Greek Salad
When I first moved north, I had to adjust to the fact, which I had not considered, that local hash houses reflect local cuisine. For example, in Todd Haynes' retelling of Mildred Pierce that's currently airing on HBO, Mildred's Fine Foods serves chicken and waffles as grilled chicken with a side of either a hot waffle or mixed vegetables -- which is correct for depression-era California cooking but would have been served differently in the deep south or the northeast. Having grown up where the green chile cheeseburger is as common as soda pop, I expected to find them on the menu of the city coffee shop. I didn't, and years of adjustment later the column about green chile cheeseburgers remains, as of this writing, the most popular Weeknight Dinner I've published so far.
However, the trade-off was fair, for the diners and coffee shops of the northeast offer impressive menus indeed. I still cannot say no to a fizzy chocolate egg cream, or to a bagel all the way. As a devotee of omelets, nothing pleases me more than the towering Greek variety, busy with bits of pepper and onion and tart with silky, salty feta. Of course the burger menu is extensive -- from the classic bacon double-cheese to more exotic species like the pizza burger, the mushroom and Swiss, or the feta and olive. In my day The Cozy, an important NYU haunt, offered a "cowboy burger" drenched in baked beans and grated cheese. I am here to tell you, as I was there to tell them, that any self-respecting actual cowboy would have laughed that burger right off of the plate.
In New York City and nowhere moreso than my neighborhood, diner menus display a noticeable Greek influence. The pita grill is always smoking and the leg of lamb is always turning. Along with the milkshakes, the coffee, the fried potatoes, and the correctness of the count of the change you get from the register jockey, the measure of a yankee diner's level of accomplishment is its souvlaki platter. On this masterpiece, chunks of smoked, grilled pork (or chicken, if you can withstand the look that crosses the face of your waiter if you order it this way) are served with triangles of grilled pita, a little cup of garlicky tzantziki, cubes of feta and a scattering of black olives.
It is also served with "Greek salad," and here the mighty fry cook's skills unfortunately may falter. While undoubtedly there are great expressions of this dish on restaurant blue plates, it is frustratingly difficult to find a good Greek salad if you're grabbing a quick dinner in a vinyl booth. I have experienced "Greek salads" served with yellowing lettuce and anemic tomatoes and with gritty Romaine and lye-soaked olives. I have experienced them sprinkled with harsh, factory-rendered feta and doused with sour red vinegar. I have experienced them with circles of loud white onion and rings of inebriated banana peppers and, at least once, with a crisscross of graying canned anchovies.
Part of why this is upsetting is that a true Greek salad is virtually the definition of the artform of salad-making. In Greek cooking, a table salad is a field salad, in which the freshest greens are mixed with the freshest vegetables of the day's yield and served with red wine vinegar and that amazing Greek olive oil. A Greek field salad captures the very essence of golden sunshine, turquoise waters and black earth.
If your circumstances don't allow you to jet to the Mediterranean, here is a recipe for a Greek salad that retains the fresh integrity of a field salad but that pays due homage to the coffee shop workhorse. Fresh lettuces and crisp, cool vegetables come alive in the bowl as they are christened with a simple, slightly tart vinaigrette and crowned with slabs of good feta. Serve your Greek salad on its own for a satisfying lunch or with a spicy pork dish for a hearty dinner. Don't forget the retsina, and a slab of baklava for dessert.
GREEK SALAD
Dandelion greens are widely available in the produce section of supermarkets and are a stock item in Mediterranean grocery stores. Look for clean, pale green blades. If you can't locate dandelion greens, use green leaf lettuce. Buy your feta from the cheese case or from a Mediterranean grocery store -- it should come packed in a bath of salty water; never buy or eat dry feta. If you want, buy some good olives to serve with your salad.
For the salad
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 bunch dandelion greens
1 medium red onion
1 large cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 ripe red tomatoes, such as vine or plum
6 ounces feta, crumbled or cut into squares
For the vinaigrette
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 lemon, preferably organic
1 medium clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano, plus additional for garnish
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, plus additional for garnish
4 - 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
1 teaspoon Salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Pull or cut the leaves of the dandelion greens from the sandy roots if the roots are attached; discard the roots. Rinse the leaves under cool running water until they no longer feel gritty; set on several layers of paper towels to dry.
2. Place a drop of vegetable cleaner in the palm of your hand and rub each pepper each tomato with the cleaner. Rinse the peppers and tomatoes under cool water until clean. Place the peppers and tomatoes on paper towels to dry.
3. Pull the outer leaves from the red-leaf lettuce; tear larger leaves into smaller pieces. Place in a colander or the reservoir of a salad spinner. Pull the soft inner leaves from between the ribs of the lettuce, taking care to avoid the ribs and stopping when you reach the harder inner core. Place in the colander/salad spinner with the outer leaves. Rinse with cool water.
4. Lay the washed and dried dandelion greens across a cutting board. Cut or tear across the greens to form bite-sized pieces. It is okay if the dandelions are not cut neatly and precisely. Add the dandelions to the lettuce in the colander/salad spinner.
5.Toss or spin the lettuce free of excess water. Set aside to dry while you prepare the remaining vegetables.
6. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents.
7. Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape away the pith and seeds. Cut each half into crescents.
8. Cut each pepper in half from cap to bottom. Cut away and discard the stem; cut away any pithy white from inside each half. Rinse each half under cool water to remove the seeds; if saving seeds for planting, do this step over a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds. Cut off the rounded top and bottom of each half and set aside. Flatten the remaining pepper, skin side down, against the cutting board. Cut each flattened half roughly into strips and cut across the strips to form rough squares.
9. Use the point of the paring knife to remove and discard the cap from each tomato. Cut each tomato in half from cap to bottom. Cut each half in half to form quarters.
10. Roll the lemon under the heel of your palm to express the juice. Cut the lemon in half and use a lemon press to juice each lemon half over the serving bowl, letting the juice flow through a sieve to catch any pith or seeds.
11. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Halve the garlic; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Use a garlic press to press each garlic half into the lemon juice.
12. Measure the vinegar, oregano, parsley, salt and several grindings of fresh black pepper into the mixture in the serving bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix.
13. Continue to whisk as you add the extra-virgin olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, until an emulsion forms. You may not need all five tablespoons of oil.
14. When ready to serve, add the lettuces to the bowl containing the dressing; use your hands to toss the lettuces and the dressing together. Mix the dressed greens with onion, pepper, cucumber and tomato; use your hands to toss together.
15. Sprinkle the top of the salad with feta. Garnish with sprinklings of dried oregano and parsley, several grindings of fresh black peppers, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
However, the trade-off was fair, for the diners and coffee shops of the northeast offer impressive menus indeed. I still cannot say no to a fizzy chocolate egg cream, or to a bagel all the way. As a devotee of omelets, nothing pleases me more than the towering Greek variety, busy with bits of pepper and onion and tart with silky, salty feta. Of course the burger menu is extensive -- from the classic bacon double-cheese to more exotic species like the pizza burger, the mushroom and Swiss, or the feta and olive. In my day The Cozy, an important NYU haunt, offered a "cowboy burger" drenched in baked beans and grated cheese. I am here to tell you, as I was there to tell them, that any self-respecting actual cowboy would have laughed that burger right off of the plate.
In New York City and nowhere moreso than my neighborhood, diner menus display a noticeable Greek influence. The pita grill is always smoking and the leg of lamb is always turning. Along with the milkshakes, the coffee, the fried potatoes, and the correctness of the count of the change you get from the register jockey, the measure of a yankee diner's level of accomplishment is its souvlaki platter. On this masterpiece, chunks of smoked, grilled pork (or chicken, if you can withstand the look that crosses the face of your waiter if you order it this way) are served with triangles of grilled pita, a little cup of garlicky tzantziki, cubes of feta and a scattering of black olives.
It is also served with "Greek salad," and here the mighty fry cook's skills unfortunately may falter. While undoubtedly there are great expressions of this dish on restaurant blue plates, it is frustratingly difficult to find a good Greek salad if you're grabbing a quick dinner in a vinyl booth. I have experienced "Greek salads" served with yellowing lettuce and anemic tomatoes and with gritty Romaine and lye-soaked olives. I have experienced them sprinkled with harsh, factory-rendered feta and doused with sour red vinegar. I have experienced them with circles of loud white onion and rings of inebriated banana peppers and, at least once, with a crisscross of graying canned anchovies.
Part of why this is upsetting is that a true Greek salad is virtually the definition of the artform of salad-making. In Greek cooking, a table salad is a field salad, in which the freshest greens are mixed with the freshest vegetables of the day's yield and served with red wine vinegar and that amazing Greek olive oil. A Greek field salad captures the very essence of golden sunshine, turquoise waters and black earth.
If your circumstances don't allow you to jet to the Mediterranean, here is a recipe for a Greek salad that retains the fresh integrity of a field salad but that pays due homage to the coffee shop workhorse. Fresh lettuces and crisp, cool vegetables come alive in the bowl as they are christened with a simple, slightly tart vinaigrette and crowned with slabs of good feta. Serve your Greek salad on its own for a satisfying lunch or with a spicy pork dish for a hearty dinner. Don't forget the retsina, and a slab of baklava for dessert.
GREEK SALAD
Dandelion greens are widely available in the produce section of supermarkets and are a stock item in Mediterranean grocery stores. Look for clean, pale green blades. If you can't locate dandelion greens, use green leaf lettuce. Buy your feta from the cheese case or from a Mediterranean grocery store -- it should come packed in a bath of salty water; never buy or eat dry feta. If you want, buy some good olives to serve with your salad.
For the salad
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 bunch dandelion greens
1 medium red onion
1 large cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
2 ripe red tomatoes, such as vine or plum
6 ounces feta, crumbled or cut into squares
For the vinaigrette
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 lemon, preferably organic
1 medium clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano, plus additional for garnish
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, plus additional for garnish
4 - 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
1 teaspoon Salt (Greek sea salt works well)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Pull or cut the leaves of the dandelion greens from the sandy roots if the roots are attached; discard the roots. Rinse the leaves under cool running water until they no longer feel gritty; set on several layers of paper towels to dry.
2. Place a drop of vegetable cleaner in the palm of your hand and rub each pepper each tomato with the cleaner. Rinse the peppers and tomatoes under cool water until clean. Place the peppers and tomatoes on paper towels to dry.
3. Pull the outer leaves from the red-leaf lettuce; tear larger leaves into smaller pieces. Place in a colander or the reservoir of a salad spinner. Pull the soft inner leaves from between the ribs of the lettuce, taking care to avoid the ribs and stopping when you reach the harder inner core. Place in the colander/salad spinner with the outer leaves. Rinse with cool water.
4. Lay the washed and dried dandelion greens across a cutting board. Cut or tear across the greens to form bite-sized pieces. It is okay if the dandelions are not cut neatly and precisely. Add the dandelions to the lettuce in the colander/salad spinner.
5.Toss or spin the lettuce free of excess water. Set aside to dry while you prepare the remaining vegetables.
6. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents.
7. Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape away the pith and seeds. Cut each half into crescents.
8. Cut each pepper in half from cap to bottom. Cut away and discard the stem; cut away any pithy white from inside each half. Rinse each half under cool water to remove the seeds; if saving seeds for planting, do this step over a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds. Cut off the rounded top and bottom of each half and set aside. Flatten the remaining pepper, skin side down, against the cutting board. Cut each flattened half roughly into strips and cut across the strips to form rough squares.
9. Use the point of the paring knife to remove and discard the cap from each tomato. Cut each tomato in half from cap to bottom. Cut each half in half to form quarters.
10. Roll the lemon under the heel of your palm to express the juice. Cut the lemon in half and use a lemon press to juice each lemon half over the serving bowl, letting the juice flow through a sieve to catch any pith or seeds.
11. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Halve the garlic; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Use a garlic press to press each garlic half into the lemon juice.
12. Measure the vinegar, oregano, parsley, salt and several grindings of fresh black pepper into the mixture in the serving bowl. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix.
13. Continue to whisk as you add the extra-virgin olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, until an emulsion forms. You may not need all five tablespoons of oil.
14. When ready to serve, add the lettuces to the bowl containing the dressing; use your hands to toss the lettuces and the dressing together. Mix the dressed greens with onion, pepper, cucumber and tomato; use your hands to toss together.
15. Sprinkle the top of the salad with feta. Garnish with sprinklings of dried oregano and parsley, several grindings of fresh black peppers, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
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