Summer Ripe Greek Salad

Ingredients:

Loose measurements to be adjusted to needs

assorted fresh, vine ripe tomatoes

cucumber ~ go for a thinner skin, crunchier variety

red onion

assorted fresh herbs

greek olives

fresh garlic

feta cheese

red wine vinegar

extra virgin greek olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

pita bread for dunking!

*For those who don’t care for cilantro, substitute for more parsley, or try mint or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand really!

Ingredients:

Loose measurements to be adjusted to needs

assorted fresh, vine ripe tomatoes

cucumber ~ go for a thinner skin, crunchier variety

red onion

assorted fresh herbs

greek olives

fresh garlic

feta cheese

red wine vinegar

extra virgin greek olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

pita bread for dunking!

*For those who don’t care for cilantro, substitute for more parsley, or try mint or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand really!

Directions:

Slice first four ingredients to your liking.  We like to halve cherry tomatoes and slice larger tomatoes for varying visual texture.  Fresh herbs may be hand-torn or minced (don’t be afraid to use any herb blossoms for presentation!).  For salads, we prefer green olives from Greece in place of the brinier dark “kalamata” olives because they lend a little more toothy texture.

In a separate bowl, crumble feta cheese and add (this is our little twist) fresh grated garlic and a little drizzle of olive oil.  toss well and dollop over salad.  we prefer a goat or sheep milk feta for salads.

In a jar, place equal parts red wine vinegar and olive oil.  We used 2ounces of each to dress a family size salad (based on approx 2 pints of tomatoes).  Add salt and black pepper to your liking — salt helps “juice” the tomatoes, resulting in more liquid at the bottom of the bowl to sop up with pita bread!

Shake well, pour over salad and serve.