Last month I shared my recipe for Cretan Style Lamb Burger with Feta, it’s a really tasty and easy burger recipe for the summer months, and perfect for new season spring lamb. Alongside my lamb burger (and many, many other recipes) I often serve a traditional Greek Salad and a side of Tzatziki.

I tend to cook a lot of Mediterranean style food, it’s delicious, fairly healthy and my husband is half Armenian, so it’s good to recreate some of his favourites too. Greek salad is so easy to throw together and it’s one of our favourite salads, plus it tends to keep quite well – no wilted leftovers the next day!

These recipes are family favourites, created from memory every time. I’ve long since forgotten where the recipes originally game from but I know I’ve changed them slightly over time to match our taste buds.

Greek Salad Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, finely sliced
1/2 cucumber, halved and finely sliced
12 black olives, pitted
200g feta cheese, cubed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt & pepper

Method:
The best thing you can do for this salad is find the ripest tomatoes. I have used cherry tomatoes, but if the ripest are something else, use the best tomatoes you can find.

Quarter your tomatoes, slice your cucumber and onion and cube your feta, put all of your ingredients into a serving dish, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil and seasoning and toss together before serving.

Taste and add more seasoning, herbs or vinegar if you feel it needs it.

Tzatziki Recipe

Ingredients:
250g Greek yoghurt (I use fat free)
1/2 cucumber, grated
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of sugar
Salt & pepper

Method:
Traditionally the skin and the seeds of the cucumber are removed for tzatziki, but I like the texture of it so I keep it in.

Grate your cucumber onto a clean tea-towel and sprinkle with some salt, leave it for ten minutes and then squeeze the excess water out.

Tip your cucumber into a bowl with your finely grated garlic, Greek yoghurt, olive oil and red wine vinegar and mix thoroughly. Taste the tzatziki and then add sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

It’s not usual to add sugar to tzatziki, but I think a little pinch gives it a slightly nicer flavour, but leave it out if you prefer.

Any leftovers of this Greek salad make a great lunch with some toasted pizza bread.