No Greens Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
Insalata condita con yoghurt greco
About this Salad
This salad was inspired by two things - one very exciting, the other bittersweet. First, the exciting! In less than two weeks, I'll be going to Greece! It will be my first trip abroad since 2018. My uncle and his husband are hosting us for ten days at the home they've rented on the island of Naxos. I toyed around with the idea of squeezing in a few days in Florence, but I opted for a less stressful travel experience, especially because each European country has its own regulations regarding visitors from the U.S. and Covid. In anticipation of eating lots of delicious Greek cuisine, I whipped up a lemony and herby Greek yogurt dressing to go with this salad. I'm sure it won't hold a candle to the food that awaits us in Greece, but it's yummy just the same.
Now for the bittersweet. My local Italian grocery store, Russo's, has closed its doors after decades of bringing my community gorgeous and affordable produce, seasonal treats like pumpkins and Christmas trees, beautiful fresh flowers, homemade pastas, breads, and pastries, an incomparable selection of meats and cheeses, and imported Italian goods. Rumor has it that Mr. Russo is retiring to Italy and spending his remaining years with family there. While I do not blame him one bit for living out his dream (which, to be honest, is my dream, too), those of us who spent time at Russo's will miss it dearly.
I was fortunate enough to be at Russo's on its closing day with my mom and grandmother when I purchased all the vegetable for this salad. I can't possibly count the number of times over the last three decades of my life that we've shopped there together and built traditions around food and holidays that won't be the same without it, but I wish Mr. Russo and his family the best of luck living la dolce vita.
Russo's
La Ricetta - The Recipe
Gli ingredienti per l'insalata - Salad ingredients
fagioli verdi ~ green beans - 2-3 cups
pomodorini ~ cherry tomatoes (or other small tomatoes) - 1 pint
cetriolo ~ cucumber - 3 mini cucumbers or 1 English cucumber
ceci ~ chickpeas - 1 can, rinsed
Gli ingredienti per il condimento - Dressing ingredients
yoghurt greco ~ Greek yogurt - 4-5 heaping tablespoons
erbe fresche (aneto, basilico, coriandolo) ~ fresh herbs (I used a mix of dill, basil, and cilantro)
succo di un limone ~ juice of one lemon
olio di oliva extra vergine ~ extra virgin olive oil - 1-2 tablespoons
sale ~ salt - to taste
Step 1. Put a pot of water on to boil.
Step 2. Trim green beans and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half and slice the cucumber.
Step 3. Salt the boiling water and parboil the green beans for two minutes.
Step 4. Rinse the green beans in very cold water or an ice bath until they are no longer warm.
Step 5. Add all of the vegetables and chickpeas to a large salad bowl.
Step 6. Make the dressing. Chop all herbs and add them to a small bowl with the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Taste along the way and make adjustments to the measurements according to your preference.
Step 7. Spoon the dressing over a bowl of salad, mix it up, and enjoy!
Buon appetito!
#glutenfree #vegetables #senzaglutine #salad #insalata #verdure