Roasted Greek Salad

By Cat, April, 2019 (Image, right, from Wikipedia Commons)

Pistachios in shells

I love Greek food! and the traditional Village Salad (Horiatiki) is essential for a good Greek meal. But when I saw this roasted version, my curiosity was aroused.

It includes panic bread crumbs, which I would avoid because I’m doing keto, but I could include the crumbs if I serve the salad on a cyclic keto “Feast” day. I also love pistachios, and their higher fat content would offset the carbs in the crumbs.

Roasted Greek Salad Recipe

I’ve adapted this recipe from one in our local Daily Inter Lake paper, originally by Linda Gassenheimer from the Tribune News Service (1). I’ve not tried it yet, so have not made many changes.

The reason I remove the seeds from the tomatoes is that they contain toxic lectins which are especially problematic for us humans (see my article: Lectins: what they are, and how to deal with them for more info). They are easy to remove; however, the original recipe simply pierces the tomatoes without removing the seeds. Which choice to take? It’s up to you.

The author (1) provides the following helpful hints:

  • Broken walnuts can be used instead of pistachio nuts.
  • Panko breadcrumbs are a crisp, flaky type of breadcrumbs. Regular breadcrumbs can be used instead.
  • Countdown:
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Prepare the tomatoes and fennel and place in the oven.
    • While they roast, prepare the remaining ingredients.
    • Complete the recipe.

Ingredients & Equipment

  • Salad:
  • 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, de-seeded
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 medium-size fennel bulb, stems removed (about 2 cups sliced)
  • 1¼ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (1 tsp dried thyme)
  • ½ Tbsp fresh oregano (½ tsp dried oregano)
  • 6 pitted brined kalamata olives
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ½ cup shelled, unsalted, dry-roasted pistachio nuts
  • Unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional accompaniment:
  • 2 whole wheat pita breads cut in half
  • Equipment:
  • casserole dish (about 10 x 7 inches)
  • cast iron skillet

Method

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Wash tomatoes, cut in half and remove seeds and set aside.
  3. Wash fennel bulb, then but bulb in quarters before slicing thinly. Or simply slice thinly to retain the crescent shape of the bulb’s layers.
  4. Shell the pistachios and set aside.
  5. Heat half of the olive oil in a skillet and add the fennel slices; sauté about 5 minutes, just until the slices soften.
  6. Roast:  Spread remaining olive oil in roasting pan, then scatter tomatoes and sautéed fennel evenly in the pan. Roast in over 10 minutes.
  7. Remove pan from oven; mix in bread-crumbs, thyme and oregano.
  8. Spread olives, fat and pistachios over the top; season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Return pan to oven for 5 minutes.
  10. Serve: Serve salad from casserole, with warmed pita on the side.

References:

  1. Recipe: msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/roasted-greek-salad-makes-a-tasty-veggie-dish/ar-BBWaIOD

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