Greek Chickpea Salad

Grilling and picnicking weather is here for most of us. It's a time to plan ahead and have those fabulous salads and sides that pair so well with sandwiches, fried chicken and all manner of grilled meats. My favorites hold up well, they're easy to prepare and they are packed with nutritional diversity. I'm thinking of my Greek-style zucchini salad with feta, Supplements Salad and 2-4-6-8 black bean salad.

Today, I'm thinking of our upcoming travel adventures throughout the Peloponnese region of Greece. From Sparta to Kalamata to Nafplio and beyond. I am particularly excited about eating the fabulous Greek food that I grew up with and tasting regional variations as we travel. I hope to report back, but for now, I'd like to share one of the traditional Greek recipes. It's my simplified and updated version of the traditional recipe for Revithosalata (chickpea salad). Here it is in printable format.

Any table will do when you're sitting by the water in Fiskardo on the island
of Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea.

Dinner in Athens featuring grilled whole fish and boiled greens salad.

Just as you pull pork chops or souvlaki off the grill, you add my chickpea salad to a patio table set with a big block of feta cheese, kalamata olives, vlita (the seasonal summer greens found all over Greece) or a boiled greens salad and a big loaf of crusty bread. Here's the recipe.

Serve this meal with a playlist of the traditional Rebetika songs of Greece, and you've saved the cost of airfare! Dewey and I do this often.