Greek Salad with Fennel

- Merrill

The other week, I had dinner at Kefi, the most casual of Michael Psilakis’ ever-growing roster of New York City restaurants. Something I always order there, in addition to the fantastic meze platter and the transformative halvah chocolate mousse dessert, is the Greek salad.

Kefi’s salad is simple, yet perfectly balanced, the way a good Greek salad should be. There's a little more tang to the vinaigrette to balance out the mellow saltiness of the feta; crisp, crunchy veggies; and of course plenty of olives. Kefi’s version uses roasted red peppers instead of raw, and it also incorporates some shaved fennel, which I think makes it a standout.

Last week I attempted to recreate the salad on my own, and I think I got fairly close. (I left out the cucumbers, which my husband – a cucumber fanatic—would not approve of, but with the added fennel, I felt there was plenty going on.) Hope you enjoy it!

Greek Salad with Fennel

Serves 6

• 1/2 small red onion
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 pound Greek feta
• 1/2 large fennel bulb, with fronds
• 6 cups roughly chopped Romaine (2/3 small head)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted red pepper
• 1/4 cup green olives, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, whole

To see the photo slideshow and full recipe (and to print and save it), click here.

Photos by Nicole Franzen