THE FOOD CORNER

By Paul Cormier, Salamanders of Kemptville

This is just a personal opinion, but I think a Greek Salad is the best for showing off your garden’s harvest. In addition, it is healthy and doesn’t give you that stuffed feeling. Mind you, if you want to stuff yourself, you can use a Greek Salad to accompany BBQ, such as the ones you may have read about in the past few weeks. Here then is my take on a fairly traditional Greek Salad.

Greek Salad

Dressing Ingredients

¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup of red wine or cider vinegar

2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons of sour cream

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Salad Ingredients (straight from your garden)

2 medium sized cucumbers (straight from your garden) cut into ¼ to ½ inch cubes

1 green pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 6-8 oz. chunk of brined Feta cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes

½ cup of red onion, very thinly sliced

As many pitted Kalamata olives as you wish; you can substitute black olives for a lighter taste

Toppings

2 tablespoons whole capers

1/3 cup of fresh mint leaves

1 tablespoon of Oregano flakes

Preparation

1. In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and refrigerate

2. Arrange your salad ingredients on or in your favourite salad bowl

3. Drizzle your salad with the dressing

4. Top with the capers, mint leaves and Oregano flakes

5. Serve with triangles of pita or naan bread, briefly warmed in the microwave

I confess to liking Greek Retsina wine (however, it’s an acquired taste). You may want to try it, well chilled, to be truly authentic. Check with the nice people at the LCBO for advice.

Best, as always from: pcormier@ranaprocess.com.