when I’m in that mood, I’ll go the whole hog and serve this with spanikopita and some tzatziki too.
SERVES 4–6
2 green peppers
1 cucumber
450g (1lb) firm tomatoes
1 medium-sized sweet onion
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
a handful of kalamata olives
200g (7oz) feta cheese, cut into 1cm (½in) dice
½–1 tsp dried oregano
Deseed the peppers and cut them into chunky pieces; peel the cucumber and cut that into chunks, too; slice the tomatoes and the onion. Put them all into a bowl.
Drizzle in the oil, lemon juice and vinegar and mix gently, adding salt and pepper to taste, followed by the olives and cheese; mix again, gently.
Serve scattered with dried oregano.
VARIATION
Greek salad with roasted red peppers
Above is the traditional Greek salad we know and love, but recently I was served the salad with some embellishment in the form of the roasted red peppers. This, I hasten to add, was in England, not Greece, but I found it rather good. All you do is put 2 large red peppers on a baking sheet and grill them under a high heat for 20–25 minutes until the skins are blistered and blackened in places, and when the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin, remove the core and seeds, rinse and cut into pieces. Add these to the salad, made as described but without the green peppers. You might like to snip some fresh oregano over the top instead of using dried.
Green salad v
A green salad can be adapted according to the season, and is perhaps the most useful basic salad of all. I think plenty of fresh herbs make all the difference and I personally like to make it quite pungent with garlic and onion rings, but leave these out if they’re not to your taste.
SERVES 4
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
1 lettuce, shredded
other green salad as available (e.g. watercress, sliced chicory, fennel or cucumber, finely shredded baby spinach)
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh herbs (e.g. flat-leaf parsley, chives or spring onions, mint, tarragon, basil)
First make the dressing by putting the oil and vinegar into the base of a salad bowl and mixing with a little pepper and the garlic (if using).
Add all the other ingredients and mix well, so that everything gets coated with the shiny dressing. Serve immediately.
VARIATION
Green salad with Gruyère cheese
This traditional French salad is a delicious variation on the classic green salad. Simply add 125–175g (4–6oz) diced Gruyère cheese. If you can’t find a vegetarian Gruyère, you could use vegetarian Emmental or even Edam, which are much more widely available.
Haricot bean salad with green herb dressing v
This dish is best made well in advance to allow the flavours time to blend. You can dress the salad while the beans are still hot, leave it to cool, then chill before serving. It makes a good first course or addition to a salad selection, or can be served with hot garlic bread and a green salad or tomato salad.
SERVES 4–6
225g (8oz) dried haricot beans, soaked and cooked or use 2 × 400g cans
1 tsp sugar
5 tsp mustard powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh herbs (such as chives, parsley, chervil, tarragon and dill)
Drain the beans, rinsing the canned ones (if using).
Put the sugar, mustard and garlic into a bowl with a little salt and a grinding of pepper. Blend to a paste with the vinegar, then gradually stir in the oil to make a dressing.
Add the herbs and the beans and mix well. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge before serving.
Insalata tricolore
So simple, so good; lovely as a first course or to accompany a simple pasta dish such as spaghetti with pesto. Vegetarian mozzarella is available, but look for one made from cow’s milk rather than the more traditional buffalo’s milk, which usually contains animal rennet.
SERVES 2
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1 ball of mozzarella, sliced
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Arrange the slices of tomato, avocado and mozzarella attractively on a flat plate or two individual plates.
Scatter with the basil leaves, then drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with a little salt and grind over some black pepper. Serve at once.
Puy lentil salad v
Combined
