The new spin on a Greek salad by Azamara Club Cruises Corporate Executive Chef Robert van Rijsbergen. Photo: Azamara Club Cruises
New Greek salad recipe idea uses olive tapenade and creamy feta dressing.
I’ve sailed with Azamara on several occasions to Canada & New England, several times to the Caribbean and once in the western Mediterranean. But never to the Greek Isles.
That’s why when I saw the latest post on Azamara’s blog that featured Azamara’s Corporate Executive Chef Robert van Rijsbergen’s new take on the traditional Greek salad recipe, I had to delve into the story.
What better way for this destination- and culinary-focused cruise line to promote an upcoming Greek Islands cruise than with photos of (drumroll please) tantalizing Greek food and and icy cold Ouzo!
While it seems that all Greek restaurants in America serve their Greek salad with (yuk) iceberg lettuce or maybe darker greens on occasion, a true Greek salad recipe does not contain lettuces. Instead, it’s simply crunchy veggies and feta embraced in an olive oil, vinegar and oregano dressing.
With a slightly different twist on the traditional ( i.e. real!) Greek salad recipe, here’s Chef Robert’s new version. His recipe uses olive tapenade rather than whole Greek olives and he’s using a blended feta cheese creation in lieu of feta pieces.
Here’s the shopping list.
Azamara Club Cruises Greek Salad Recipe
With summer right around the corner, a Greek salad is perfect for lunch or as a side to dinner. In this Greek salad recipe, Chef Robert uses olive tapenade instead of regular whole Greek olives, and rather than pieces of feta cheese, he's created a creamy feta dressing.
CuisineGreek
Servings
Prep Time
6people
15 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Servings
Prep Time
6people
15 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
1 cucumberunpeeled, seeded and sliced 1/4" thick in an angle
1 red bell pepperlarge-diced
1 green bell pepperlarge-diced
1 yellow bell pepperlarge-diced
1cup cherry or grape tomatoeshalved
1/2 red onionjulienned
5 scallionssliced on an angle
1/2pound feta cheeseblended until creamy (add a little sour cream if needed)
1/2cup olive tapenade
1bunch flat parsley
Rosemary or thyme croutons
Vinaigrette Ingredients
2cloves garlicminced
1tsp dried oregano
1/2tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Place the chopped cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour most of the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss lightly.
Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Add the creamy feta, scallions and olive tapenade on top immediately before serving. Garnish with croutons and flat parsley. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette around each serving of salad.
Recipe Notes
Serve at room temperature.
In the photo, the rosemary/thyme croutons appear more like a flatbread than the usual cubed croutons. I tossed in a handful of flavored pita bread chips and it worked beautifully. Enjoy!
The post Azamara Club Cruises Adds New Spin on Traditional Greek Salad appeared first on Cruise Maven Travels.
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