Horiataki Salata (Traditional Greek Salad)
This is the traditional authentic Greek salad known as peasant salad – horiatiki, exactly as Greeks make at home. Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, olives, extra virgin olive oil, and good feta cheese.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2-3 tomatoes halved and cut in wedges about half an inch thick.
- ½ english cucumber cut in coins.
- 1 green bell pepper cored and sliced
- ⅓ red onion sliced
- ½ cup olives your favorite kind
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar to taste, you can add more if you prefer
- fresh basil leaves
- sea salt to taste
- Greek Barley Rusks
(Optional) (See recipe, or see Notes, below.)
Instructions
- Mix all fresh ingredients —season with sea salt to taste. Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a tablespoon red wine vinegar. Sprinkle dry oregano all over and toss.
- For best results, allow the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Serving suggestions
- Serve with fresh, crusty bread to dip in the salad juices. You can also try the rusks in the salad. If they are big in size, break them up at the size of croutons. Please see recipe notes for details.
Notes
- It is essential to let the salad sit for half an hour before serving. The flavors will meld together, and tomatoes always taste better at room temperature.
- For sumptuous tomatoes, always store them on a platter on your countertop. Avoid letting them touch each other, and don’t stack them. Never refrigerate tomatoes.
- The same goes for the onions. Store them in a cool, dry, dark place -not in your fridge. When the onion is chilled, the cold temperature converts the starch to sugars, and onions become soft or soggy. Don’t store them in a bag; they need air to breathe. Keep the onions separate from potatoes; they can speed up an onion’s decomposition due to excreted moisture.
- I do not include the rusks in the recipe because they are optional. Although they are abundant in grocery stores in Greece, they are more challenging to find in the USA. If you want to try them, try the Manna brand on Amazon and at titanfoods.com in Astoria, NY. There are different sizes; some are small enough to add as they are in the salad. If they are too big, break them up into crouton sizes. Let them soak up the salad juices; they will be fantastic!
- If you want to try the rusk as is, run it underwater for 1-2 seconds. I enjoy it with just a little extra virgin olive oil on top. It is my favorite snack.
