For your Seduction Meal arsenal, it's a good idea to learn a few simple yet flavorful dishes that you can serve up for a refreshing "quickie" or as a side to a main dish. A simple Greek salad, this recipe is from the cookbook New Greek Cuisine from Jim Botsacos, the Chef of Molyvos Restaurant in NYC. Jim brings the vegetables from his garden to the table and prepares this dish with room temperature ingredients to maximize all flavors. Botsacos explains that in Greece greens are often not added to summer salads, except for perhaps a Romaine salad.

For a full meal, try serving this salad with Grilled Lamb Chops with roasted tomatoes, and end the night with this delightful dessert--panna cotta with balsamic flavored strawberries.


Ingredients

3 beefsteak tomatoes
1 hothouse cucumber, seeded (I like my seeds), scored and quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 small red onion
20 kalamata olives, pitted, and thinly sliced (I prefer mine left whole)
1 cup diced feta cheese
1 Tbsp well-drained capers
Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce  (if you like)

Red Wine Vinaigrette
makes about 3/4 cup

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

Combine the vinegar with the garlic and the oregano in a small mixing bowl. Add the oil and using a wire whisk, beat constantly until the mixture is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to use.

Preparing the Salad.
Core the tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half crosswise, then cut each half into 5 pieces.Place the pieces in a mixing bowl. Add the cucumber.

Cut the onion in half lengthwise and then slice each half lengthwise into thin julienne. Add the onion to the bowl.

Add the olives, cheese and capers. Take the red wine vinaigrette and briefly whisk ingredients . Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Taste and season with oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

Plating the Dish
Place an equal portion of the lettuce (if you choose to add this ingredient) on a salad plate or bowl. Top with equal portion of the tomato salad/mixture. Sprinkle lightly with oregano and serve immediately.