GREEK SALAD

I love fresh tomatoes. I love them sliced with lots of salt and pepper, I love them with basil and fresh mozzarella, all drizzled with olive oil. I love pappa al pomodoro.... tomato bread soup, and panzanella, tomato bread salad. Today I made something that we haven't had for a while, a nice Greek salad. As usual, I made changes to the recipe. In my opinion, a good Greek salad should have cucumber, and not quite so much lettuce.

If I'd had some fennel I would have used it, but since I didn't, no big deal. I did add about half a cucumber, thinly sliced. I'm not a big cucumber eater, but in a Greek salad or a tossed saled, I do like to have just a hint of it. Here's the recipe:

GREEK SALAD

1 red onion, finely sliced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
black pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp EVOO
5 nice size tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 bulb fennel
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cup pitted black olives
14 oz feta cheese, crumbled
juice of half a lemon


Sprinkle the red onion with the oregano and black pepper. Pour in the vinegar and oil and toss well. Cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours.

Cut the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with sugar and salt.

Tear the lettuce into big pieces and put into a large, wide, salad bowl. Slice the fennel and add to the lettuce. Add the cucumber, olives and the feta and toss to combine.

Add the tomatoes, the red onion and the lemon juice to the lettuce mixture. Toss thoroughly but gently and serve immediately. Serves 4