RUSSIAN SALAD with DILL and CAPER MAYONNAISE (Olivier Salad/Ρωσική Σαλάτα)

This salad, very popular and seen on tables all over Europe, is of Russian origin. Each country has its own way of preparing it. The Spanish version is interesting in that it contains tuna fish. In other places, chopped pieces of ham or turkey get the nod. The Greeks prefer a vegetarian version, possibly because they are of the opinion (quite a sensible one, I must say), that salad should include nothing else but vegetables and dressing. 

What is called Russian Salad today, started out as Olivier Salad; it was the invention of Lucien Olivier, a nineteenth-century chef who owned The Hermitage, a famous and exclusive restaurant in Moscow. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Maxim Gorky ... they had celebratory dinners at The Hermitage!  

The original recipe for Olivier Salad does not survive; we are told that it was a rich mixture containing vegetables, goose, various other meats, and also on occasion, caviar. 

The scene of the crime: The Hermitage Restaurant, Moscow. The building survives still, and currently, it houses the School of Modern Drama

Interior of The Hermitage Restaurant in Moscow. 

It was the dressing, the mayonnaise which held it together, that made Olivier Salad or Russian Salad famous. Mayonnaise recipes were refined during the early 1800s and subsequently became popular. It was considered darn elegant to serve a dish slathered with mayonnaise. Slathered is a keyword: mayonnaise was used as a binding ingredient and then was additionally spread in a thick top layer as a means of decoration. Think of icing on cakes! 

Fortunately, the amount of mayo used has been toned down of late ... Below is presented a good Greek version of Russian salad. 

For a festive occasion, this Russian Salad was decorated with roasted red peppers and one green tomato (not fried, lol!). A simple yet bright presentation!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen peas, no need to cook them
2 medium carrots cut in half

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled 
3 eggs, hardboiled and chopped (best to use the whites only)
2 scallions diced
2 or 3 cornichons diced
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

some vegetables for decoration
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic cut in half

1 small whole onion, peeled and studded with two cloves

For the Dill and Caper Mayonnaise:

2 tablespoons capers rinsed and dried, then chopped
2 tablespoons dill, chopped and dried
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
zest of one lemon 
1/2 cup mayonnaise 

Simple:  To the mayonnaise add the capers, dill, Dijon mustard and lemon zest. Mix well. Or, if you are ever so diligent, make a mayonnaise from scratch and proceed from there! 

Directions for the salad:

Each vegetable must be cooked individually until tender but not mushy. It's important to allow all the vegetables to cool down prior to mixing. 

• In a medium pot bring some lightly salted water to a boil. Add the bay leaves, whole onion and garlic. 
• Add the carrots and potatoes to the liquid. Check the vegetable and using a slotted spoon, remove them from the pot when they are tender.  Transfer the vegetables to a colander so that they can drain. Leave them in the colander until they are cool enough to handle. 
• When all the vegetables are cooked, discard the liquid, bay leaves, onion, and garlic.
• Cut the potatoes into slices and dice the carrots. Season with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. 
• Add the peas, cornichons, scallions, and parsley. Toss gently. 
• Cover the mixture and let cool in the refrigerator for about an hour. 
• Add the chopped eggs (or egg whites). 
• Fold the mayonnaise into the vegetables and place the salad in a serving bowl or, for a nicer presentation, mould it into a nice shape and decorate it with slices of roasted peppers tomatoes and olives. 
• If you like, use other vegetables for decoration; make it look as fancy or as simple as you want! 
• This is a traditional choice for an accompaniment to New Year's dinner.

Russian salad on a bed of greens! A great meal!!!

ROMAINE LETTUCE AND FENNEL SALAD: A GREEK SPRING GREENS SALAD

A very nice salad, light, refreshing, simple and quick to make but with lots of flavour. It's a popular late spring-early summer salad at the Greek table. That's the time of year when the ingredients in it can be found at their best and freshest in the garden.  Of course, if your vegetable garden is at the supermarket, as is mine, you can enjoy this salad anytime. Try it in the summer though, because it makes really refreshing hot weather fare.  Here's how it's made:

Ingredients: 

3 romaine lettuce hearts, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 of a fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
5 scallions chopped, use white and light green parts 
about 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Here's a picture of the salad right before adding lettuce and dressing. 

Directions: 

Mix the fennel, dill, mint, and scallions.  

Add the lettuce and mix to combine. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Toss with the oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle the grated cheese on top.  

Easy!

HORTA SALAD WITH SAUTÉED BEET GREENS

Greens are called "horta" in Greek. This is a horta salad of boiled and sauteed greens, that I love to serve while still warm. It's very tasty! 

The leaves of the beet plant have a welcome and unique flavour and can be used on their own to make a wonderful salad. They are green with red stems and they resemble chard, which by the way is a relative of the common beet. 

   Bright beet greens. They make a wonderful horta salad!

Most people prefer to eat the sweet root of the beet plant, therefore they cut off and discard the leaves. Next time, save the leaves, give them a good rinsing with cold water, and turn them into this healthy, quick to make, Lent appropriate, low-calorie salad. 

The leaves are blanched for a few minutes and then are sautéed in olive oil. It's a simple salad which makes an excellent lunch.

Ingredients:

about 2 bunches of beets
2 cloves of garlic, chopped well
1 shallot, chopped very well
salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of oregano
lemon juice to taste
olive oil

Directions:

• Cut the leaves from the beets, and reserve the beets for another purpose. The beetroots have a long life if stored in the refrigerator, but the leaves need to be cooked soon after the beets are bought.
• Slice the leaves into pieces about one inch in length and rinse them well.
• Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and add the greens. Cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to get tender.  
• Using a slotted spoon transfer the leaves into a bowl filled with ice and cold water. Blanch them for about 2 minutes so that they can retain their bright green colour. 
• Drain the greens and dry them on paper towels so that they don't spatter while being sauteed.  
• In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and saute the shallot until it starts to soften.  
• Add the pinch of oregano and the garlic, stir, then add the greens. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes. Stir well so that all the flavours blend together. 
• Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the greens on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Drizzle some olive oil on and around the greens and serve along with extra lemon wedges.

TUNA AND BEAN SALAD - A HEALTHY TREAT!

Canned beans can be found in just about everyone's pantry. Canned tuna fish is a pantry staple as well. So when time is short or when the weather is hot, here is a delicious and nutritious salad that can be prepared in a jiffy. This is an easy, light meal that can be made for lunch or dinner without any cooking involved. Since childhood, I've seen one version or another of this salad on the tables of friends and relatives. It's popular in the Mediterranean and also popular in my house.  Here are some quick nutrition facts:  The tuna fish, of course, is high in protein and contains omega-3 fatty acids. Looking for more protein? Canned beans are a terrific and inexpensive health food. They are high in protein and low in fat. In fact, they contain no saturated fat and have no cholesterol. Beans are very high in fibre, calcium, folic acid, iron, and potassium. Tuna and bean salad is a wonderful addition to the cooking repertoire of those who are diabetic or need more protein in their diet. I give you my version, and I hope you try it!

 Ingredients:

For the salad:

1 small red onion, peeled and diced

2 (7-ounce ) cans water-packed tuna, drained

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) can white or navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

1 tablespoon chopped celery

A handful of pitted Greek olives (a combination of green and black ones would be nice)

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped 

black pepper to taste

a little salt (optional)

1 garlic clove, mashed and very finely chopped

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

about 5 tablespoons olive oil

juice of one lemon

 Directions: 

• Combine the tuna fish, onions, beans, celery, olives, and capers.
• In a small bowl add all the ingredients for the dressing and mix vigorously.
• Add the dressing to the tuna fish mixture and toss gently.
• Serve on plates garnished with greens and drizzle a little olive oil on top if you like.

This salad can be prepared ahead of time and any left-overs can be stored in the refrigerator for an additional day.

STRAWBERRY and FETA SALAD with HONEY-LEMON DRESSING

Strawberries are in season now, and I'm talking about the small, sweet, locally grown variety. There are lots of ways to use them: how about some strawberry lemonade? How about fruit salad with strawberries as the star ingredient? Or, how about just popping them in your mouth, one by one? Then there is another way in which to serve luscious sweet strawberries, and that is to scatter them on top of a salad. With feta cheese. There is something about feta that truly compliments summer fruit! If you're wondering, yes, salad dressing, if it's the right type, does go well with strawberries. The dressing for this salad includes balsamic vinegar, lemon, honey, and mint: It's a perfect sweet-tangy blend! Greens, avocado, feta, strawberries, and toasted nuts. Just five ingredients and the dressing. Simple and perfectly delicious! 

Make the dressing: 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon  honey

2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

salt and pepper to taste

• In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey, balsamic vinegar, mint and thyme. 
• Whisk in the olive oil.
• Season with salt and pepper. 

For the salad: 

feta cheese, crumbled

blue cheese, crumled

strawberries, sliced in half

avocado, sliced

spinach leaves

sliced almonds, toasted

• Arrange the greens on a serving platter and mix in the almonds.
• Top with strawberries and cheese, then sprinkle more sliced almonds on top and drizzle with the dressing. 

TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD

This fruit salad which I served as dessert was a big hit at my house!  If you're looking for a quick dessert, this is it: fresh, healthy, sweet, delicious! Everyone had seconds.  There was only a small portion left, and it got polished off the next day for breakfast.  Here's how to make Tropical Fruit Salad:

Ingredients:

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into chunks
1 mango, peeled and sliced into chunks
1/4 cantaloupe, peeled and sliced into chunks
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 pound of strawberries, hulled and cut in half if they are too large
2 bananas, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons honey, or use a vegan substitute
1/2 cup sweetened coconut,
1/2 cup dates, pitted and cut in pieces

Directions:

• In a large bowl combine all the pineapple, mango, and cantaloupe.  This is the base. 
• Mix the strawberries and kiwis and add on top of the base.  
• Cover and refrigerate the bowl if you want to make the fruit salad ahead of time for company.  
• Right before serving, slice the bananas and add. You want to add the bananas at the last minute, otherwise they will become mushy and start to get discolored.  
• Carefully fold in the dates, lemon juice, honey, and coconut.  
• Guess what?  That's it!  You're done!  Serve and enjoy! 

EGGPLANT SALAD GREEK STYLE (MELITZANOSALATA)

Every summer our love affair with eggplant is renewed.  Grown in backyard gardens and sold at vegetable stands all over the world, eggplants come in various sizes, shapes and colours.  Bake them, stuff them, fry them, grill them, or even make sweet preserves out of them (yes, very small eggplants can be turned into a spoon sweet, a type of Greek dessert).  One of the most popular ways for Greeks to cook eggplants is to turn them into this luscious salad.  It's served as an accompaniment for drinks or as a starter to a meal. You can spread it on a piece of bread or eat it plain.  Either way, it is a heavenly summer treat.  Its texture is that of a spread or a dip, but Greeks simply refer to it as a salad. 

There are two types of eggplant salad:  One is really smooth and is made with grilled or roasted eggplant which is pureed with just some olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, and a touch of garlic.  The other type, the one I prefer, is country-style rustic and chunky.  Its ingredients depend on regional interpretations.  For example, southern Greece produces a tremendous amount of tomatoes, therefore tomatoes tend to be added to just about anything, including eggplant salad. In Macedonia, where peppers are really plentiful, roasted peppers are added, and in Thrace, folks like to add walnuts. You could say that just about every Greek cook has his or her own version of this  salad. Being descended from Macedonian and Thracian stock, I add peppers and walnuts. That's how my grandmother made eggplant salad, and I follow suit.
  

The key to making a great tasting eggplant salad is to get fresh off the farm eggplants. Not long ago I bought some from the supermarket; they wound up tasting like cardboard. This time around I drove the two extra miles to a wonderful farm stand and there I found some really cute, and as it turned out great tasting minuature  eggplants. They were turned into a delicious salad. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

 black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 shallot or the half of a small onion

1 small clove of garlic 

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Italian frying peppers or 1 large sweet pepper
2 tablespoons walnuts to make walnut butter

1 tablespoon well crumbled feta cheese 

5 or six baby eggplants

Directions:

• Prick the eggplants with a fork, set them on a baking sheet and roast them in a 400°F /200°C oven until the skins are wrinkled and the eggplants have collapsed. This should take about 40 minutes. 
• During the last half hour place the peppers in the oven and let them roast. 
• Remove the eggplants and peppers from the oven and allow them to cool until they are safe to handle. Peel the skin from the peppers and remove the seeds.
• Slice the eggplants down the middle and remove their flesh. Chop it up, chop up the peppers too, and place everything in a large bowl. 
• Chop the onion and garlic and throw that in the bowl as well.  
• Add the parsley, oregano and crumbled feta.
• Place the walnuts in a food processor and grind them until they are smooth and begin to release their oils. That's the walnut butter. Add it to the rest of the ingredients. If you don't want to go to all the trouble of making walnut butter, just chop the walnuts really well and use them that way. I alternate between the two methods, depending on my mood. If I feel that I'll enjoy washing the food processor, I'll make walnut butter.  If I want to stay away from suds, I just chop up the walnuts, and that's that!
• Now add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients well.  You may need to play around with the amount of oil you're going to use.  Sometimes eggplants want just a bit more oil, sometimes they don't.
• I hope you love this recipe. The salad will keep covered in the refrigerator for about three or four days. But the longer it hangs around, the more potent the taste of garlic becomes (keep that in mind when you are adding garlic to it). If you're having company, the eggplant salad will be polished off, no worries! 

PANZANELLA, a lovely bread and tomato salad

There are so many ways to make panzanella! Sometimes, in summer, I make a very simple version just by cutting up stale bread into chunks, combining it with a sliced tomato, and mixing it up with some lemon juice and olive oil. If I want to get fancy I top it with a little crumbled feta cheese. Very simple and it hits the spot.   

Panzanella is a summertime bread salad made popular by the Florentines. It's a good way to use up leftover bread, and it's true peasant fare, which means it's really good. In addition to the bread, panzanella includes tomatoes, lots of basil, and sometimes other fresh vegetables. The salad is dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, or vinegar. It's a great choice for dinner on a hot, hot, day. I made some recently when the temperature was hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and here's how I put it together:

Get a piece of stale bread and cut it into cubes. Sprinkle with olive oil and mix well. Place the bread cubes in a skillet and cook them on the stovetop. Make sure they are cooked on all sides. As soon as the cubes finish cooking add some grated pecorino cheese and mix. Set the bread cubes aside and let them cool. 

In a large bowl toss the following: 1 sliced large tomato, some cherry tomatoes of various colours cut in half,  a few Kalamata olives cut in half, lots of basil leaves coarsely chopped, and a little Italian parsley coarsely chopped. 

Make a dressing by combining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, some black pepper, a dash of salt, and a pinch of fresh thyme. Pour it over the salad. Add the reserved bread and toss everything well. Top the salad with a small amount of crumbled feta cheese. Chill for about an hour in order to allow the flavours to blend, then serve and enjoy!!! 

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Mint, and Mustard Vinaigrette

Beets! This root vegetable makes a delicious and nutritious salad, especially in fall and winter. Boiling is the most common way of cooking beets for salad. However, beets are messy to boil. The solution is to bake them and also to arrange parchment paper on the baking dish so that it's easier to clean. You can combine the greens to be used and you could also add pistachios to the salad. The beets go really well with walnuts and the goat cheese goes well with pistachios. You could also add feta or substitute the goat cheese for feta. Enjoy putting the salad together. Make it yours!

Ingredients:

3 beets 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
white balsamic vinegar

lemon juice
some dried oregano

some walnuts, roasted

mint leaves

goat cheese, cut in bite-sized pieces

arugula or lettuce or both

one small, red onion -- slice and place in a bowl of cold water, then place the bowl in the refrigerator until it's time for the onions to go on top of the beets. This way, the onions will have a very nice crunch.

Directions:

• Slice the onion and place the slices in a bowl of cold water, then place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave it there until it's time for the onions to go on top of the beets. This way, the onions will have a very nice crunch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
• Cut off the leaves and wash the beets. Peel them and cut them in half.  
• Choose a baking dish with a cover and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Add the beets and the garlic, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil, cover and bake for about forty minutes until the beets are soft.
• Take them out of the oven and let them cool until they can be handled. Discard the garlic pieces and cut the beets into slices. 
• Make a vinaigrette using Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dried oregano, white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  
• Toss the beets with the dressing, cover them and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• When ready to serve, take the onions out of the refrigerator and drain well. 
• Arrange some arugula or lettuce on a serving platter and top these greens with the beet/vinaigrette mixture. 
• Decorate the salad with chopped mint leaves, goat cheese, sliced cold red onions, and some chopped roasted walnuts. 

TUNA SALAD SANDWICH

The very first time I had a tuna sandwich I was hooked. It became my favourite lunch, favourite sandwich, favourite snack! I loved it! I was in my teens, and I quickly learned how to make it: Mix a can of tuna fish with mayonnaise, chopped celery, and chopped onions, throw it between two slices of white bread and you're in business. 

Being Greek, I soon started adding lemon juice, an ingredient Greeks try their best to use in each and every recipe from appetizers to desserts. I experimented with different types of bread, I added garlic powder (don't try it), I added herbs, and finally, I settled on the version posted here! For me, it's the best ever tuna salad! 

To make this or any tuna salad, I always buy tuna packed in water. I drain the water and add a bit of good olive oil to help all the salad ingredients fuse together. If you make this tuna salad, have it on a sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes, or even eat it on a bed of lettuce without the bread. However, if you do choose to turn it into a sandwich, use a hearty, solid kind of bread. And please, enjoy it. It is really good!  

Ingredients:

2 cans (7 ounces each), of tuna fish, packed in water

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 shallot, chopped finely
3 celery stalks, chopped finely
1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed well and chopped
Juice of one lemon
zest of half a lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
lettuce and sliced tomatoes, optional
sliced bread, your favourite, lightly toasted

Directions:

Drain the tuna fish and mix all of the ingredients. Serve on toast, with lettuce and or tomatoes. 

If you would rather forgo some or all of the bread, you can have it as an open-faced sandwich, or in lettuce cups. 

GREEK SALAD FOR A CROWD

Hello, everybody! Today's topic is Greek salad, a salad that's pretty popular these days. Here's a recipe that's a little different from the everyday Greek salad but is just as good. It has enough portions to feed a crowd, so it's something great to make if you are having company or a large family gathering. Of course, the ingredients can be cut in half if you're not feeding lots of people. The star of this salad is the feta vinaigrette. It makes the salad special and is delicious, delicious, delicious! 

The recipe is based on one from the book "How to Roast Lamb," written by chef Michael Psilakis. The book has been part of my collection since this past Christmas when I bought it with a gift card I received. Don't bookstore gift cards make the best gifts? I made the salad for Easter when we had a large gathering, and now I am making it again for a summertime barbecue I am hosting. This salad can be assembled up to an hour ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. The vinaigrette can also be made ahead of time. Dress the salad just before ready to serve. 

Ingredients: 
(Serves 10 to 15 as part of a buffet)

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 or 3 heads of romaine lettuce hearts, outer leaves removed. Use the crunchy younger leaves. For the salad you see in the picture I used two heads of romaine
• 1 fennel bulb sliced very thin
• roasted bell peppers, or 3 small store-bought roasted red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• about 24 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved.  I used some heirloom cherry tomatoes so as to vary tastes and colours.
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, halved, and sliced.  If it has too many seeds, remove them
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
• About 15 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 15 whole caper berries *** see note  (if you don't like caper berries, use large capers)
• 3/4 cup Feta Vinaigrette
• 2/3 cup feta cheese, cubed
• 4 pepperoncini, sliced and add a few whole ones as well (pepperoncini are small, yellow, and mildly-hot peppers which are pickled and sold in jars)

Directions:

Getting the salad ready, with my heirloom cherry tomatoes, and with the caper berries right on top.

• In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the vinaigrette, feta and pepperoncini. Toss really well to combine.  
• When ready to serve: with really clean hands or with really clean hands and food gloves ... drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad and toss the mixture (this part is called getting to know your food)!
• Scatter feta and pepperoncini on top.
• Ready to serve!

Feta Vinaigrette 

(makes 1 1/4 cups, and it's kind of thick, but it dresses the salad well, and it tastes absolutely delicious).

Ingredients:

• 2 small onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for the onion
• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (if you prefer red-wine vinegar, use it)
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano

That's the feta dressing poured on top. It has incredible flavour! It looks rather thick and greenish, but don't let the consistency or colour fool you. Once mixed in it turns the salad into something fabulous!

Directions:

• Preheat a grill pan.
• Brush onion slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place onions and garlic on a grill pan and cook, turning, until tender. It should take 4 to 5 minutes for the onions and a much shorter time for the garlic. Make sure that the garlic isn't burned.
• Transfer to a small bowl; drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss to combine.
• Transfer the grilled onion and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and add the vinegar, basil, thyme, feta, mustard, shallots, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper; pulse to combine.
• With the processor running, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup olive oil until dressing is smooth; season with salt and pepper.

I've made this vinaigrette again and again! The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar, but I substitute with white balsamic, which I sometimes combine with lemon juice.  I just don't like the taste of red vinegar. One final comment: the grilled onions and garlic? A brilliant idea, it makes for fantastic flavours!!!

***Note: What is a caper berry? 

There is a difference between the caper and the caper berry. Caper is a bush that grows wild in rocky coastal areas throughout the Mediterranean region. The capers that we eat are the pickled buds of this bush. If the buds are not harvested, they will flower and then turn into fruit. That fruit is the caper berry. Greeks pickle the caper berries and use them in cooking or serve them as a mezé. Both capers and caper berries have a piquant, mustard-like flavour. The caper berry has a stronger taste and is larger and fleshier than the caper. It's a lot easier to find capers at the store than caper berries, so go ahead and substitute if necessary.

Caperberries, this variety imported from Spain 

I had to include this photo (taken at a recent dinner) which shows caperberries accompanying a Mediterranean seafood feast. 

A jar of cappers.

flowering caper bush