By: chezchanelle
RECIPES, , , , , , , , , , ,

Santorini Salad with Whipped Feta

Attention: this is NOT your typical Greek salad! This Santorini salad with whipped feta was the first thing I ate when I stepped off the plane this summer in Santorini and it was truly mind-blowing how delicious something this simple could be. It also happened to be the recipe I made in every Greek cooking class I took! So what makes this salad unique? Three things:

  1. A crispy bread component (often referred to as rusk in Greece, but you can crisp up any bread for this recipe).
  2. The dressing is simply Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Greek Oregano. (I am always used to adding an acid like lemon or balsamic but my teachers were VERY adamant that ONLY Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Greek Oregano were to be used!)
  3. Capers (& caper leaves if you can find them). I always add olives but adding capers was definitely something I learned was a key part of this iconic Santorini Salad.

And then I have to admit, the crispy chickpeas and whipped feta were my own little twist here and I would 100% recommend because these two components really make this salad a MEAL salad.

Recipe for Santorini Salad with Whipped Feta:

Ingredients (serves 2-4):

  • For the Santorini Salad:
  • 2-3 slices of bread, roughly torn
  • 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
  • 4 baby cucumbers or 1 large english cucumber, diced
  • 2 cups baby tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small shallot, diced
  • 1/2 cup of red or green bell peppers, diced
  • 2 tsp capers
  • 2 tbsp kalamata olives
  • 2 tbsp Greek oregano, divided
  • 2-3 tbsp EVOO, divided
  • For the Whipped Feta:
  • 1 cup feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F. To a baking sheet, add the torn bread and chickpeas. Toss with olive oil and oregano and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until crispy then set aside to cool while you prepare the salad.
  2. Meanwhile, combine all the remaining salad ingredients and set aside. Once the bread and chickpeas are slightly cooled, mix to combine with the cold salad components.
  3. For the whipped feta, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. The feta can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
  4. Spoon the feta mixture onto the centre of the plate followed by the salad. Enjoy immediately!