the salad, but the cloves will have to be chopped into a small cube with a knife.

Options for preparing ingredients for Greek salad

You can marinate the onion ahead of time before adding it to the salad. The most common method is to chop the onion and pour it with a mixture of vinegar (3 parts) and sugar (2 parts) with a pinch of salt. Let sit for half an hour, drain in a colander and add to the rest of the vegetables.

To reduce bitterness, you can cut the onion smaller or mix two varieties - snow-white and blue onions in the desired proportion of 1:2 or 1:1.

cucumbers

Cucumbers can be cut figuratively or, for example, alternating pieces with the skin removed and with the skin left on. A zebra cucumber looks great in a salad, when any piece in the salad looks white and green.

Tomatoes

With tomatoes, it is better to experiment not with cuttings, but with a combination of different types and colors. Cherry tomatoes look unsurpassed in a salad. They need to be cut in half. The colors combine reddish and orange fruits perfectly. It looks beautiful, besides, rich and low-acid orange tomatoes will give the salad meatiness, reducing the sourness. If desired, you can even peel the tomatoes by scalding them with boiling water.

Pepper

The inflorescence option is also suitable with pepper. In this case, it is better to cut fruits of different colors into narrow strips rather than into cubes. For test lovers, there is an unusual idea: peel the vegetable with a sharp knife or peeler. This option is for those who want to add sublimity and a delicate taste to the dish; it is also perfect for serving Greek salad on a festive table.

How to substitute feta cheese

Typically in Russian cuisine, feta cheese is replaced with salted feta cheese, especially a product made from goat's milk.

In the latter case, you can take large pieces of processed cheese with a powerful flavor of herbs or smoked meats. In this case, the salad needs to be salted a little more.

Another version of Greek salad is with Dutch cheese. Only the pieces need to be made smaller. This recipe is no longer a classic, but it may definitely appeal, especially to men.

How to dress a Greek salad

A traditional Greek salad requires a dressing consisting of lemon juice, olive oil and fresh or dried oregano. But if for some reason you cannot find these components or want to vary the taste of your favorite dish, the option of mixing other seasonings and herbs is allowed. For example, you can add coarsely torn lettuce leaves of various types (curly, iceberg) and chopped wild garlic strips to the dish. According to your own taste, you can include thyme and parsley in the dish.

For housewives who love experimentation, as a bold idea, you can suggest seasoning a portion of Greek salad with honey mustard sauce.

Honey mustard sauce: an unusual and tasty dressing option

Take in a ratio of 1:1:2 mustard of medium or low heat (you can use grains), honey and olive oil. Mix everything and beat with a whisk. If the sauce is too thick, add more oil. Serve with salad in a separate sauce boat.

You can also diversify the dressing for Greek salad by adding other oils (mustard, corn, sesame), bread crumbs or toasted salted croutons for flavor. Those who love a powerful taste can add garlic to the sauce, passed through a garlic press.

If you used lightly salted cheese for your salad, for example feta cheese or Dutch cheese, try using the dressing recipe with soy sauce, which is usually salty and rich.

Soy sauce dressing

olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons;
soy sauce - 1 tbsp. spoon;
apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp. spoon;
mustard (medium or low heat) - 1 teaspoon.

To make the sauce, whisk all ingredients. Serve the dressing separately in a gravy boat.

Greek salad with oregano, dill and mint: step-by-step recipe

cucumber - 2 pcs.;
cherry tomatoes - 300 gr.;
yellowish sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
handfuls of black olives;
mint leaves - to taste;
wine vinegar (can be replaced with apple vinegar) - 1 tbsp. l.;
vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.;
oregano - 1 tsp;
salt - to taste;
salad onion - 1 head;
dill and lettuce - to taste;
feta cheese - 200-300 g.

Tricks and options for serving Greek salad

The portioned serving of salad, practiced in restaurants in Greece, is fascinating. It is as laconic as possible: the client receives a deep plate of vegetables without sliced cheese. All the cheese lies in one piece on top of the vegetable slices. Thus, the client himself decides how he will eat it.

Likewise, the sauce is almost always served in a separate container for each serving at the moment. So anyone can decide for themselves how much and when they need to add dressing to their Greek salad.

This is very comfortable for the hostess. As long as the salad is not seasoned with sauce, it keeps better. You can cut the vegetables several hours before guests arrive, and pour the sauce over them before serving. At the same time, if possible, it is necessary to dress the salad after serving portions, so that guests do not have to worry about putting salad on their plates and distributing the sauce.

From time to time, quite large pieces of vegetables and cheese are mixed into the salad without much stirring. Almost everyone doesn’t like serving in large pieces, but it has its advantages: those who don’t like onions or olives can simply remove them.

How to create a Greek salad: a traditional recipe and 5 of the most creative thoughts

Add shrimp and pasta to regular vegetables and cheese and create extraordinary canapés and sandwiches.

How to make a traditional Greek salad

A regular Greek salad is easy to make. The main rule is to consume only the freshest and highest quality products.

Ingredients

2–3 tomatoes;
1 cucumber;
1 small reddish onion;
a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;
6–8 kalamata olives;
100 g feta cheese;
salt - to taste;
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano.

Manufacturing

All ingredients must be large. Small cubes may look more aesthetically pleasing, but they take the look of the salad away from the original.

Cut the tomatoes in half and cut into large wedges. Peel the cucumber and cut into thick slices or semicircular pieces. Peel the onion, cut in half, cut into half rings and separate them with your hands.

The highlight of the Greek salad is that the ingredients are not mixed.

Place the tomatoes and cucumbers on a salad plate and drizzle with oil. It is better not to skimp on its quantity, because high-quality olive oil will give the salad an amazing taste. Top with onions and olives.

In the classic recipe, feta is not cut into cubes or crumbled.

Cut 1-2 huge rectangular slices of cheese approximately 1 cm wide and place on vegetables. Then salt the salad, pour plenty of olive oil and sprinkle with dried oregano. You will need little salt, since olives and feta are quite salty.

Serve the Greek salad immediately after preparation. He shouldn't insist. It is usually served with bread, which is dipped in a mixture of butter and vegetable juice left over from the salad.

How to vary your Greek salad

The usual ingredients most often added are bell pepper, lettuce leaves, ground black pepper and lemon juice. Instead of feta, you can add cubes of cheese, tofu or mozzarella.

In addition to cheese, or even instead of it, fried meat is added, for example beef or chicken, as well as fried or baked fish, most often salmon. Meat or fish fillet can be placed on a salad, like feta, or cut into pieces.

But there are also the most unusual salad options. Here are the most noteworthy ones.

1. Greek salad with shrimp, avocado and capers

With new ingredients and a unique fragrant dressing, the taste of the salad will sparkle with new colors.

Ingredients

3 testicles;
½ canned baked pepper;
200 ml olive oil;
100 g canned capers;
80 ml reddish wine vinegar;
several sprigs of parsley;
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard;
400 g small peeled shrimp;
10 small tomatoes;
2 burgundy or snow-white onions;
1 fork romaine lettuce;
250 g feta cheese;
3 ripe avocados;
salt - to taste;
ground black pepper - to taste.

Manufacturing

Boil the eggs hard-boiled, peel and cut into small cubes. Also chop the roasted pepper. Mix these ingredients with oil, capers (along with liquid), vinegar, chopped parsley and mustard. Place the dressing in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Place shrimp in boiling water and cook for 2-4 minutes. Cut the tomatoes into large slices and the onion into small cubes. Coarsely chop or tear the lettuce leaves with your hands. Place these ingredients in a salad bowl and add the crumbled feta.

Peel the avocado, remove the pit and cut the flesh into large pieces. Add the avocado to the salad along with the chilled dressing, season with spices and stir.

2. Greek salad pasta with chicken and cream sauce

A real hot dish with a Greek twist.

Ingredients

450 g penne (tube-shaped pasta);
salt - to taste;
350 g chicken breast fillet;
ground black pepper - to taste;
1 teaspoon dried oregano;
a few tablespoons of olive oil;
2 cloves of garlic;
180 ml heavy cream;
220 g cream cheese;
80 g feta cheese;
1 tablespoon lemon juice;
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest;
200 g cherry tomatoes;
100 g kalamata olives;
1 cucumber;
¼ bunch of dill;
a few sprigs of parsley.

Manufacturing

Boil pasta in bubbling salted water until al dente according to package directions.

Season the fillets with salt, pepper and oregano. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken over medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer chicken to a plate.

If the pan is dry, add a little more oil. Add finely chopped garlic and fry for about a minute. Add cream, cream cheese and crumbled feta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses are melted. You should have a smooth, creamy sauce.

Add lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper and stir. Add pasta, halved tomatoes and olives, cucumber cubes and chopped herbs to the sauce. Stir well and serve immediately.

3. Greek salad with mint and baked beets

The highlight of this salad is the beetroot spaghetti.

Ingredients

2 large beets;
3 tablespoons olive oil;
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest;
2 teaspoons lemon juice;
1 clove of garlic;
2 teaspoons dried oregano;
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard;
salt - to taste;
ground black pepper - to taste;
1 small reddish onion;
1 small cucumber;
1 yellow bell pepper;
a handful of olives;
60 g feta cheese;
a few sprigs of mint.

Manufacturing

Peel the beets and cut into a narrow spiral using a vegetable cutter. Season the resulting spaghetti with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir. Cover a baking sheet with parchment, place the beets on it and place in an oven preheated to 200°C for 5–10 minutes. The beets should soften, but at the same time remain slightly crispy.

Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, remaining oil, minced garlic, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper. Place the beets in a bowl, add the chopped onion and dressing. Stir and place on a serving plate.

Top with cucumber and pepper cubes, olives and small pieces of feta. Sprinkle the salad with mint leaves and ground black pepper.

4. “Greek salad” canapes with marinated feta

A completely different presentation of salad for a buffet or large party.

Ingredients

4–5 tablespoons olive oil;
1 tablespoon lemon juice;
several sprigs of dill;
several sprigs of parsley;
salt - to taste;
ground black pepper - to taste;
a pinch of reddish ground pepper;
200–300 g feta cheese;
a handful of cherry tomatoes;
1 cucumber;
handful of kalamata olives.

Manufacturing

Mix oil, lemon juice, chopped herbs and spices. Cut the feta into large cubes, add to the marinade, stir and leave for 15 minutes.

Cut the tomatoes in half and cut the cucumbers into thick semicircular slices. Place half a tomato, a cucumber slice, an olive and a cube of cheese on each skewer.

5. Sandwich with Greek salad and chickpea paste

An unusual execution for test lovers.

Ingredients

150 g canned or boiled chickpeas;
2 tablespoons lemon juice;
3 ½ tablespoons olive oil;
¼ bunch of parsley;
½ small reddish onion;
salt - to taste;
ground black pepper - to taste;
80 g feta cheese;
8 slices of bread;
1 cucumber;
1 tomato.

Manufacturing

Grind the chickpeas in a blender, add 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and oil, and also chopped parsley. Cut the onion into thin half rings, add the remaining lemon juice, ½ tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper and stir. In a separate container, mash the feta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Spread chickpea paste on 4 bread slices. Place cucumbers and tomatoes, cut into thin slices, and onions on top. Spread feta onto other slices of bread and top sandwiches.

Greek salads

There is hardly a person in the world who has no idea about Greek salad . This dish is popular not only in its homeland, but throughout the world. True, if you are in Greece, order not a “Greek” salad, but a “village” salad in a cafe. Then they will literally accept you and bring you exactly the treat in question.

Story

According to one version, the recipe for Greek salad was brought to the country by an emigrant who worked in the USA (the United States of America is a state in North America) and from time to time visited his native land. He arrived for the wedding of a relative, but because of a bad tooth he could not eat anything. Then he cut the freshest vegetables into large pieces into a bowl, added butter, olives and topped it all off with a substantial piece of feta. The creator’s sister also tried the dish and the next day prepared it for all the guests at the wedding.

But another version is extremely popular: “village salad” arose in Greece in the 2nd half of the 20th century due to the huge flow of tourists. In this legend, the traditional Greek salad was invented by the owners of Athenian taverns. They very quickly prepared for visitors a refreshing summer salad from traditional local products, seasoning them with breathtakingly delicious olive oil.

Greek salad now

The ingredients of the dish are cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots, feta cheese and olives, and the salad is dressed with olive oil, salt and black pepper. The main component of this delicious salad is real feta. The dressing also plays a huge role - if you replace olive oil with anything else, you will lose the real taste of the treat. The salad can be eaten on its own, but as an addition it is recommended to take a piece of toasted white bread and dip it into the mixture of salad ingredients, which settles on the bottom of the container.

Almost all chefs are now moving away from the traditional recipe for this sweet. You can often find Greek salad with chicken, shrimp, and croutons. Accordingly, the satiety and calorie content of the dish increases.

Not many people have access to real feta cheese these days. Its cost is steep, so some people replace this component with fetax or mozzarella. This Greek salad also has a right to life and turns out to be very tasty.

In general, that's not all. You can add lettuce, sweet peppers, anchovies and even beets to this dish. We would like to invite you to familiarize yourself with different recipes for Greek salad, which has captured millions of hearts around the world. Treat yourself and your loved ones to a historical dish from a country covered in legends.