Feta Oregano Salad

What you can't see in the photos here is the river running just a few feet out of frame. You can't smell the pine and redwood or their sun-warmed tree bark. What you can see is a good lunch. We were greeted at my friend Bonni's sweet, little alpine cabin with this deliciousness. I thought I'd share her feta-olive preparation - it was beautiful, and it is something you can throw together and serve as part of a series of mezze for people to pull from. It's comprised of good feta and olives served with a lot of fresh oregano, slivered lemon rind, black pepper, and a thick finishing thread of olive oil. Bonni served it with an assortment of crackers and pita, black yogurt-dolloped lentils, and chilled rosé. You can enjoy any leftovers on salad greens or grains, or a simple pasta bowl. You can also cover the herbs, feta, and olives in with olive oil in a little oven-proof dish, and heat it through for a nice little appetizer.

A couple of suggestions related to the salad - if you can find good sheep's milk feta, that's what you want. Whatever feta you buy, give it a taste, and adjust the seasoning of the plate overall depending on the saltiness. Some feta is better after a quick rinse (pat dry) to rid it of brine. Same goes for the olives, I normally give olives in this sort of dish a quick rinse, then dry, before proceeding with the recipe. And, avoid canned olives. In otherwords, you want each component to be delicious (and not out of balance) on it's own. As far as herbs - Bonni used fresh oregano here, but if your summer herb garden is in full swing feel free to mix things up with basil, mint, lemon verbena, and/or thyme.