the Older Bolder Life Salad Monday: Naomi B’s Greek Salad

This salad has been part of our family food lexicon for the better part of three decades now, and is still one of our all time favorites in the rotation.

We first had this salad served to us by friends John and Naomi one summer evening, sitting out on their stone patio with a stream running not 15 feet away, with lamb kabobs roasting on the grill nearby. It was a part of one of those magical meals you remember for a long, long time, and we’ve often recreated it at home.

John was a practice partner, mentor, and fly fishing and woodworking compadre for many years; he and I launched the first practice of its kind in Utah back in the day, and spent many an hour grinding it out and developing our systems. John was a true gentleman; quick to laugh, impressively bright, and a great communicator in a relaxed, folksy sort of way.

Naomi and John lived up a little side canyon off the main Ogden Canyon along the Wasatch Front, on a little level bench with a year-round creek running through it; he had an amazing woodworking shop in the old barn on the property.

This salad is great anytime of the year, though when the freshest produce graces your favorite farmers market – or better yet your own garden – it’s outrageously good. By the way, we almost always add more dill and olives, and using a fresh slab of feta (we used a Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta this week) makes it even better.

And as always, you can fiddle and adjust the recipe to suit your (family’s) palate as you wish.

4-5 medium-sized firm-ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, OR
2 big handfuls of grape tomatoes, various colors
3-5 garden cucumbers, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 green bell peppers, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 red bell peppers, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6-8 green onions with tops, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
30-40 good Kalamata olives
6 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed, smashed or chopped
1/2 lb (or more) good feta cheese, crumbled small

The dressing
1/2 cup avocado or EV olive oil
5-6 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh dill, snipped (at least this much, likely more)
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp good salt (or more)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (or more)

This one couldn’t be easier. Prepare and combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl, then toss to combine. Add the crumbled feta last, then toss gently once again.

In a small canning jar (or your favorite shaker) combine the dressing ingredients and shake well until emulsified. Pour over the salad, toss to evenly coat, and taste – you may want more dill or need to adjust the seasonings.

Best served pretty much immediately, though this salad is amazing for 24 hours or more.

Enjoy.