This month's contest is sponsored by Lindsay Olives, and what can I say - I love olives. I can't remember a time I didn't love olives. And I don't think I've ever tasted any kind of olive since then that I didn't like.
So this month is PERFECT for me.
The deal with the Kitchen Play contests is that you're supposed to riff off of one of the posted recipes that uses the sponsor's product, and for this entry, I'm playing with a a roasted vegetable Greek salad. But my riffing has no roasting (except for the fire-roasted red peppers), and the salad has turned into more of a snack. Finger food. A deconstructed salad, perhaps. Or, to mix ethnicities, Greek antipasto.
This time of year, I'm a little more conservative about having fresh summer vegetables on hand - they're just not as good now as they are when I'm getting them from the farmer's market - so I made this salad almost entirely from pantry ingredients. If you like, cucumbers, chunks of green pepper, tomatoes, and slices of baby zucchini would play nicely in this salad.
My choice for olives in a salad like this would be kalamata, but it's your choice. If you're making a giant salad, a variety of olives would be nice. For herbs, I used oregano and rosemary, but marjoram, thyme, or basil would be lovely as well.
The quantities are up to you. Fill a salad plate, or fill a platter. Feed your family, or feed the neighborhood. It's entirely up to you.
Greek-Style Nibbles
Artichoke hearts
Feta cheese, cut into cubes
Pepperoncini (Greek peppers)
Olives
Dried oregano
Dried rosemary
Fresh lemon juice
Olive oil
Arrange the vegetables on a plate, platter, or other serving vessel. Sprinkle on some oregano and rosemary. Squeeze on some fresh lemon, then drizzle with olive oil.
This is great served with some crusty bread to sop up the remaining olive oil and herbs, if you like.
