Photo by Nicole Franzen

- Merrill

The other week, I had dinner at Kefi, the most casual of Michael Psilakis’ ever-growing roster of New York City restaurants. Something I always order there, in addition to the fantastic meze platter and the transformative halvah chocolate mousse dessert, is the Greek salad.

Kefi’s salad is simple, yet perfectly balanced, the way a good Greek salad should be. There's a little more tang to the vinaigrette to balance out the mellow saltiness of the feta; crisp, crunchy veggies; and of course plenty of olives. Kefi’s version uses roasted red peppers instead of raw, and it also incorporates some shaved fennel, which I think makes it a standout.

Last week I attempted to recreate the salad on my own, and I think I got fairly close. (I left out the cucumbers, which my husband -- a cucumber fanatic -- would not approve of, but with the added fennel, I felt there was plenty going on.) Hope you enjoy it!

Greek Salad with Fennel

Serves 6

1/2 small red onion
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 pound Greek feta
1/2 large fennel bulb, with fronds
6 cups roughly chopped Romaine (2/3 small head)
1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted red pepper
1/4 cup green olives, sliced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, whole

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Like this post? Check out Merrill's recipe from last week: Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Sherry.