Today’s post was inspired by my recent acquaintance with Sapfo® olive oil and the Papadelis family when I visited Lesvos for my best friend’s daughter’s christening. After the ceremony, we had a wonderful evening under the stars and olive trees of Lesvos, enjoying unique dishes based on olive oil. Even though I’d eaten many of these foods countless times before, they tasted different this time. The combination of the place, the excellent company, the stars, and the beautiful evening made the food taste so different. When I asked why, they told me that all the food was homemade and based on the pure extra virgin olive oil of the Papadelis family, Sapfo®.

I then asked to meet Mrs. Papadelis, hoping to exchange (or instead borrow) a few of her secrets before leaving Lesvos. And so it was. As I was leaving, I took tips for the Greek salad and oven-baked lamb with potatoes. I learned about the syrup-soaked Lesvos platseta, spanakopita, olives, and, most importantly, the quantity and quality of pure olive oil. I started a new collaboration and gained new friends, like a second family.

 

I know very well that everyone knows how to make a Greek salad, and you might think it’s excessive, if not a bit offensive, that I decided to make a post about the Greek salad. But I can justify it. Firstly, my blog is now read worldwide, so why shouldn’t I talk about one of the world’s four most famous Greek dishes, the Greek salad? And secondly, why shouldn’t you also be inspired by the photos and the food styling? If you do not want a Greek salad, you can make another equally beautiful and summery dish with a unique style, rustic bread, plenty of Sapfo® olive oil, and ouzo.

Today, I will share a simple Greek salad with you and the rest of the world. This salad is considered incredibly famous worldwide, as there are dozens of references, variations, and recipes for it on blogs in America, Canada, England, and beyond. The Greek salad is one of the four most well-known Greek dishes worldwide, and I know we can all make it.

As they told me in Lesvos, the secret lies in the fresh and pure ingredients, the well-ripened tomatoes and cucumbers without fertilisers, the small green peppers, the hand-picked olives, our feta, and of course, the quality and quantity of the pure olive oil. I added fresh oregano, finely chopped capers made by my parents, and cherry tomatoes, and I enjoyed every bite with rustic bread and, of course, endless sips of ouzo!

Ingredients for Greek salad:

• Four trim, ripe, organic tomatoes cut into quarters
• Four organic cucumbers, half-peeled, sliced
• 200g feta, crumbled by hand
• Two small green peppers, thinly sliced
• One small red onion, cut in half and sliced thinly
• Chopped capers
• Plenty of pure Sapfo® olive oil
• 2-3 small rusks, coarsely broken
• A few fresh oregano leaves
• Dried oregano”