Greek Recipes with May Lerios: Horiatiki Salata

For 4 people

(Click on the thumbnail for a larger photo)

• 3 medium tomatoes, cut in 8-12 sections (Roma tomatoes are just fine, too, but you'll need 6 of them),

• 1 cucumber (European/English style preferred), peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch-thick slices,

• 1/2 medium onion, peeled, sliced in 1/8-inch-thick slices, each slice cut into two halves, and the half-rings spread apart,

• 1 green bell pepper, with its core, seeds and all other interior white 'stuff' removed, and what's left sliced into long green strips each 1/4-inch wide,

• 1/2 lb Greek Feta cheese (French Sheep Feta is next best, and Wisconsin-made Athenos Feta is your third bet), cut into small cubes (1/2-inch on the side) without crumbling (if possible), and

• 1/2 lb Kalamata olives (pitless preferred), with the brine (in which they are usually packaged) washed away.

Mix carefully so as not to crumble the feta too much; this allows guests who don't like feta to eat the veggies free of cheese. Alternatively, you can mix everything else, and add the feta last (but before the next step).

Mix-in

• 2 tbsp (preferably virgin Greek) olive oil,

• 1/4 tsp white vinegar,

• 1 tbsp dried oregano, and

• 1 tsp dried mint.

It's best to add these in four equal doses, mixing in-between, otherwise the spices cluster up.

Put the bowl in the fridge for about 1 hour and serve chilled. Eat with sweet French bread, or Pugliese, or Ciabatta, or toasted Afgan flat-bread: you cut the bread into small pieces and let sink at the bottom of the bowl, absorbing succulent juices and olive oil.