Greek Salsa

More About This Recipe

• Betty cooked everything, from meatloaf to salsa. In fact, her fresh tomato salsa has been a classic for many years, according to the Betty Crocker cookbook. The cookbook raves about the salsa, calling it a “traditional Southwestern-style salsa bursting with fresh tomato flavor.” I have to agree; you just can’t go wrong with Betty! But being the experimenter (is that a word?) that I am, I decided to try a more Mediterranean version of her salsa classic. Not to challenge Betty (because I would never do that!), but to simply put a twist on an old favorite. I strayed from the tomato-based, pico de gallo–type salsa by creating a Greek Salsa. Similar to the flavors of a Greek salad, this salsa is light and flavorful and perfect to serve for any occasion. This recipe calls for tangy ingredients such as feta cheese, red onion, green pepper, kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, oregano, olive oil and red wine vinegar. You want to use romaine lettuce as a base, as it has the hard ribs in the center of the lettuce that provide a great crunchy texture for your salsa. Using a very sharp knife (BE CAREFUL!), chop up your ingredients very finely. Save yourself a finger or two by lightly chopping the ingredients in a food processor instead of chopping by hand. Once you have chopped everything, mix it all together with olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano. Add salt and pepper if needed. Depending on how chunky you want the salsa, continue adding the liquid until you achieve the desired consistency.
• Do NOT serve this with tortilla chips! Instead, serve with pita chips. There are great brands already bagged and ready to go in the grocery store, or you can make your own very simply by cutting pita bread into triangles, drizzling in olive oil and salt, and baking until crisp. There are so many fun variations to this salsa, so feel free to pick and choose ingredients! This would make a GREAT bruschetta spread on a toasted crostini, as well. For a fabulous presentation, serve scoops of the salsa inside a hollowed-out green pepper for individual sized portions! And let’s not forget Miss Betty. Pair her classic salsa recipe with the Greek version and any other kind of salsa for a wonderful variety of options and a serious flavor sensation! Thanks for the inspiration, Betty!