Instructions: Leave out the lettuce and make horiatiki. Dont forget everyone, if you have access to a grape vine, its just about time to pick and pickle your grape leaves for all the Dolmas you are going to be making for the holidays. Dont forget like I usually do, and not get around to it until September. They are far to old and tough by then.

Theres more than one way to make a Greek salad. As with most traditional

"peasant" foods, horiatiki salata , which we might call country or village salad, is an improvisational affair. Different cooks will include different ingredients depending on taste, budget and seasonal circumstances.

We can agree on at least two ingredients: A good Greek salad must have tomatoes and feta cheese. The B list of ingredients includes cucumber, sweet peppers (red or green) onion (white or red) and olives. Other ingredients might include capers, anchovies, toasted croutons and fresh herbs. Even the dressing is up for debate, with some cooks preferring a healthy dash of extra virgin olive oil and others choosing a vinaigrette-style mixture of oil, vinegar or lemon, and perhaps garlic and other flavorings.

The one thing that is not traditional in this anything-goes salad is the great handfuls of iceberg lettuce found in most restaurant Greek salads. Not that theres anything wrong with lettuce. Its a great way to stretch the salad ingredients, for one thing.

If tossing cheese cubes, tomato wedges and pepper rings in a bowl is a little too rustic for your taste, try a composed salad by artfully arranging the usual Greek salad ingredients.

Picture these ideas:
o o Thin slices of ripe plum (or Roma) tomatoes, fan-style on a plate, topped with crescent-moon shaped cucumber slices, scallions and matchstick slices of feta cheese.

o o Cherry tomatoes lined up on a square or rectangular sushi tray, alternating with cubes of feta cheese and dark, black kalamata olives.

o o Chunks of cucumber on a stick with cherry tomatoes, rolled anchovy fillets, feta squares and green pepper pieces. (A fun picnic salad.)

o o Peeled and thickly sliced beefsteak tomatoes topped with cucumber, pepper and onion rings and served with a hot crouton (toasted slice of good French bread) topped with feta cheese spread.

You can drizzle your oil or prepared dressing over your completed composed salad or toss each ingredient individually in the dressing before making your arrangements.

An oil and lemon dressing to serve with green salad. Dont forget the feta cheese and lots of fresh herbs, such as oregano and basil!

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