The Busy Gourmand

Although my recipe was made from leftovers you could of course make this from scratch. It would be a lot more work but in the end it would be worth it. The basic recipe just takes all the ingredients from a Greek salad and mixes them with some pasta and chicken. I used some leftover orecchiete but I think any type of smallish pasta would work. I am sure orzo would probably be the best.

• 2 plum tomatoes cut into large dice
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded, cut into large dice
• 1/2 red onion, cut into a medium dice
• 1/2 bell pepper, cut into large dice
• 8 to 10 kalamata olives, pitted, and cut in half
• 4 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes, or crumbled
• 1 very large cooked chicken breast, or two smaller breasts, skin and bone removed, cut into 1/2 inch dice
• 6 oz small cooked pasta, orecchiete, orzo, farfalle etc.
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh Greek oregano, chopped fine
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped fine
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add all the chopped vegetables to a very large serving bowl. Add the pasta, the herbs, the chicken and the feta cheese and mix thoroughly.

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil, creating an emulsion. Add a bit of salt and a couple of turns of the pepper mill and mix to incorporate. Pour the lemon and olive oil mixture over the ingredients in the bowl and mix coating everything in the bowl evenly.

This makes about four solid portions of salad.