… and I never want to.
Chopped salads weren’t a feature of my childhood. Run-of-the-mill lettuce n’ tomato combos (tomato ignored by me at the time) and coleslaw were regulars on our table. But chopped… Not that I remember. And I’ve always flicked past them in cookbooks because copious amounts of mayonnaise always seem to be involved and that just makes me feel a little queasy. Teeny tiny pieces of unidentifiable food drowning in an ocean of gooey dressing does not make for an appetising dish.
Also, somehow, in my brain, chopped salad equalled egg mayo salad. Don’t ask me why.
Well, that’s one prejudice well and truly demolished. I don’t know what drew me to this recipe the most – the promise of the salty feta or the contrasting lighter flavour of the cucumber, along with the herbs. But all of a sudden, there I was at the kitchen counter, crumbling cheese, chopping red onion and rifling the fridge for whatever herbs I could find like my life depended on it.
The result was a crunchy, tangy revelation. To the point where I just stood there, scooping one spoonful after another onto a hunk of bread and shovelling it greedily into my mouth. Scoop, shovel, chomp, repeat. Followed by small sighs of contentment.
Joanna Weir’s Cucumber and Feta Salad via the incomparable David Lebovitz.
16 comments
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October 8, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Deborah
Ditto. LOVE this salad. So so so good. Himself devours it. Such a healthy and tasty way to get some goodness into you!
October 8, 2008 at 7:26 pm
beth
This sounds so fresh! I love feta and red onion so Im going to love this!!
October 8, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Jen
Hey Deb.
It’s the best, isn’t it? There simply isn’t anything on David’s blog that I don’t want to eat. Mr. B can’t stand feta though, so this is a solo pleasure – all the more for me 😉
Hi Beth.
It is – very fresh and crunchy. It scores on all fronts! Highly addictive too, let me warn you 🙂
October 8, 2008 at 10:13 pm
john
sliced cabbage??
j
October 9, 2008 at 8:35 am
Jen
Hey John.
I should have more accurately said ‘coleslaw’, I guess:-) I think that’s where I was going with the grated carrot too, almost listing the recipe by the looks of things!
But no, we never just had plates of sliced cabbage, did we? Unless we were particularly naughty.
I’ll amend that later on when I’ve got a mo’.
Update: See what an influence you are, dear brother, I’ve changed it. Miss that ‘slaw that Mum used to make though. Must ask her next time I’m back home…
Plus, if I’m being honest, we’d have probably run a mile from any chopped salad if there was one on the table.
October 9, 2008 at 8:45 am
Jennifer
Okay, I know it’s called “cucumber” and feta salad, but what could I replace with the cucumber with??? Even the smell of it makes me ill, but I lurve feta. What could I throw in there instead Jen?
Cheers 🙂
October 9, 2008 at 11:30 am
Jen
Hey Jennifer.
Hmmm – that would be a slight barrier to enjoying this salad! I love cucumber but I’ve also had that reaction to other foods where you just gag at the merest whiff… Sometimes I get that way about fish – but it comes and goes. Weird.
Anyhoo, to answer your question, maybe celery or radishes would work? You’d get the crunch and maybe some of the coolness, for sure. Or what about a red/yellow pepper? That would change the flavour a bit but I bet it would taste great.
I’d quite happily have a chunkier version with sweet potatoes, but that wouldn’t be a chopped salad any more…
October 9, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Jennifer
Oooh yes yellow peppers or radishes…mmmm. Thanks Jen will give that a try at the weekend and let you know how it turns out!
Do not get me started on fish…Bleugh!!
Jennifer
(Very Fussy Eater!).
October 9, 2008 at 11:00 pm
manuel
feta=evil…….sorry
October 10, 2008 at 10:41 am
holler
It looks really lovely! Lunchtime is coming up here and my stomach is now rumbling! My brain must have sent a message to it about your salad 🙂
October 10, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Darius T. Williams
Look at this really great salad – I can totally understand why you can’t stop eating it – lol – it’s looks great!
-DTW
http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
October 10, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Jen
Hey again Jennifer.
Let me know how it works out! (I’m currently ok with fish but it can change…)
Hiya Manuel.
Does. Not. Compute! How can you hate this delicious, tangy wonderfulness?! Mind you, you’re in good company as Mr B can’t stand the stuff either. Pulls a face like a cat’s bum at the mere thought of it.
Hi Holler.
It would be a good one for a lunch box – a little tub of this, a couple of chunks of bread, maybe some soup… Ooh, the possibilities.
Hey Darius.
It really, truly is fantastic. I never thought a salad could make me so happy 🙂
October 10, 2008 at 6:55 pm
English Mum
Ooh yum. I love feta. And cucumber… and everything else really. Might have to have a go at this one x
October 12, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Jen
Hey EM.
I promise you, you will not be disappointed 🙂 It’s a corker.
October 22, 2008 at 3:47 am
kickpleat
this looks way too good. and i don’t even like cucumbers that much. it’s on my list now.
November 4, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Jen
Hey Kickpleat.
I’ve got a list as long as my arm of scrumptious-looking blog recipes to try. So glad I made this one – it’s a keeper 🙂