Greek Salad, My Way
A Greek Salad in the summertime is one of those classic dishes that needs no tinkering. And yet, I confess tinkering is just what I have done here. The only substantial alteration I’ve made to the traditional recipe is to substitute the cucumber with fennel. I find the cucumbers one gets here are all too often tasteless and watery and end up contributing little, making the lettuce soggy to boot. But I also do my usual trick of steeping the onion (here, in vinegar and a little dried oregano) to lessen its rasp. Please bear in mind that this should be done at least two hours in advance, though you could easily set them a-steeping in the morning for lunch or dinner that day, or even the night before. And I add oil at the same time, which really means your dressing is done and ready. But otherwise, it’s a Greek Salad as you might expect and desire: full of crunch and flavour and punctured by salinity, which is provided generously by both the feta and the olives. If you can get hold of a good cucumber, by all means go for it, although I know I’d miss the gently aniseed crispness of the fennel. But then, I’ve been making it my way for so long, it’s hardly surprising I feel like this. And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
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