Thursday, June 18, 2015

My Big Fat Greek Salad #recipe @LucyBurdette #giveaway


LUCY BURDETTE: A couple of weeks ago John and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary. We each had false starts getting married correctly, so it's possible we might not make it to 50, 60, and 70 years together, though fingers, toes, and paws are crossed!

That's why we like to celebrate each anniversary as though it was a big one. This year we went to New York City for a couple of days, and the celebration included tickets to see An American in Paris, a visit to my favorite food emporium Eataly, an hour in the Strand Bookstore (I could have spent all day,) tours of the new Whitney Art Museum and the 9/11 memorial and museum, and of course, tons of good food. (And by the way, the 9/11 memorial is well worth visiting, though so terribly sad. We need to remember!)

We had lunch one day in Eataly. To the left was my pasta, and John chose the lemon ricotta raviolis with pistachio garnish. Oh my goodness, it was good! 


But we had another stop to squeeze in. A few years ago, some friends got us hooked on a wonderful Greek restaurant in the East Village called Pylos. It wasn't really convenient to anyplace we were going, but we went for lunch anyway. This is their version of the country Greek salad--oh so wonderful. So I decided to make one for you. You'll see that I added salad greens, and also served it to myself with a boiled egg and a cottage oat biscuit--and that was a lovely dinner!

 


 Ingredients

Ripe tomatoes
Small cucumbers
Mixed salad greens
Fresh radishes
Feta cheese (only the good stuff!)
Greek olives
Pickled capers
Hard boiled eggs
Onions, if you like them

 

For the dressing: 

One half teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar (I like balsamic)
6 tablespoons good olive oil
One peeled garlic clove
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped fine
Salt-and-pepper


I find the easiest way to make dressing is to add all the ingredients into a small jar with a lid and shake briskly. If you like a lot of garlic, you can press or chop the clove in with the other ingredients. I prefer a mild taste, so I leave the whole garlic clove in for a couple of hours and then remove it. Next...


Arrange the salad greens on a pretty plate, and add sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes. (And onions if you like them.) Top all this with olives, capers, and chunks of feta cheese. Serve with a warm hard-boiled egg and a hot biscuit.









Fatal Reservations, the sixth book in the Key West food critic series, will be in bookstores on July 7, but you can certainly order it now! And, to continue the countdown to the launch celebration, we will be giving away one copy of the new book--leave a comment with your email by midnight tonight to be entered in the drawing.

67 comments:

  1. I am going grocery shopping tomorrow. I see a Greek Salad in my future! Thanks for sharing! And congratulations in your upcoming release!
    angelhwk68@yahoo.com

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  2. this salad and the dressing look so delicious. Thanks for the recipe I will have to make this :) Thank you also for the chance to win a copy of your book! darholley1 ( at) aol (dot) com

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  3. Aren't Greek salads the best? Yummy recipe. Happy Anniversary! Celebrating our 46th today, each and every one is special.

    (No need to enter me in the drawing - I got a happy surprise early release copy today - see the big smiles :-) :-) :-) ).

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  4. Greek salads are so refreshing. With that dressing recipe, I can use up that dab of Dijon mustard left in the bottle!! LOL sssusieq@hotmail(dot)com

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  5. Congrats on 23 wonderful years with your husband, Roberta/Lucy! As we say in my family...

    Cent'anni! (May you be happy and healthy for 100 years!)

    xoxo

    ~ Cleo

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  6. Love the salad recipe. And congrats on your anniversary. lcahoon7 (at) gmail.com

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  7. I love Greek Salad. I will have to try this recipe. Happy Anniversary! :-)
    Dnrocker@yahoo.com

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  8. That salad looks amazing!!

    I've already pre-ordered and can't wait.

    harbingerdc(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. This sounds delicious! I just started the Key West food critic series last week, and am finally caught up. Can't wait for this book to come out! Happy Anniversary! Thanks for the chance to win! mamamoongrrlie at gmail dot com

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  10. yummy recipe; I love lots of salads in the summer months. thanks for the chance to win :)
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

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  11. Greek salads are the best! And I would be delighted to win this book!
    rebarger@bellsouth.net

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  12. Your anniversary celebration sounds absolutely wonderful! Thank you for the giveaway and I look forward to reading this book! smmolloy1105@yahoo.com

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  13. How lovely to treat every anniversary as the big one! Congratulations on finding each other.

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  14. Both your anniversary and the salad sound wonderful! Congratulations!
    lizc@mac.com

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  15. Congratulations on hitting the jackpot 23 years ago. May you both have many more wonderful adventures together.
    Lovely salad. I'm impressed with the feta triangles in your picture of the original. Nice artistry.
    Looking forward to your latest book.
    Best wishes
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  16. The salad sounds great and the new book even better! lkleback@hotmail.com

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  17. Happy Anniversary !! I'm sure you make it to 70 years !!! Greek salad looks yummy !'
    Kellymarie0313@gmail.com

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  18. I have not read any of your books yet, but I hope to remedy that soon. I love Key West and love the cover of this book. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!

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  19. Happy Anniversary! And the salad looks good!

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com

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  20. Congratulations on 23 years! I'm looking forward to Fatal Reservations! patucker54 (at aol dot com)

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  21. Congratulations on your anniversary! The food in your pictures looks wonderful. I will definitely try the greek salad. I'm anxiously awaiting Fatal Reservations....love the series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book. cking78503@aol.com

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  22. I'm glad that you guys had a wonderful anniversary!!!! I'm 1/4 greek so I have grown up on alot of great greek food so trust me when I say that salad looks great! So excited for Fatal Reservations to come out! Thanks for the giveaway!!!!
    magicgirl2357@yahoo.com

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  23. I have never tried a greek salad, but it looks good! The cozy mysteries have become my favorite books to read and I would love to win Fatal Reservations. Thank you!
    glendajoy42@outlook.com

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  24. What a lovely way to spend your anniversary! The greek salad recipe looks great for a summer dinner or lunch and perfect for a picnic.
    little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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  25. Oh, Eataly -- I do so want to go there! We love Greek salads, and your version looks scrumptious! Congratulations on the new book!

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  26. Lovely way to celebrate an anniversary. My husband and I will probably not see that 50th anniversary either. We will celebrate our 38th this fall. Would love a copy of Fatal Reservations.

    Bettyjo.english@gmail.com

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  27. Your salad looks beautiful and sounds delicious. I may have to make one. (all except the Greek olives). lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  28. Lovely way to celebrate an anniversary. My husband and I will probably not see that 50th anniversary either. We will celebrate our 38th this fall. Would love a copy of Fatal Reservations.

    Bettyjo.english@gmail.com

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  29. I like the way you celebrate your anniversaries! Wishing you many, many more! And thank you for the scrumptious Greek salad recipe! bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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  30. Happy Anniversary!!! The Greek Salad looks perfect for dinner on a hot summer evening! Thanks for the chance to win your book! kimdavishb@gmail.com

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  32. Congratulations to you and your husband on 23 years together!! Wishing you both many, many more! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. Love all your books and look forward to your new one coming out!!
    cmosc@comcast.net

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  33. Happy Anniversary! What a great trip and such delectable food. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  34. Congratulations! Many more years to celebrate. Wonderful recipe. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  35. Congrats, Roberta! We're celebrating 32 today!! Chuck married me when I was 7. Lol. Enjoy another 50 if you can.
    Hugs
    Daryl

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  36. It doesn't matter how long you are married, it matters how well you are married.
    janet.lomba@snet.net

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  37. Congratulations and may you have many more happy years together.

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  38. First of all, I would like to wish you a very happy anniversary. Some people don't get that second chance at happiness; so glad that you did. As to your recipes, I have never added radishes but they sound like a great addition. I love capers on many foods so why not Greek Salad. I have made a salad dressing very similar to your and also put in small pieces of feta into the dressing. I only make enough for serving that day or night as the feta turns color and becomes mushy but it sure is good after it has marinated for a couple of hours before putting it on the salad.
    Have been thinking of you and hoping things are going better. Haven't been able to get online much the last few days,. I am not lucky but it is still fun wondering if I will become the recipient of your latest wonderful book in this series. Thank you for that opportunity.
    Sincerely,
    Cynthia B.
    ceblain(AT)tmlponline(DOT)net

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  39. Sharon Baker slpetera@yahoo.comJune 18, 2015 at 1:22 PM

    I love Greek Salads. Now I have recipe to make at home. Thank you so much and good luck on your new release.

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  41. Can't wait to read the new book and what a yummy recipe. bessert57@gmail.com

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  42. Congratulations! And I can't wait to read FATAL RESERVATIONS! Thanks for the chance to win. ellenrusson@comcast.net

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  43. Oh yum! Greek food is wonderful ! Happy Anniversary! Can't wait to read the book! robin.christofaro@yahoo.com

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  44. Congratulations! It sounds like you had a wonderful NY get-away. God willing, we'll be celebrating our 50th in October.
    bree62@outlook.com

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  45. Happy Anniversary?

    Will you guys take me with you next time? This food looks delicious!

    sandybar57@msn.com

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  46. Nothing like a good Greek Salad.
    xzjh04@gmail.com

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  47. Happy Anniversary to you and your handsome hubby! I've not been any farther east than Iowa, but would love to travel to New York. Sounds like a grand time you had.
    Sandy in So. Cali
    sxygrndma48{at}yahoo{dot}com

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  48. Happy Anniversary! =)

    kidisitor@yahoo.com

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  49. Happy Anniversary!! I love this series!!!

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  50. Congratulations to you and your husband! I have always wanted to go to New York, maybe some day. I like to watch tennis and I would like to see the U.S. Open in person. There are so many things to see there. Glad you had a great time! Thank you for the drawing. crossxjo@hotmail.com

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  51. Happy Anniversary! I just finished reading the first book in this series and I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the chance to win! rencw@verizion.net

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  52. You guys are so sweet--I'm bringing you all on the next anniversary trip to New York. Hmmm, how will I break this to John? And we also will visit Cleo's coffee shop while we're there ok?

    Daryl, LOL on marrying you at 7. Hope not, we'd hate to have to turn him in:)

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  53. looks yummy!!!!! could almost taste everything!!!

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  54. Happy Anniversary! Thank you for the recipe and this chance to win. I love this series. areewekidding@yahoo.com

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  55. Happy Anniversary. Looking forward to reading the new book.
    dotkel50 at comcast dot net

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  56. Thanks for the recipe and the chance to win! dm_richards at yahoo dot com

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  57. Congrats on your anniversary. We love salads like this in the summer. Looks wonderful.

    gibsonbk at hiwaay dot net

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  58. Oh YUM!!!! Love a good Greek Salad, The Dressing looks perfect and I am anxious to test it out. Happy Anniversary ..... glad you are celebrating each one. My hubby and I had 43 and so wish there had been more. But the memories are so important and will always keep the love alive.

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  59. Everything looks great...
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  60. The random number generator chose CathyM as the winner of the drawing this week. I only wish I could send a copy to each of you--thanks again for all the lovely comments!

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  61. I never get this right it seems - have done this 3 times!!!! it asks for your comment as: and then wipes out the comment - Yikes - am truly not sure if anything I wrote before got posted anywhere........so, here goes again..... I truly love these mysteries, and can't wait for the next one, have preordered via Amazon. I am going to make the Greek Salad this weekend. Sorry for the frustration, hope you have a Happy Friday, and Great weekend.

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  62. Yum! your trip sounds delicious, i mean delightful!
    you put capers AND olives! i always think i must put one or the other, but usually have both!
    congratulations on the anniversary and the book!!

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