Aviva's K I S S

Aviva’s KISS

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I have been so busy cooking for a change, that I didn’t have a minute to post today.

Last weekend, we went to Philadelphia for my nephew David’s graduation party, he got his PhD !!!!! and an early celebration of his 30th birthday. David is the best kind of nephew, he arrived at that status because his mother Fran is one of my dearest friends and he couldn’t be more of a nephew if we were connected by blood.

Now since he has his PhD, we’ve established that he is quite bright! (He is now a historian with the State Department) He has proven this fact many times over, but where he really shines is in the selection of a wife.

He married Aviva (who is an attorney and not too shabby in the smarts department either), who I absolutely adore. She is beautiful, intelligent, witty, and a damn good cook!

My friend Fran is blessed to have two beautiful daughter-in-laws,

Aviva and Sam my other niece, married to Fran's son Jeremy,
and about to make me a great-aunt!

Aviva made a delicious salad for David’s graduation,
and I recreated it on a smaller scale for the blog.
It is a Greek salad, and I am calling it a KISS salad
in honor of Valentines Day and these two beautiful young people…

KISS - Kreative Incredibly Simple Salad

Aviva’s Greek Salad

Aviva Zierler

4 -5 Roma Tomatoes – seeded and cut into a small dice
1 red onion, peeled and cut into a small dice
1 large cucumber or you can use a few small Kirbys
1 green pepper – cut in thin strips and diced
Red Wine Garlic Vinegar to taste
Olive Oil to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Sea Salt (if you are using Feta, I would eliminate the salt as feta is very salty)
Greek Manouri Cheese (if you can’t find that a nice French Feta would work too)
about a 3-inch x 3-inch piece, shredded on a large hole blade of a shredder
Kalamata Olive (pitted) optional


Shred the cheese on the large hole size of a box grater. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use. Peel the onion. Cut the onion in half, make thin slices vertically, and then slice thin horizontally. Cut across into a dice, set the onions aside. Wash the peppers. Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Cut the peppers into thin strips, pile the strips on top of each other, and cut into a small dice - set side.

Wash the tomatoes, cut them in half. Use a small spoon to remove the seeds, and cut into strips. Cut into a dice, set aside. Peel the cucumbers. Cut the cucumbers in half, use a small spoon to remove the seeds. Cut into thin strips, dice, and set aside.

Put tomatoes in a large bowl, add cucumbers, onions, and green peppers. Mix
Season with black pepper, I add a speck of garlic salt, and a few Kalamata Olives. Add a little Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil. If you are adding salt, do it right before serving so it won’t make the salad watery.

When you are ready to serve it, cover the top with the shredded Manouri or Feta Cheese. This makes a great side dish, would be good at a barbecue or if you have to bring something to a party. You can increase this easily to feed a large crowd as well. Aviva served hers in a punch bowl. This is really pretty served in a glass bowl so you can see all the colors on the bottom and the cheese on the top (a trifle bowl would work great for this.)

Note: The salad is shown above without the cheese just to show the color. It is shown below as it served.

What you will need for the recipe:


Aviva’s Greek Salad

Aviva Zierler

4 -5 Roma Tomatoes – seeded and cut into a small dice
1 red onion, peeled and cut into a small dice
1 large cucumber or you can use a few small Kirbys
1 green pepper – cut in thin strips and diced
Red Wine Garlic Vinegar to taste
Olive Oil to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Sea Salt (if you are using Feta, I would eliminate the salt as feta is very salty)
Greek Manouri Cheese (if you can’t find that a nice French Feta would work too)
about a 3-inch x 3-inch piece, shredded on a large hole blade of a shredder
Kalamata Olive (pitted) optional

Shred the cheese on the large hole size
of a box grater



Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use

Peel the onion


Cut the onion in half

Make thin slices vertically

Slice thin horizontally


Cut across into a dice



set the onions aside

Wash the peppers


Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds


Cut the peppers into thin strips


Pile the strips on top of each other
cut into a small dice - set side


Wash the tomatoes


Cut them in half


Use a small spoon to remove the seeds,
and cut into strips


Cut into a dice, set aside


Peel the cucumbers


Cut the cucumbers in half


use a small spoon to remove the seeds


cut into strips


dice


and set aside


Put tomatoes in a large bowl


Add cucumbers


Onions


Peppers



Mix


Season with black pepper


I added a speck of garlic salt


and a few Kalamata Olives


Wine Vinegar


and Olive Oil


If you are adding salt, do it right before
serving so it won’t make the salad watery


When you are ready to serve it,


cover the top with the shredded Manouri or Feta Cheese


This makes a great side dish, would be good at a barbeque or if you have to bring something to a party. You can increase this easily to feed a large crowd as well. Aviva served hers in a punch bowl. This is really pretty served in a glass bowl so you can see all the colors on the bottom and the cheese on the top (a trifle bowl would work great for this.)

Enjoy!