FOR A MEMORABLE GREEK SALAD, GRILL YOUR FETA

This Greek salad recipe brought back one of my favorite food memories. My husband and I were sitting in a small restaurant in Greece, waiting for our food to arrive. We watched as a waiter carried a salad toward our table. On top of it was something big, square and white. When the plate was placed in front of us, we realized it was a slab of feta.

As we shared the salad, we mmm’ed and aahed over the creamy saltiness of a feta like we’d never tasted. The cheese, combined with super-fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and olives, was so delicious that we still talk about it when we recall our trip.

That was more than 30 years ago, when my experience with Greek salads was limited and the ones I’d had were good but not memorable. Usually, bits of feta were crumbled on top of a lightly dressed bowl.

In the heat of summer, looking for a way to dig into the season’s red tomatoes, I came across this preparation from “Salads Are More Than Leaves” by Elena Silcock. She calls it a Grilled Greek, and it takes the luscious feta experience to another level. Silcock has you place the slabs of cheese on a heatproof pan, drizzle them with honey and sprinkle them with fresh herbs. The pan then goes on the grill until the cheese turns golden around the edges and gets soft and luscious.

The slabs of grilled cheese are then sliced in half and nestled atop tomato, cucumber, red onion and olives with fresh oregano and mint leaves. You’re left with warm, creamy, slightly smoky cheese; chilled crisp vegetables; and bright herbs all dressed in a tart, vinegary dressing. Silcock recommends serving the salad with toasted or baked pita chips, which are perfect carriers for a smear of that smooth cheese.

The best feta to use for this dish is a Greek sheep’s milk feta because it is the highest-fat option, making it the creamiest and richest.

Don’t want to mess with the grill? You can bake the feta in an oven, or even your toaster oven, instead.

If you’re an adventurous salad maker — or would like to be — Silcock’s cookbook is full of great ideas for building salads that combine varying temperatures, textures and flavors to create something that is far from an afterthought or a side dish. That said, even half a slab of salty feta makes this salad suitable more as an occasional indulgence. If you love the idea of it, consider serving it alongside grilled or roasted chicken, beef or fish.

To make the recipe vegan, use a vegan feta-style cheese or firm tofu and swap in maple or agave syrup for the honey. The large slab of feta makes this dish a fatty, high-calorie luxury.