Mediterranean Veggie Salad

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 lemon cucumbers or 4 pickling cucumbers
• 2 mild yellow banana peppers or 2 anaheim chilies, seeded thinly sliced
• 1 medium bell pepper (preferably yellow or red)
• 1 medium red onions or 1 medium onion
• 8 onces tomatoes, preferably plum
• 2 -3 cups coarsely torn smooth spinach leaves
• sorrel (optional) or arugula (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups small cubes stale french bread
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaf
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or 2 tablespoons marjoram leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, halves, finely chopped (not in oil)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 12 kalamata olives, pitted, cut in pieces
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Recipe

• 1 if not using specialty cukes with thin, tender peels, partially peel a regular cuke from the supermarket because the skin will be waxed.
• 2 leave a few very thin lengthwise strips of dark green peel intact.
• 3 cut lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeded portion.
• 4 cut crosswise into crescents.
• 5 add mild chili peppers and small chunks of the bell pepper and onion to refrigerator container.
• 6 halve tomatoes and shake out seed.
• 7 cut into 1/2 inch chunks and add to the cuke mixture, cover container and refrigerate.
• 8 meanwhile, wash and dry spinach leaves and any other greens you're using, chill until ready to toss the salad.
• 9 prepare french bread cubes or, for a more rustic effect, tear the bread pieces.
• 10 place rosemary, oregano and garlic in the olive oil and set aside to steep for several hours.
• 11 add dried tomato pieces to the vinegar and let stand the same period of time.
• 12 place room-temperature veggies in a very large salad bowl.
• 13 add spinach, bread pieces and toss with as much of the olive oil mixture as desired.
• 14 add to all the sun-dried tomato pieces as much of the vinegar as desired.
• 15 grind pepper over all and taste, sprinkle with sea salt or use a salt grinder.
• 16 taste again and adjust.
• 17 garnish the top of the salad with kalamata olive pieces and the crumbled feta and serve immediately.