Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki)

Feta • Olives • No Lettuce, Ever — Greece

The real horiatiki has no lettuce and no crumbled feta — just sun-ripe tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and one proud slab of feta on top, drowned in good olive oil and oregano.

Ingredients

• 500 g — Ripe tomatoes, in wedges
• 250 g — Cucumber, in half-moons
• 100 g — Green bell pepper, in rings
• 60 g — Red onion, thinly sliced (½ cup)
• 120 g — Kalamata olives (¾ cup)
• 200 g — Feta, in one thick slab
• 60 ml — Extra-virgin olive oil (¼ cup)
• 15 ml — Red wine vinegar (1 Tbsp)
• 2 g — Dried Greek oregano (1 tsp)
• 3 g — Flaky sea salt

Step-by-Step Method

1. Salt the tomatoes first. Tomato wedges with the salt, rested 10 minutes. They release a sweet juice that becomes half the dressing — never drain it away.
2. Chunky cuts, no lettuce. Cucumber, pepper and onion in honest chunks, straight into the tomato juice with the olives. Village salad is chopped with a table knife, not composed.
3. The feta slab. One thick slab laid on top, whole. Crumbled feta is the tourist version — at the table, each person breaks off their own piece with their fork.
4. Oil, oregano, bread. Olive oil generously over everything (especially the feta), oregano rubbed between your palms over the top, a splash of vinegar. Serve with crusty bread for the juices — that last step is half the pleasure.

More Recipes You'll Love

Want the full cookbook collection? Visit the CHEF AK Gumroad store — The Biryani Masterclass, The Masala Bible, The Sauce Lab and the Complete Cooking Masterclass.