Greek Salad

Greek Salad

- 1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into a 1/2" dice
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into a 1/2" dice
- 1/4-1/2 red onion, cut into a 1/4" dice
- 1 small (5-6 oz) kalamata olives (basically to taste)
- 4-8 oz good feta, depending on your preference. I prefer 8 oz.
- 1-2 T good extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 T white balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt (to taste, be careful, because the feta's fairly salty)
- freshly crushed black better (to taste, but liberal)
- 3-4 T fresh mint, minced (optional
- Italian seasoning (to taste)

I use Mt. Vikos feta, a brand that my Greek Cypriate friend approves of. Don't buy anything that is shrink-wrapped (e.g. no "Athenos") only something that is in water, or otherwise shows signs of being recently cut. The difference between good and bad feta is night and day. Low-quality feta has very little flavor save a sourness, and has a grainy texture, rather than the rich, silky texture of high quality feta. For stores such as Whole Foods and other supermarkets, cost is a pretty good proxy for quality. In stores with a more limited selection "French feta" is usually a better choice. Never buy pre-crumbled.

Mix all together, and add "to taste" things at the end