Thursday, January 28, 2010

Shhh I have to tell you something!

There's another Greek salad! Seriously. There's two of them! I know! I was just as shocked as you are right now!

So we're at this restaurant with Idle Husband's aunt, uncle and family, they've ordered for the whole table without seeing a menu -- apparently there was this huge debate/argument over what kind of meat I liked, because the only meat available that day was pork, and ohmygodwhatifshedoesn'tlikepork?!! Meanwhile, I had been sitting there, humming to myself, completely oblivious to the "problem" when IH looked over and asked me if pork was ok. Which, duh, of course it was. I don't care. And then I went back to humming. Crisis averted. You're welcome. Anyhoo, when the starters came, there was the traditional Greek salad -- you all know the one. Tomatoes, cucumber, feta, olives, olive oil -- and then there was another. Ever intrigued, I watched as they squirted copious amounts of lemon juice all over it and began passing it around. (fyi: the pork chop that was to come later, was about the size of my head but also the most delicious thing ever. I had to -- sadly -- quit my attempt at finishing it about a quarter way through). 

The salad was called maroulosalata, and it was delicious. I wasn't sure I'd be able to replicate it, but surprise surprise, I could! It's so simple and so good, and you know what? It's super nice to eat something so pretty and green after it's been grey and white outside for so long.


The Green Greek Salad (maroulosalata)

(I'm not going to tell you how much exactly. You know how to make a salad. Just use as much as you need to feed the people waiting to be fed)

Romaine lettuce (or other leaf lettuce)
Green onion
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt/pepper (to taste)
Dill (optional)

First, cut the lettuce in really thin, strips -- as though it's been shredded. Through snoopage, I discovered it's super easy to do this if you kinda roll the leaves together lengthwise, then slice the leaf across it's width in about 1 centimeter-sized strips. Easy! (I'm cutting all of my lettuce like this forever.) Chop up your onion (I'm not going to give you detailed instructions on that). Toss them together with the lettuce in a bowl, you caveman. Drizzle with a bit of oil (a little goes a long way), lemon juice (freshly squeezed if you're that kind of cook), salt and pepper it, and maybe add a sprinkling of either dried or fresh dill. Toss it all together and that's it. You're done. Now go teach your uncouth friends that there's more than just one salad choice when in Greece.

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