Greek Country Salad

Greek salad, or horiatiki (pronounced hoh-ree-AH-tee-kee), is a rough country salad of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, sliced red onion, green pepper, crumbly feta cheese and plump kalamata olives. Serve this delightful combination as a side dish or as a light meal with some toasted pita bread, crusty bread or crackers.

Other dishes that would complement the meal are Hummus (chickpea and tahini spread) or Baba Ghanoush (eggplant and tahini spread), to serve with the toasted pita bread. Domades (cold stuffed grape leaves) would also be a nice addition.

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt [omit - olives and cheese add plenty of salt]
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish

Salad:
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 red onion, sliced into rings
1/2 cucumber, sliced into thick half-moons
1/2 green pepper, julienned
4 oz (120g) feta cheese, cut into small cubes
16 kalamata olives

Place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.

Garnish with a little freshly ground black pepper.