Greek salad - general principles and methods of preparation
Traditional Greek cuisine is very lively and light, full of freshness and Mediterranean flavors. Its roots include sharing meals with friends, compulsory family dinners, and a relaxed, simple manner. All this can be felt in the real pearl of Greek cuisine, its original business card - Greek salad. The preferences of the Greeks for fresh products that flourish in the dry climate of the Greek islands with "340 suns" a year, are fully embodied in a rustic salad, in Greek Croatian, which ranks first in popularity in Mediterranean restaurants. And how else?
Juicy sweet tomatoes, chubby seductive olives, lemons, wild greens, shiny zucchini and a variety of peppers, and, of course, the best vegetable oil in the world - olive. Cheeses are of particular importance to the Greeks: different varieties of cheese, soft mild cheese like ricotta, and, of course, salted feta - sheep or goat cheese, used in a variety of local salads. Unusual aromas are also achieved by the use of rosemary, parsley, coriander, basil, oregano and peppermint.
The Greek salad itself has many recipes that many countries of the world have appropriated for themselves, but several components are unchanged - cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and cheese, which are cut into large pieces. Among other things, it is also a very healthy salad. If you consider its composition from the point of view of medicine, you can write a whole dissertation on the benefits and its effects on health. It is enough to note that the essential elements - green salad and olive oil contain a large amount of folic acid, which contributes to the production of hormones of happiness in the body - endorphins. So, we are preparing a Greek salad today, and we are ensured a good mood.
Greek salad - food preparation
The most important thing is that the products are fresh. And not just fresh, but very fresh, perfect - just ripped from the garden. In winter, the garden is replaced by a greenhouse. A true Greek salad is seasoned with only the finest olive oil. In some salads, cheese is not cut into pieces, but served in a large piece in the center of a portioned salad bowl, watered with dressing.
Greek salad - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Classic Greek Salad
In the classic salad recipe, the combination of vegetables and seasonings is very skillfully used. In this case, we choose oregano and ground pepper. Have you tried this salad many times, but still don’t know how it is prepared? Then this recipe is just for you!
Ingredients: cucumbers (3 pcs), tomatoes (3 pcs), Feta cheese (200 gr), red meaty pepper, red large onion, olives (1 can), dry oregano, ground pepper, salt.
Cooking method
Washed cucumbers, tomatoes are cut into large slices, pepper is cut into long strips of pepper. The red onion is cut into rings. We also cut olives in rings, we leave only a few whole things for decoration. In a beautiful transparent salad bowl we spread the vegetables in layers, lay out small cheese cubes on top, do not mix. Whole olives will look great on top of the salad, pour everything with olive oil, sprinkle with lemon juice - and onto the table! Salt in the last turn, so that the vegetables do not lose juice when excreting prematurely. Feta cheese is salty in itself, so be careful about adding salt.
Recipe 2: Greek Salad in Pita Bread
Have you started a light buffet? Salad in pita bread is something that will help you feel easy and free, even when moving around the room. Just wrap the salad prepared in a special way in small pieces of pita bread, and the original appetizer is ready.
Ingredients: Thin pita bread (2 pcs), young garlic (2 cloves), pitted olives (200 g), olive oil (50 ml), small cucumbers (4 pcs), feta cheese (200 g), bell pepper, tomatoes (4 pcs), lettuce, lemon juice.
Cooking method
Chop the ingredients. We cut tomatoes and cucumbers into cubes, peel and chop the garlic, and cut the olives in half. Feta is cut into cubes, and it is best to pick the salad by hand, after washing and drying it.
In a separate bowl, mix the fill - olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice. We spread tomatoes, olives, cucumbers and lettuce there. Gently but thoroughly mix.
We divide pita bread into 4 parts. We lay out and on each part put a few tablespoons of salad, turn into a tube. Great appetizer, comfortable and tasty. Eat quickly so that the pita bread is not softened.
Recipe 3: Original Greek Chicken Salad
In most recipes, Greek salad is a light meal of fresh vegetables, perfectly perceived by the body, and serving as an additional dish. Let’s try to “weight” it by adding meat, fried with onions. Otherwise, its ingredients remain unchanged, except that the structure will be slightly different - we will form the salad in layers. Without a doubt, this salad will be appreciated by male meat-eaters who like to eat any meat ... meat. In nutrition, he will not yield to his beloved “Olivier”, but is decorated much more interesting.
Ingredients: Minced chicken (300-400 grams), tomatoes (4 pcs), onions (1 pc), pickled pepper (3 pcs), black seedless olives, sour cream 150 gr, yogurt (200 gr), cucumber, dill, garlic, pepper .
Cooking method
Fry the minced meat with garlic. In order to feel our involvement in Greece, we will use the national seasoning. We cool the minced meat and put it in the salad bowl - the first layer is ready. Mix the onion, sliced in rings with a little pepper marinade and salt - this will be our second layer. Next comes the hot pickled pepper, which is cut into cubes and spread on top of the onion. Next are finely chopped tomatoes. It is important not to over-moisten our salad, so we remove seeds from tomatoes to remove excess juice. Cut the olives and spread them on top of the tomatoes. Pour over the sauce: mix yogurt with sour cream and add greens and cucumber. We decorate the salad with colorful vegetables and olives and put in the refrigerator to soak. This is a very beautiful and nutritious salad, they can almost completely have dinner. You will be surprised how the chicken harmonizes with olives and vegetables.
Recipe 4: Greek Beetroot Salad - The Basis of the Mediterranean Diet
The popular love of the Greeks for gatherings is accompanied by an abundance of salads on the table. Moreover, mayonnaise or any other heavy salads are not recognized, Greek housewives prefer light vegetables, natural, healthy and quick to prepare. Such as, for example, this simple beetroot salad, the basis of the most proper Mediterranean diet.
Ingredients: beets, necessarily with tops (1 kilogram), lemon juice, olive oil, salt.
Cooking method
Cut the tops, cook the beets on the fire, not peeling. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, put the tops in the pot, everything goes, both cuttings and leaves. Drain the water, chop the tops and put into a shallow dish. We spread the beets on top in the form of slices or circles. Oil and vinegar are whipped with salt, obtained dressing poured vegetables. Eat and lose weight on health!
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