Well, to be fair, this salad never called himself Greek. This salad can’t talk.
Though, if he had, he’d have been a real poser. Like a baseball cap-backwards, droopy-pants, rapping white guy. Okay, maybe not that bad, but a poser all the same. And why is my salad counterfeit, you ask? I’ll tell you why—my Greek salad contains NO olives and it full of BASIL! I even almost used ricotta salata instead of feta cheese!!
So, now you have, my salad is really an Italian posing as a Greek. But it’s still pretty damn tasty! I used zinfandel vinegar, which gave a perfectly sweet/acidic twinge, and a good olive oil for balance. It’s great for the end of August, when the days of summer are coming to an end—I like to spend this time cooking very little, enjoying the summer produce as raw and untouched as possible. A nice, ripe peach or nectarine could top off a dinner of this salad and a piece of fish perfectly.
And, even though you don’t really need a recipe for this one, here it is:
Not-so Greek Salad
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp zinfandel vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 cucumber, chopped into chunks
- 1 red pepper, chopped into chunks
- 1 green pepper, chopped into chunks
- 1 red onion, sliced very thinly
- 1 small bunch of basil leaves, shredded
- 5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
- Combine first 3 ingredients in small bowl, whisk together.
- Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour oil mixture over and toss. Salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve with Ouzo if you want a real party.
The 
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