Tapas' recipe: Greek beef salad

Tapas' chef Dmitriy Ruzhanskiy shares his Greek beef salas recipe

Ingredients

• 8 oz. beef tips (any lean cut)
• 2 plum tomatoes, medium diced
• 1/3 cucumber, peeled, medium diced
• 10 kalamata olives, cut in half
• 1 stalk of scallion, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, zested and squeezed
• 1/2 roasted bell pepper, small dice
• 1/2 tea spoon each fresh parsley, basil, mint and crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tea spoon dry greek oregano
• 1 tea spoon each garlic and shallots, minced
• 1 oz greek feta cheese, small cubes
• 1/2 fl. oz. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 fl. oz. red wine vinegar
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions
Because of the number of ingredients it is easier to get all them ready first and then assemble.

• Fine chop the fresh herbs and set aside.
• With a vegetable peeler peel off the rind of the lemon and finly mince for zest, then squeeze the juice through a strainer and set aside.
• Roasted peppers could be purchased at any super market in the canned goods isle.
• Drain the roasted peppers and dice into small pieces.
• Peel the cucumber and dice a third reserving the rest for later use.
• Remove the stem end of the tomatoes and dice them as well.
• Kalamata olives are also available in the canned and specialty isle of most super markets, drain and cut in half.
• When chopping the scalion dont be afraid to chop all the way down to about a quarter inch above the root (the white part is the sweetest on the plant).
• The garlic and shallot should be finely minced so not to over power the rest of the ingredients when composed.
• Greek feta usualy comes in water so dry it off on a paper towel before dicing.
• Now after measuring the liquid and dry ingredients your ready to make the salad.
• After combining the ingredients let the salad chill in the refridgerator, there will be juices that form at the bottom you will want to use some on the plate (great for flavor).
• When ready to serve take ot the meat and let it come up to room temperature, salt and pepper moderatly (meat could take a good amount of salt when cooked).
• Oil the grill and cook the meat to desired temperature, at the restaurant we serve the meat rare.
• Place the salad on the plate, slice the meat and arrange around the salad.
• Take the juice from the salad and spoon over the meat.

At Tapas we serve the salad with basil oil and tatziki (greek cucumber yogurt sauce) both wich we make in house but you can purchase those at Wegmans in the specialty isle or play around with your own combinations. Enjoy!