Lazy Sunday Salad In The Style of Crete

Lazy Sundays are my thing, and as much as I love to cook on Sundays I also like to take it easy. Waking up early, driving to the coffee shop for a little pick me upper and then walking around the lake for one hour, watching the birds and the ducks carry on with life…
Breathing, smiling, il dolce far niente !
This past Sunday I did make it to the Farmer’s Market right around the corner from the lake and ran into this lady that had put together the most beautiful Salad mix I have ever seen: tons of baby greens, herbs and edible flowers that begged to be taken home.

Baby Greens Salad Mix

Baby lettuce, dandelion, parsley leaves, chives, viola petals, chervil and dill, a cluster of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes and a few red bell peppers begging to be roasted… refreshing cucumbers, green olives and salty feta cheese got me dreaming of Greece.
So I picked them all up and put together a simple salad in the style of Crete with so much flavor that all I needed to dress it with was a nice drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

What really brings all the flavors together here are the roasted red peppers which I beg of you to roast yourself and marinade in some red wine vinegar and olive oil. Serve some on the plate next to each slice of the feta cheese for a beautiful balance of sweet and sour and salty and heavenly in each bite.

Greek Salad

Lazy Sunday Salad In the Style Of Crete
( serves 4)

• 1 lb bay greens mix: baby greens, baby dandelion leaves, edible flower petals, chives, dill, chervil leaves, parsley leaves
• 1 lb heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges or chunks
• 1 english cucumber cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 c greek green olives
• 5 green onions -sliced ( the pale green part only )
• 3 red bell peppers roasted & marinated
• 4 oz greek feta cheese -sliced into 1/3 inch thick slices
• 2 tbs fresh oregano leaves
• coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1. Divide the baby greens between four plates. Top each plate with the cucumber chunks, olives and heirloom tomato wedges. Add 5 feta cheese slices to each plate and set a couple of roasted bell pepper strips next to each slice of cheese.

2. Sprinkle the salad with the green onions and oregano leaves and finish it with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of good quality sea salt. Serve with lemon wedges and bruschetta.

Roasted Red Bell Peppers Recipe

• 3 red bell peppers -washed
• 2 tbs EV olive oil
• 4 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Roast the peppers on a fire grill turning them frequently until charred all over. You can also roast them under the broiler for a few minutes on each side until completely black. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 15 min or until cool enough to handle.
2. Peel the charred skins from the peppers ( they should come right off at this point), and discard together with the core & seeds.
3. Once cleaned slice the peppers into 1″ strips and drizzle with the red wine vinegar. Toss with the olive oil and sea salt and serve with the salad.