How to make Greek salad at home. Greek salad. Classic step-by-step recipe with photos Method for preparing Greek salad

Traditional Greek salad is easy to make. The main rule is to use only fresh and high-quality products.

Ingredients

• 2–3 tomatoes;
• 1 cucumber;
• 1 small red onion;
• a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;
• 6–8 kalamata olives;
• 100 g feta cheese;
• salt - to taste;
• 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano.

Preparation

All ingredients must be large. Small cubes may look more aesthetically pleasing, but they alienate the appearance of the salad from the original.

The highlight of this salad is the beetroot spaghetti.

Ingredients

• 2 large beets;
• 3 tablespoons olive oil;
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest;
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano;
• ½ teaspoon;
• salt - to taste;
• 1 small red onion;
• 1 small cucumber;
• 1 yellow bell pepper;
• a handful of olives;
• 60 g feta cheese;
• a few sprigs of mint.

Preparation

Peel the beets and cut into thin spirals using a vegetable slicer. Season the resulting spaghetti with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir. Cover a baking sheet with parchment, place the beets on it and place in an oven preheated to 200°C for 5–10 minutes. The beets should soften but still be slightly crunchy.

Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, remaining oil, minced garlic, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper. Place the beets in a bowl, add the chopped onion and dressing. Stir and place on a serving plate.

Top with cucumber and pepper cubes, olives and small pieces of feta. Sprinkle the salad with mint leaves and ground black pepper.

4. “Greek salad” canapes with marinated feta

A completely different salad presentation for a buffet or big party.

Ingredients

• 4–5 tablespoons olive oil;
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice;
• several sprigs of dill;
• several sprigs of parsley;
• salt - to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• a pinch of ground red pepper;
• 200–300 g feta cheese;
• a handful of cherry tomatoes;
• 1 cucumber;
• handful of kalamata olives.

Preparation

Mix oil, lemon juice, chopped herbs and spices. Cut the feta into large cubes, add to the marinade, stir and leave for 15 minutes.

Cut the tomatoes in half and cut the cucumbers into thick semicircular slices. Place half a tomato, a cucumber slice, an olive and a cube of cheese on each skewer.

Non-standard design for those who like to experiment.

Ingredients

• 150 g canned or boiled;
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice;
• 3 ½ tablespoons olive oil;
• ¼ bunch of parsley;
• ½ small red onion;
• salt - to taste;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 80 g feta cheese;
• 8 slices of bread;
• 1 cucumber;
• 1 tomato.

Preparation

Grind the chickpeas in a blender, add 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and oil, as well as chopped parsley. Cut the onion into thin half rings, add the remaining lemon juice, ½ tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper and stir. In a separate container, mash the feta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Spread chickpea paste on 4 bread slices. Top with cucumbers and tomatoes, cut into thin slices, and onions. Spread feta onto remaining slices of bread and top sandwiches.

The appetizing “Greek” salad amazes with its riot of bright colors. It is tasty, healthy and, no less important, low in calories. There are several options for this snack.

Ingredients: fleshy tomato, fresh cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, bunch of green lettuce, 18 olives, 80 g Fetax cheese, lemon, sweet ground paprika, salt, 3 tbsp. spoons of olive oil.

1. The onion is cut into thin half rings. If it is very hard or bitter, you need to pour boiling water over the vegetable for a couple of minutes.
2. The tomato along with the skin is cut into large pieces. Cucumber - in circles.
3. The prepared components are laid out on lettuce leaves, poured with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and seasonings, and sprinkled with lemon juice.

Place cubes of cheese and halves of olives on top of the finished appetizer. This classic “Greek” salad recipe can be slightly modified with the help of various aromatic herbs and other types of cheese.

How to prepare a real salad, like in Greece?

Ingredients: a little grape vinegar, half a red onion, 2 ripe tomatoes, 120 g Feta cheese, 2 fresh cucumbers, 4 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, a handful of olives, a large pinch of dry tarragon, a bunch of fresh herbs, table salt.

1. All vegetables need to be cut very coarsely. Cucumbers - into circles, tomatoes - into 4-6 parts, onions - into half rings.
2. The prepared ingredients, except onions, are mixed in a deep salad bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix onion, tarragon, finely chopped herbs, vinegar, and table salt. The resulting mass is left for 12-15 minutes. Next, it is laid out on top of other ingredients in a salad bowl.
4. Feta is cut into medium cubes, and then poured into a snack along with whole olives.
5. All that remains is to pour the oil over the salad, mix again and serve.

In different regions of Greece, fresh lettuce leaves, bell peppers, boiled beets and some other interesting ingredients are also added to the appetizer under discussion.

With chicken and croutons

Ingredients: 420 g chicken meat (it is best to choose the pulp from the legs), 70 g pitted olives, half a purple onion, 4 tbsp. tablespoons of high-quality olive oil, 2 fresh cucumbers, 2 meaty tomatoes, 170 g of green salad, 60 g of white croutons, table salt, half a sweet bell pepper, a pinch of Provençal herbs, 120 g of Fetax cheese.

1. Chicken legs are boiled in salted water until tender, after which the meat is removed from the bones and cut into small pieces.
2. All vegetables are washed and dried with a paper towel. Then, if necessary, they are cleaned and arbitrarily cut. Cucumbers - in circles, tomatoes - in slices, peppers - in cubes, onions - in thin rings. In Greece, to prepare the salad under discussion, vegetables are always cut very large.
3. The salad is washed, dried well and torn into pieces directly by hand. He is the first to be laid out in the dish. The remaining ingredients will pour out on top of the lettuce leaves.
4. Fetaxa is cut into medium cubes.
5. First, all the pre-prepared vegetables are poured onto the lettuce leaves. They also need to be salted to taste.
6. You can take ready-made crackers or make them yourself by drying cubes of white bread. They are poured on top of the vegetables along with whole pitted olives.
7. All that remains is to lay out the chicken.

“Greek” salad with chicken is dressed with a mixture of olive oil and Provençal herbs.

With cheese and olives

Ingredients: a kilo of fleshy ripe tomatoes, a kilo of fresh cucumbers, large sweet bell peppers, 12 pieces of olives and black olives, half a kilo of feta cheese, a purple onion, a full glass of high-quality olive oil, 2 tbsp. spoons of lemon juice, 1 tbsp. spoon of oregano, table salt to taste.

1. The cucumbers are washed, cut in half, and then chopped into half rings. Bulgarian pepper without seeds is chopped into medium cubes.
2. The onion is chopped very finely.
3. Each tomato is simply cut into 6-8 pieces.
4. All prepared components are laid out in a salad bowl. Olives and black olives are poured onto them. These ingredients are added whole or cut into halves.
5. For dressing, combine olive oil, freshly squeezed citrus juice, oregano, and salt.
6. The contents of the salad bowl are mixed well and seasoned with the resulting sauce. Large cubes of cheese are laid out on top of the appetizer.

“Greek” salad with feta cheese is served immediately after mixing.

Original version in lavash

Ingredients: lettuce (a whole head), a full glass of pitted olives, 220 g Feta cheese, 4 ripe tomatoes, 5 small fresh cucumbers, 2 cloves of garlic, half a bell pepper, 2 thin pita bread, table salt to taste, 70 ml olive oils

1. First of all, tomatoes and cucumbers are prepared. Vegetables are washed, skinned if necessary and cut into cubes. They immediately pour into the salad bowl.
2. Add olives cut in half to the other ingredients. You can use them whole to suit your taste. Pour bell peppers, cut into medium cubes, into a container.
3. Feta is cut into cubes and immediately poured into a bowl.
4. The salad is disassembled into leaves, washed well under running water, gets rid of excess moisture, after which it is roughly torn directly by hand and sent to the rest of the ingredients.
5. Olive oil is poured into a separate bowl, salt to taste and crushed garlic are added. The resulting sauce is used to season the finished appetizer.

Each pita bread is divided into 4 parts. A small amount of lettuce is wrapped in the resulting preparations. The resulting tubes are immediately served to the table. If you leave the treat for a long time, the pita bread will become soggy and become less appetizing, but more tender.

With added oregano, dill and mint

Ingredients: a large pinch of ground oregano, a handful of olives, 80 g Feta cheese, 2 bell peppers (red and yellow), 3 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, a small bunch of fresh herbs from dill, parsley and mint, 3 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, onion, table salt, 1 tbsp. spoon of wine vinegar.

1. Fresh tomatoes are cut into fairly large cubes. There is no need to remove the skin from them first.
2. The cucumbers are first cut in half and then into thick slices.
3. Bulgarian pepper without seeds is crushed into large cubes.
4. Onions are cut into thin strips. Both white and purple will do.
5. All fresh greens are chopped very finely. You need to take the least amount of mint - 3-4 leaves.
6. All prepared ingredients are combined in a bowl, whole or halved olives are poured into them.
7. The appetizer is seasoned with a mixture of olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and ground oregano.

Garnished with large slices of Feta cheese. They are easy to obtain using a special wide grater.

Greek salad dressing: options for preparing the sauce

The taste of the appetizer in question largely depends on the sauce with which it is served. Today, several successful dressings for “Greek” salad are known.

Mustard sauce

Ingredients: half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 60 ml of wine vinegar, a pinch of oregano, 130 ml of olive oil, garlic to taste, salt.

1. Chopped garlic is combined with dry oregano seasoning.
2. Mustard (dry) is poured into the mixture.
3. The sauce base is salted to taste.
4. Vinegar and oil are poured into the mixture. Using a whisk, mix the ingredients until smooth. You can use a blender for this.

The dressing will infuse for about half an hour until it is completely ready.

Classic sauce for Greek salad

Ingredients: 6 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of wine vinegar, a pinch of Provençal herbs.

1. Oil is poured into a clean, dry container.
2. Next, vinegar is added to it. The mixture is lightly whisked.
3. Any spices for the sauce are suitable. It is best to use a ready-made Provencal aromatic mixture.
1. Honey is diluted with soy sauce until smooth.
2. Gradually add lemon juice and olive oil to the mixture. In this case, you need to constantly work with a whisk.

Good day! Tell me, have you tried to eat Horiatiki at least once in your life? Don't know what it is? The answer is quite simple and banal, it is famous, it’s just that in Greece it is customary to call it that way. But it’s more pleasant for you and me to pronounce a more ordinary expression, and I know many people who also call this dish an ordinary country salad when it’s summer.

But when it’s winter, you can’t call it rural, because in winter such products are sold in the store at a high price, so for us residents of Russia it will become a decoration for a festive table or feast.

Let's figure it out and prepare it, as they say, one, two, three. I hope you find this selection useful, and you will definitely add it to your bookmarks, so that later you can easily and quickly find the cooking option you need for this simple dish.

This amazing vegetable dish is considered low-calorie, in general, everything in it is excellent, it looks beautiful and there are not many calories at all, only 120 kcal per 100 g.

As usual, they came up with a bunch of variations on this theme, just give our Russian people an idea, we’ll spin it all so much that we’ll be surprised ourselves later. So, catch new ideas, and of course, no one will ever cancel the traditional ones.

I will start this note with the traditional version, and I want to tell you that regardless of whether you are doing this miracle for the first time or the second time, it doesn’t matter, you must remember one simple truth. In this type of salad, it is customary to take all the ingredients by eye, because it is mostly vegetable, which means if you like tomatoes most of all, then take them and add more, if you like green cucumbers, add more of them.

In general, it all depends on you and the preferences of your beloved family. So don’t worry if you suddenly don’t have enough of an ingredient. The composition for this dish is not very complicated, I would say ordinary. The only thing is that the real Greek one is made from Feta cheese, so it can be difficult to get, but there is always an alternative to find another variety, for example, take feta cheese or Fetax. Therefore, try different types and in any case you will be satisfied with both the salad and your figure))).

The main advice from me is to take fresh and beautiful-looking vegetables, with them this delicious dish will look much brighter and more interesting on the plate. Well, let's get started.

We will need:

• fresh cucumber - 1 pc.
• red onion - 0.5 pcs.
• sweet pepper - 0.5 pcs.
• tomatoes - 2-3 pcs.
• olives with pit - a handful
• Feta cheese – 120g
• Oregano - a pinch
• olive oil - 1-2 tbsp

Cooking method:

1. Make preliminary preparations, first of all, wash all the vegetables thoroughly in water. Then take the cucumbers and cut them into pieces.

Important! If you noticed, the photo shows a cucumber without the skin, this is exactly what is supposed and customary to do in Greece, supposedly this kills the bitterness, but this is a matter of taste, personally, I rarely remove the skin, since I don’t feel the bitterness.

2. Use red onions, they are tastier in this salad, brighter, and of course not as hot as regular white onions. Cut into half rings.

Place the cucumbers in a bowl, followed by the chopped onion.

Place all the vegetables in a bowl and continue this simple and uncomplicated work.

4. Take the pitted olives and scatter them over the salad.

Interesting! As you may have noticed, all the ingredients are cut quite coarsely, this is such an amazing feature of this dish, Greek cuisine. There is no need to chop it, as we Russians are used to doing in all other types of salads.

5. Drizzle olive oil on top and stir. Choose only high-quality oil.

6. Also cut the feta into large cubes and cover all the vegetables.

7. Let's see what happened, it's so beautiful, and a magnificent appearance that just makes your mouth water. Yes, I forgot, sprinkle some oregano and smile! Your famous and unique salad is ready! Bon appetit!

Making Greek salad with lettuce at home

But you know how you can give this salad an unrealistically fantastic look, yes, decorate it with lettuce leaves, this in turn will greatly give it uniqueness and a luxurious, attractive look. I think it won’t be too difficult to implement this idea; it’s easy and quick to do, and you can tear the salad with your hands instead of using whole leaves.

We will need:

• Sweet pepper - 2 pcs.
• Fresh cucumber - 2 pcs.
• Cherry tomatoes - 10-12 pcs.
• Olives and/or black olives - 2 handfuls
• Mozzarella cheese - 2 handfuls
• Dry basil - 2 sprigs
• Thyme 0.5 tsp.
• Salt 0.5 tsp.
• Olive oil 2 tbsp
• Salad leaves

Cooking method:

1. Cut the sweet bell pepper into cubes, remove the center with seeds and cores as usual.

2. Remove the stems from the cucumbers and cut into circles or large cubes.

3. Cherry tomatoes, due to the fact that they are small and funny, do not need to be chopped. You can leave a couple of pieces in this full form, and take a few and cut them into halves.

4. You can take a handful of olives with or without pits. If you want to do it without, then remove them initially. I think that since the quantity is not so huge, you will cope with this task very quickly.

5. The final moment has almost arrived; you need to put all the vegetables in a glass bowl, preferably deeper. Scatter the mozzarella pieces.

6. Then add salt, you can even pepper, sprinkle with dried basil and thyme. Season with olive oil. Wow! Great how it looks!

7. Place on green leaves and eat to your health!

Delicious appetizer with feta cheese - step-by-step recipe with photos

For those who love experiments, and generally who don’t know where Feta or mozzarella is sold, I suggest making this culinary creation with feta cheese. It also looks pretty good, and it certainly pleases with its taste.

Lemon is also added to this type, for good reason, it gives some unexpected sourness. An additional aromatic sauce for Greek salad is prepared from it. Everyone will certainly like this dressing in this dish. Yum, very very tasty!

We will need:

• cucumber - 1 piece
• Cherry tomatoes - 8 pcs.
• feta cheese or tofu or feta cheese - 200 g
• lettuce leaves - 1 pack
• bell pepper - 1 pc.
• olives – 80 g
• lemon juice - 2 tbsp
• oregano to taste
• salt to taste
• olive oil - 3 tbsp

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the green leaves and allow excess moisture to drain. Place them on a flat dish and all other ingredients will be placed on them.

2. Prepare the vegetables.

3. Cut them the way you are used to doing it, the main condition is not to make them small, the important thing here is to chop them coarsely. Something like this.

4. Now it’s time to make the original dressing; add lemon juice, preferably fresh, and about 0.5 teaspoon of oregano and salt to taste to the olive oil. Stir and then season the salad with it.

5. Place all the chopped vegetables on green leaves, decorate the dish with olives and pieces of Feta. Make your loved ones happy!

Video about how real salad is prepared in Greece

I decided to show you one video, which shows a Greek woman who makes this salad; anyone who is interested should definitely watch it, there is something to learn.

Classic Greek salad recipe with fetax, croutons and chicken

And this type has already been made specifically for us Russians, we modified it and made it, so to speak, more satisfying and higher in calories. Of course, in the original version there is no chicken, much less crackers.

We will need:

Cooking method:

1. Prepare the non-main components first, in this case the chicken. Boil it and cut into large cubes. If you want the dish to be even more satisfying, you can fry the chicken breast in a frying pan with vegetable oil.

3. Assembling the salad will proceed as follows: prepare the lettuce leaves, wash and dry with a paper napkin. Place the leaves on the plate in which you will serve the salad. Do not make a large portion, it is better to serve in small portions, i.e. in portions, do not make for future use.

4. The main components of this salad are cucumbers, sweet peppers and tomatoes; cut them into small cubes. Place all vegetables on lettuce leaves.

5. Next, finely chop the onion into rings and add to the rest of the vegetables. Add some salt.

6. Now put the chicken cut into pieces, black and pitted olives.

7. Feta cheese, like the other ingredients, cut into cubes. And decorate the finished salad with it. Finally, sprinkle with toasted croutons and drizzle with olive oil.

Don't forget about herbs, dry Provençal herbs are very suitable here.

Cooking with Chinese cabbage and feta cheese at home

It turns out you can also do it with cabbage. I didn’t even know about this before, it turns out quite tender and refreshing.

We will need:

• Fresh cucumbers - 250 g
• Bell pepper - 1 pc.
• Fresh tomatoes - 250 g
• Beijing cabbage - 130 g
• Cheese (like feta, I use brined cheese) - 120 g
• Dill - 1 small bunch
• Black pitted olives – 110 g
• Olive oil - 4 tbsp. l.
• Apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.
• Salt to taste

Cooking method:

1. Chop all the vegetables into random pieces, first the cucumbers, then the sweet red bell pepper.

2. Afterwards, cut the tomatoes into pieces, and any type of cheese that you prepared or bought.

3. For an unexpected touch, cut the olives into rings, it looks cool. Isn't it true?! Chop the cabbage into pieces.

4. Finely chop the dill on a board with a sharp culinary knife. Place all the products in one container, pour a little apple cider vinegar and season with olive oil. If you don't have olive oil, you can use vegetable oil. It looks so fabulous, you’ll want to eat it right away))).

Video on how to cook Greek according to a restaurant chef's recipe

Greece, welcoming to guests, is generous with culinary masterpieces. The cuisine of this country is one of the most popular, known for the variety of cheeses, meats, fish, and seasoning combinations used in preparing dishes. If you say that the salad called “Greek” is a world celebrity, then you definitely won’t be lying. What's in a Greek salad?

How to make Greek salad

There are many ideas for preparing a famous dish. What can you use to diversify your Greek salad? Different types of cheeses, add a meat component and make the dish even more nutritious, experiment with canning and adding legumes. What nuances need to be taken into account when working on a culinary delight to make it perfect:

1. It is better if the seasoning for the Greek salad is prepared separately, and only then it is seasoned with the vegetables on the plate.
2. You need to add salt before serving, so the dish will retain its appetizingness without having time to “drown” in the juice of the vegetables.
3. What else do you need for a Greek salad? Lots of different greens: chopped parsley, oregano.

Ingredients

There are many versions of the culinary masterpiece from Hellas, and a significant proportion of them were presented to the world by European chefs. No matter how you modify the dish, the basis that will make it recognizable must be present. There is a traditional minimum of ingredients - vegetables (regular tomato or cherry variety, cucumber), herbs (parsley, lettuce, oregano), pitted olives and cheese. These ingredients are considered classics, but what type of tomatoes or what kind of cheese you use in a Greek salad depends on your preferences.

A delicious winter recipe with beans to put in jars or to add to the menu with a portion of protein in the form of chicken meat. You can use different methods to prepare chicken to add different flavors to the dish: frying the meat, grilling it, or boiling it. must necessarily be based on olive oil, and the addition is selected at the discretion of the housewife:

• vinegar;
• lemon juice;
• soy sauce.

Greek salad recipes

How to cook something attractive in appearance, tasty and correct? A simple and delicious recipe that anyone can make. Most ingredients can be simply washed and chopped. You don't even need to do heat treatment. The main point: do not skimp on the herbs and dressing - the aroma of the dish, which goes well with a side dish and main dish, depends on this.

Classical

Do you want to prepare a classic Greek salad, without any frills, like in the photo from the restaurant? The traditional version is light in every sense: both in the processing process and in taste. The classic type of dish is also called “village”, because the inhabitants of small settlements in Greece worked hard and tried to cook in the kitchen as quickly as possible.

Ingredients:

• tomatoes – 4 pcs.;
• cucumber – 1 pc.;
• red onion (or any other sweet) – 1 pc.;
• red bell pepper – 3 pcs.;
• olives – 15-20 pcs.;
• pickled capers – 1.5 tsp;
• cheese (soft consistency) – 200 g;
• lemon juice – 2 tbsp. l.;
• olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
• salt.

Cooking method:

1. The entire portion of vegetables must be washed, the husks removed from them, and the bell pepper must be taken cleaned from the core and seeds.
2. Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into pieces, peppers and onions into half rings.
3. Add olives, capers, season everything with salt, olive oil, and sour lemon juice.
4. Cut the cheese into slices and place on top.

With feta cheese

It is difficult to finely chop this type of cheese; you need a special knife for it, otherwise the product will crumble. In order for the fermented milk product to remain intact in appearance, you need to lay it on top of the vegetables, but do not mix. The recipe for Greek salad with feta cheese involves the use of spices, but in small quantities so that the dish is not too salty.

Ingredients:

• fresh tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
• cucumber – 1 pc.;
• bell pepper (red) – 2 pcs.;
• pitted olives – 30 g;
• feta cheese – 150 g;
• olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
• apple cider vinegar – 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• salt.

Cooking method:

1. Wash all the vegetables, remove the stems, and additionally remove the seeds from the pepper.
2. Cut the olives into halves, and all the vegetables into small squares.
3. Mix the vegetable mixture with olives, season with oil, spices, vinegar (replace with lemon juice). Divide into portions, ready to serve.
4. Cut the cheese into cubes and place on top of the dish. You can serve.

With feta cheese

Spicy-tasting feta cheese is a very appetizing type of cheese, salty. Try to add very little salt to vegetables. Cut the fermented milk product into strips or cubes and place it either on top of the vegetables or mix with them. The recipe for Greek salad with feta cheese and olives can be supplemented with many products that suit your taste.

Ingredients:

• feta cheese – 150 g;
• fresh cherry tomatoes – 7-8 pcs.;
• pitted olives – 50 g;
• cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
• prunes – 2 pcs.;
• sweet red pepper – 1 pc.;
• red onion – 0.5 pcs.;
• olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
• salt, oregano, pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Squeeze the cheese a little and cut into large strips.
2. Prunes need to be soaked in cold water: this way they will not lose the brightness of their taste. To do this, leave the washed prunes in a bowl at room temperature, cover and leave for 2.5 hours. After the soaking time has passed, drain the water, dry the dried fruit and cut into pieces.
3. After washing and removing excess seeds and stalks, cut the entire volume of vegetables into large cubes, tomatoes into halves.
4. Mix all the ingredients, season with oil, add a little salt and serve on plates, garnished with herbs on top.

With fetax

The fermented milk product of this variety goes well with vegetables, and its pieces will not be too soft. It is easier to find original fetax on the shelves of stores in our country than feta. Changing the cheese will affect the taste, but your taste buds will love the change. The Greek salad recipe can be supplemented with various greens, which will refresh the dish.

Ingredients:

• fetax – 150 g;
• cherry tomatoes – 2-4 pcs.;
• fresh cucumbers (medium) – 2 pcs.;
• olives – 10 pcs.;
• Chinese cabbage leaves – 3-4 pcs.;
• olive oil – 4 tbsp. l.;
• spices - to taste;
• wine vinegar – 0.5-1 tbsp. l.

Cooking method:

1. Wash vegetables and herbs and dry. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into large cubes, and tear the cabbage leaves with your hands. Place everything on a plate.
2. Squeeze the olives from the liquid and cut into rings. Add to vegetables.
3. Cut the cheese into slices or large slices, mix with the remaining ingredients, season with vinegar, oil, and salt.

With chicken

There are many variations of this dish in the world; photos of culinary magazine pages are often full of this famous name. Cheese is the main nutritional highlight of the dish, but why not complement it with a meat product that is not too high in calories? Greek salad with fried chicken can be either the main dish of dinner or a side dish or main dish.

Ingredients:

• chicken meat – 500 g;
• soft cheese – 70 g;
• cherry tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
• onion – 0.5 pcs.;
• olives – 10 pcs.;
• olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
• balsamic vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.;
• white croutons (can be flavored with garlic or bacon) – 2 tbsp. l.;
• salt, pepper - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Start the step-by-step process with the protein part: cut the chicken into cubes, marinate in any way convenient for you. When the flesh is well marinated, fry on a grill or frying pan until the sides are golden brown.
2. Rinse all vegetables well, peel and cut: onions into half rings, cucumbers into slices.
3. Cut the pitted olives into rings.
4. Mix everything and season with oil, balsamic and spices.
5. Chop soft cheese (brynza, feta or fetax) with a knife (into blocks or slices). Place the cheese on top of the vegetable mixture along with croutons and whole washed cherries. The dish can be served and eaten.

With beans

For an experienced housewife or a novice cook, the result of her work in the kitchen is equally important. Canned Greek salad for the winter with beans is something that all women can do – both the most experienced in the kitchen and beginners. A tasty, aromatic, simple product will become a snack or an addition to your favorite side dishes. Even from the photo of the twists you can see how bright and appetizing it is.

Ingredients:

• beans – 1 kg;
• fresh tomatoes – 2.5 kg;
• white onion – 500 g;
• carrots – 1 kg;
• yellow pepper – 1 kg;
• sugar – 190 g;
• vegetable oil (sunflower or olive) – 2.5 tbsp.;
• salt – 3 tbsp. l.;
• table vinegar – 1 tsp;
• pepper – 2 tsp.

Cooking method:

1. Soak the beans overnight and drain the water in the morning.
2. We chop all the assorted vegetables: onions into half rings, tomatoes into small slices, peppers and carrots into strips.
3. Place vegetables, beans, all dressings and spices specified in the recipe into a cooking container. After stirring, set the heat to low and bring to a boil. From this point on, the mixture should cook for about two hours.
4. When all the vegetables are stewed, put the mixture into a sterilized container and roll up the lids.

How to dress a Greek salad

Greek salad dressing can be made if you find olive oil too simple for the dish. Olive oil will definitely serve as an integral part of the dressing, but the taste can be changed to be as piquant as possible. What sauce to prepare for Greek salad:

1. Olive oil, vinegar (wine, balsamic, apple) in a ratio of 2:1.
2. Olive oil – 5 tbsp. l., lime juice - 1 tsp., a little oregano, pomegranate juice - 1 tbsp. l., spices - to taste.
3. Soy sauce - 1 spoon, oil - 3 tbsp. l., spices.
4. For those who like to season their dishes with mayonnaise: mayonnaise – 1 tbsp. l., lemon (lime) juice - 1 tbsp. l., olive oil - 2 tbsp. l., liquid honey - 0.5 tsp, several grams of chopped parsley. The calorie content of this dressing is high.

Video

No trip abroad is complete without getting to know the national cuisine. If we talk about sunny Hellas, then Greek salad has no competition here. The dish is prepared in every corner of the planet, both according to the traditional recipe for the classic Greek salad, and with new variations.

The article is dedicated to the culinary masterpiece that is so loved by all countries of the world. In the material we will highlight the history of the appearance of the dish, talk about what products are included in the Greek salad and tell the secrets of local chefs. We will also present a dozen delicious vegetable recipes, so there will be no questions left about how to properly prepare Greek salad yourself at home.

Vegetable salads are not uncommon these days, so it’s hard to believe that many of them were invented not so long ago. Thus, it is generally accepted that the birthplace of the current Greek salad is Ancient Hellas. Allegedly, almost the Olympic Gods were the first to know the taste of a dish made from fresh juicy vegetables. Legends are created for tourists everywhere, but history cannot be deceived and rewritten: facts claim that the origin of the now famous Greek salad chronologically dates back no earlier than the mid-19th century.

During this period, tomato consumption began in Greece: tomatoes were imported into the country only in 1818. Until that time, the Greeks did not even know about such a vegetable, and after its importation, tomatoes were grown as ornamental plants - tomato fruits were considered poisonous. But already 8 years later, by 1825, the consumption of tomatoes became widespread. Consequently, only from this time point could a delicious vegetable Greek salad, in which tomato is one of the main ingredients, begin to exist.

The savvy of an emigrant

The first legend says that the ingredients and method of preparing Greek salad were invented quite by accident.

Allegedly in 1909, a Greek emigrant was returning home from America. The reason was more than significant: the sister invited the man to her son’s wedding. Without thinking twice, the “American” got ready and went to congratulate his beloved nephew on such a significant event. On the way, the man suffered a terrible toothache: the pills dulled the pain, but did not completely eliminate the disease.

So the wedding guest arrived with heartfelt congratulations and persistent toothache. As usual, a sumptuous table with country dishes was laid out in honor of the arrival. Over the years of living in America, the man terribly missed Greek products, but an aching tooth prevented him from fully enjoying the desired treat.

Note that in those days nothing was cut in Greek villages. Tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet onions were simply bitten off, just as apples or peaches are eaten today. The cheese was also eaten as a snack with a thin flatbread. But because of the tooth, the emigrant found it unpleasant and painful to bite into food, so the man decided to break the food into large pieces. He took a clay bowl and chopped all the vegetables into it, putting a wide layer of cheese on top and pouring olive oil over everything to make it softer.

Having tasted a spoonful of the resulting mixture, the man was so delighted that he almost forgot about the toothache. He invited his sister to try the miracle of cooking: she was also impressed by the extraordinary taste of the food. I liked the dish so much that it was prepared for the wedding table. The guests of the celebration were delighted and begged the hostess for a recipe for a hitherto unprecedented culinary masterpiece. This is how flattering reviews of Greek salad spread around the world, which, by the way, is still cut into large slices. And in Greece itself, this dish was given the name χωριάτικη σαλάτα (pronounced HoriAtiki salata), which translated means “village salad.”

Tourist boom

However, there is an opinion that a very tasty Greek salad could only be invented by a person closely associated with cooking, because... the products fit perfectly. The legend about the savvy emigrant is just a fiction to entertain tourists.

Indeed, the benefits and taste of Greek salad began to be cultivated in the 60-70s of the 20th century. It was then that the first wave of the tourist boom came to post-war Athens. Thousands of travelers came to see the cradle of ancient civilization, but the country's infrastructure was not yet ready for such increased demand.

Hotels, taverns and cafes were crowded with tourists. The cooks literally did not leave the stove all day long, fulfilling continuously incoming orders. But there were still dissatisfied people who were disgusted by the long wait for food. Then one of the cooks came up with something to keep tourists busy while waiting for hot food - he quickly chopped up the vegetables, added cheese and olive oil for a delicate taste, garnished his recipe with lettuce and ordered it to be served as “the chef’s dish of the day.”

The success of the new recipe was stunning! Every tourist wanted to try a dish made from traditional Greek products, and the simplicity of preparation allowed the cooks to feed the clients and save time for other dishes. Since then, “Khoryatiki Salata” has been on the menu of any Greek establishment.

And even later, when a healthy lifestyle became fashionable everywhere, the beneficial properties found in Greek salad played a significant role in the popularization of the dish. Fresh vegetables seasoned with olive oil and fermented milk cheese are simply a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. And that’s not all that Choriatiki (Greek salad) is good for: thanks to the properties of the products, the dish prevents vascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, the development of diabetes and obesity, and also promotes the rapid recovery of damage to the body.

Thus, several factors played a role in the spread of the Greek recipe throughout the world:

• available ingredients;
• ease of preparation;
• delicate and unusual taste of the dish;
• benefits of Greek salad for the body.

It is also important that Greece is visited annually by thousands of tourists who, upon returning home, talk about their impressions and popularize Greek culture and culinary traditions.

To prepare Greek salad at home, you don’t need a long search for rare delicacies. The composition of the dish is extremely simple: all the ingredients for the Greek salad can be assembled at the nearest supermarket in 5 minutes. But if possible, it is better to buy ingredients for Greek salad from farmers: natural vegetables, carefully grown in the garden, are more tasty than agricultural products from large suppliers.

So, what is included in the Greek salad, which in its homeland is called “Village”? Yes, everything that residents of any village in Greece usually put on the dinner table. Namely:

• tomatoes;
• cucumbers;
• bell pepper;
• sweet onion;
• olives with pits;
• Feta cheese.

In addition, more spices are added to the Greek salad with cheese and olives: salt, pepper, and oregano. There are a couple more subtleties in how to prepare Greek salad. So, for beauty, the products included in the Greek salad are placed on lettuce leaves, and for a rich taste, the mixture is poured with a special dressing. In the usual recipe, Greek salad is seasoned with olive oil or lemon juice, but there are also sophisticated options.

Greek Salad Dressing

So, an integral part of every Greek salad is a dressing with spices.

The classic recipe is based on olive oil, to which lemon juice or vinegar is added. But over the years, the Greek dish has acquired many variations of filling. For example, salad dressing can be made from soy sauce, white wine or orange zest. Apple cider vinegar and red pomegranate juice will give the vegetables a tart taste, while Greek honey diluted with olive oil and mustard will add a hint of sweetness to the salad.

For a piquant taste, spices and herbs are added to the salad dressing. In the classics, they prefer to use oregano and basil, but for home recipes there are no restrictions. Housewives add pepper, thyme, parsley, garlic, salt and other spices to the dressing. It all depends on the choice of the chef and the taste preferences of the guests.

And we also note that, although the prepared Greek salad is served immediately before consumption, it is advisable to leave the filling for several hours. During this time, the spices will infuse and give the sauce a unique aroma and rich taste.

Making Greek Salad

When you want to make a new dish, questions immediately arise about the recipe, time and cooking stages. Therefore, we propose to analyze the preparation of Greek salad step by step. We'll tell you in detail how much and what to take, how to cut Greek salad and what to season it with. But since the composition of the products that are put in a Greek salad depends on the recipe, we suggest looking at different versions of the dish.

Classic recipe

Classic is the fastest and easiest Greek salad recipe. You will need a standard set of ingredients and 15 minutes of time.

Also, don't forget to prepare salt, pepper and dried herbs for the Greek salad. Let’s immediately say that if you have an individual intolerance, you can prepare a Greek salad without onions or peppers, but you understand that then the dish will lose its classic taste.

So, the composition of the products has been selected - let's start cooking. First, you need to wash the vegetables, dry them with paper towels and cut them into large slices, just like Greek salad has been done for centuries. Cut the tomatoes in half, and then divide each slice in half again. Cut the cucumbers into thick semicircles, the onion into rings, and the bell pepper into strips. Place all the vegetables in a salad bowl and add whole olives to them. The classic Greek salad recipe calls for pitted olives, but pitted olives can also be used.

The salad is almost ready, all that remains is to prepare the dressing and add the cheese. To fill, mix olive oil, squeezed lemon juice and spices: ground pepper, salt and Greek oregano. Season the vegetables and add cheese to the salad. You can do this in two ways: cut the Feta into cubes, or simply put a layer of cheese on top.

The dish is ready! You can invite “Greeks” to the table and surprise them with homemade Greek salad.

Changing the classics

Not a single recipe is reproduced by chefs exactly: everyone brings a bit of their own vision to the preparation, essentially creating a slightly different dish. Horiatiki also received many options: some prepare a Greek salad by adding green salad directly to the vegetables, others make a Greek salad without olives, and still others even manage to prepare a Greek salad without cucumbers!

How many people there are so many opinions and tastes, and each of them has the right to exist. Therefore, do not limit your imagination and do not strive to do everything strictly according to the classics. Let the traditional Greek salad be prepared with bell peppers and olive oil, but if these ingredients are not to your taste, make the Greek salad your own way: without peppers and with vegetable oil. And if you don’t like large cuts, cut the vegetables into cubes, and the Greek salad will become much tastier for you.

Substituting Feta cheese

Of course, to prepare Greek salad the way it is prepared in Greece, you need to have the same products on hand. It is clear that we have no less tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, and finding sweet onions is not a problem. But the cheese that is added to Greek salad is difficult to purchase, if only because it is produced only in Greece. The country has officially patented the Feta brand and does not allow any global company to use the original recipe and name.

But it is cheese that gives Greek salad its delicate creamy taste. Of course, real Feta can be found in specialized stores, but it is still available to a small part of the population. Therefore, there is nothing else left to do but replace Greek cheese with a similar Russian product. Our housewives have several options to choose from:

• Fetax;
• Sirtaki;
• Mozzarella;
• Tofu;
• Adyghe cheese;
• Brynza;
• Suluguni.

Each of the cheeses is characterized by its own flavor, as described in the next article. So, even without Feta, you can make, if not 100% Khoryatiki, then certainly a delicious salad with vegetables and cheese based on Greek motifs.

Add meat or fish

A little higher, we have already listed what is included in the classic Greek salad, and mentioned that you can safely change the composition of the food.

So, lovers of hearty and high-calorie dishes can add meat ingredients to the Greek salad. Usually this is chicken, which goes well with vegetables, beef or ham. And you shouldn’t be skeptical about such recipes: if you’re preparing a Greek salad without cucumbers and peppers, then why not add meat for variety. Moreover, in taverns in Greece, ordering a traditional Greek salad is rarely complete without a tasty meat side dish.

In general, Horiatiki goes well with side dishes, so you can experiment with the dish to your heart’s content. So, sometimes seafood is added to a Greek salad: cod, crab meat, shrimp, salmon or trout. In this case, the calorie content of the food also increases.

But the opposite is also true: if we are on a diet, or simply have a preference for vegetarian food, then we prepare a lean Greek salad with a minimum of fat. It is enough to replace high-calorie Feta with dietary Tofu and do not overdo it with the addition of olive oil.

Greek salad – top 10 recipes

All of the above suggests that housewives should not always prepare Greek salad according to the classics. Who, if not the chefs, knows that the same taste of a dish quickly becomes boring, and the recipe for a traditional Greek salad is no exception. Therefore, we offer original options and ideas for Greek salad for cooking at home.

Layered Greek salad with shrimp

This recipe is suitable for those who are thinking about how to make Greek salad at home for a holiday or family gathering. To prepare the dish you will need the following ingredients:

• Artichokes – 400 gr.;
• Sweet onion – 0.5 pcs.;
• Tomatoes – 2 pcs;
• Fresh cucumber – 2 pcs. ;
• Lettuce leaves– 300 gr.;
• Olives– 1 jar (seedless);
• Feta – 200 gr.;
• Shrimp – 300 gr;
• Chopped Cherry and Peperoncini peppers – 1 tbsp each;
• Natural yogurt – 200 gr.;
• Mayonnaise – 100 gr.;
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp;
• Dill – 1 tbsp;
• Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp;
• Spices and seasonings - to taste.

Let's prepare the filling first. Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and add dill. Let the sauce sit in the refrigerator.

Chop the vegetables and lay out our Greek salad in layers. We put lettuce leaves on the bottom, then there are layers of artichokes, tomatoes and peppers. The salad is topped with diced cheese, olives and onion rings. You can add salt if desired, but the flavor added to a Greek salad by pickles is usually sufficient. Cover the dish with a lid and place in the refrigerator for several hours.

And just before the festive lunch or dinner, we begin to fry the shrimp (pre-sprinkled with spices). 1 minute on each side is enough. We take out our salad, decorate with shrimp, add dressing and serve. Bon appetit!

Greek salad with feta cheese

And this dish is reminiscent of Shopska salad, with the only difference being that the Greek version is a salad with olives. We present the composition of the products and the preparation technology.

Horiatiki with chicken and avocado

In taverns, Greek salad is often served with hot meat or fish side dishes. In this recipe we suggest combining meat and vegetables in one dish. And also move away from the classics and prepare a Greek salad with avocado, without peppers and cucumbers.

Ingredients:

• Chicken – 1.5 kg;
• Tomatoes – 4 pcs.;
• Green salad – 2 heads;
• Avocado – 2 pcs.;
• Feta – 200 gr.;
• Green onion – 100 gr.;
• Olives – 100 gr.;
• Lemon juice – 3 tbsp;
• Olive oil – 5 tbsp;
• Oregano, mint, parsley - 1 tsp each.

Wash, cut and fry the chicken. Chop the lettuce and tomatoes into large pieces. Chop the onion feathers along with the white part. Place all ingredients in one salad bowl. Wash the avocado, remove the pit, cut the fruit into cubes and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Break the cheese into a separate plate with your hands and sprinkle it with dried spices. Prepare the filling. Whisk olive oil and lemon juice, add pepper and salt to taste. Pour the infused cheese over the vegetables and chicken, mix the salad and pour the prepared dressing over everything. Top the serving with herbs and a slice of lemon.

Greek salad with Tofu cheese

A classic recipe without the extra calories. We take the usual list of ingredients and replace sweet onions with onions and Feta cheese with Tofu cheese. The cooking sequence is usual: cut the vegetables, prepare the dressing, mix everything and spread the cheese on top. The result is a light Greek salad according to the classic recipe.

Greek salad with pasta (pasta)

And this recipe involves not only new ingredients for Greek salad, but also an unusual method of preparation.

Greek salad in pita bread

An unusual treat for the table is Greek salad wrapped in simple pita bread. The salad is prepared according to the classic recipe, only it is not placed in a common salad bowl, but is wrapped in portions in pita bread.

Salad “Greek motives” with crab meat

And this is a step-by-step recipe for Greek salad prepared with crab meat. We will need olives, crab meat or sticks, sour cream, lemon and fresh vegetables: bell pepper (1 pc.), cucumbers (2 pcs.), tomatoes (2 pcs.) and green onions (100 g).

Chop all the ingredients, mix in a salad bowl, season with sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. For a piquant twist, drizzle lemon juice on top and garnish with green onion sprinkles. Bright and tasty Greek salad is ready!

Greek salad on croutons

Another way to prepare Greek salad at home and serve it in an unusual way.

We start cooking with croutons. While the oven is heating, chop the garlic and mix it with olive oil. Grease the slices of bread with the prepared filling and place on a baking sheet. Bake the bread for 2-3 minutes (until crispy), take it out, grease it again with oil and leave it in the oven.

At this time, prepare the Greek salad according to the classics: chop the vegetables, add oil, garnish with olives and Feta cubes. The final touch remains - put the croutons on a large dish and spoon the chopped Greek salad onto them. Sprinkle the finished appetizer with sesame seeds and pine nuts and serve.

Greek salad with shrimp and yogurt dressing

There are recipes for the most delicious Greek salad not only based on olive oil. For example, a delicious dish with green salad leaves, boiled shrimp and yogurt dressing.

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce – 1 head;
• Feta – 200 gr.;
• Shrimp – 500 gr.;
• Cucumber – 1 pc.;
• Tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• Olives – 150 gr.;
• Yogurt – 200 gr.;
• Lemon juice – 2 tbsp;
• Salt, pepper, garlic - to taste.

Place cheese in a blender, add yogurt and lemon juice, add garlic, salt and pepper and chop. Slice the cucumber, add shrimp and season with the remaining yogurt. Place the mixture from the blender on serving plates, add shrimp and cucumber on top, garnish with olives and tomatoes. The dish is ready!

Greek squid salad

According to reviews, the recipe for Greek salad with squid and potatoes is also good.

Chop tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and boiled potatoes. The squid is boiled and finely chopped into the prepared Greek salad. Pour vegetable oil, lemon juice and sour cream into a salad bowl. Stir, add seasonings and sprinkle with herbs. Ready!

How to serve Greek salad beautifully

Above in the recipes we have already mentioned ways to serve Greek salad beautifully and unusually. But there are other options.

The cooks are always on their guard: the salad is served in a boat of bell peppers, lettuce or avocado peel. They also build towers out of vegetables, separating each layer with a cube of Feta. The salad is often served with bread or in pita bread.

In any case, Greek salad is consumed immediately after preparation, because... fresh vegetables do not last long. The only exception is the “hot” version of the salad.

Bon appetit and see you again!

Classmates