c+potion

Photographing my meals is getting harder. When my meal is ready I'm often hungry and tired and the lighting is poor and I'm negotiating an 18 month old in my arms and around my distended belly. I've got at least 6 meals that I cooked and savored and wanted to share recently but do not have any photos to post. Alas.

Tonight I lingered a bit too long at the market arguing with aforementioned 18 month old who was screeching at the top of her lungs while we cruised the produce section. Yes, shoppers of the Fresh Pond location Whole Foods, that was us. The acoustics are excellent I am happy to report.

At the last minute I grabbed one of the store's rotisserie chickens and also the fixings for a greek style salad. Suddenly all I wanted was a greek style salad. I don't know why I don't make one more often I really enjoy them when I get them as a side to my meal at greek/mediterranean restaurants. So easy, so tasty. I added the roast chicken chopped up to the salad and mmmm'd my way through the rest of the meal (in between reading to leftie who insisted that she perch on my lap with a stack of board books on the table before us).

I don't want to forget even this very basic salad so here are my notes: My greek style salad consists of large chopped pieces of romaine lettuce (which I've been favoring in my salads lately because it's so easy and quick to wash the leaves). Added to the lettuce was cubes of a luscious heirloom tomato and cucumber, a handful of kalamata olives, lemon juice, dried oregano, crumbled feta (yay for cheeses made from pasteurized milk!), salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

I think the vinegar I use really makes the difference in this basic oil+vinegar dressing. Years ago I bought a bottle of a brand called Napa Valley Naturals red wine vinegar at a fancy organic market. It brought such a wonderful flavor to my salad dressings that it's the only red wine vinegar I ever use anymore.

Oh and I add a bit of onion to the salad as well. Finely chopped though. I enjoy the taste that raw onions impart on salads and such, but I don't like biting into a raw onion. I wonder about that though. How come so many dishes come with red onions these days? Are they more special than regular onions? (I usually buy yellow but have also been known to use white when I want a mellower flavor.) Are they supposed to be fancier? Cheaper? Prettier? I certainly enjoy the color but I feel like restaurants are getting a little unoriginal when they add red onions to every dish on the menu.

I tossed everything together adjusting the seasonings to suit my tastes and added the chopped up chicken at the very end.

Yum yum.