What is there about the combination of Kalamata olives, feta cheese, and fresh tomatoes that for me always evoke happy memories of sunshine, warm water, coastal breezes, and good times? Oh yah – I remember now. It’s the wonderful vacations we have taken along the Mediterranean Ocean and the Adriatic Sea. So for one of our most recent JazzVox pre-concert meals, I decided to serve some dishes from that part of the world. So of course, the meal had to include a Greek salad.

Now the reason I named this salad Greek Salad (Kinda Sorta), is because I included romaine lettuce in the mix. And everyone who is anyone knows that the number one rule when fixing a traditional Greek salad is “thou shall not use lettuce or any other leafy green in the making of this salad”. So up to this point, I had never even considered making this culinary faux pas.

But I’m older now, and frankly I don’t give a flying fig if I break established rules or not. (That is if the rules aren’t illegal, immoral, or irreverent!) So, I decided to add some romaine, not only for the color, but also for the crunch. And in all honesty, I think the romaine added a lot to the salad. It was perfect with the other ingredients, and helped create a freshness that I have often found missing in more traditional Greek salads.

So the moral of this story is to never fear thinking outside the box when you are cooking. Yes you may end up flying in the face of the traditional way a dish is prepared. But who cares? Cooks experimenting with new methods and ingredients is the only reason we have the amazing dining choices we have today. I mean really. Can you even imagine a world without guacamole, lemon curd, or milk chocolate? Gives me hives even thinking about it!

So have fun in your kitchen. Break away from tradition. And try this salad. It really is yummy!

Dressing:

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 T. chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

Salad:

5 c. chopped romaine lettuce

1 c. halved cherry tomatoes

¼ red onion, cut into thin slices

½ English cucumber, partially peeled, cut in half, seeded, and cut into thin half rounds

½ green pepper, diced

18 Kalamata olives, halved, or more to taste

½ c. crumbled feta cheese, or more to taste

Place the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green pepper, and olives in a salad bowl. Dress with salad dressing. Gently toss in the feta cheese. Serve immediately.