An Unforgettable Chopped Salad

To me the perfect salad is a balance of flavours where not a single ingredient overpowers another and they all work together to create a harmonious dish.  How many times have you bit into a Caesar salad only to have your tastebuds overpowered by anchovy or garlic?  And how about that giant piece of lettuce you can't fit in your mouth that causes the dressing to dribble down your chin?  I have a lot of peeves when it comes to salads that I won't get into right now, but a few years back I visited a restaurant that created what I thought was the perfect chopped salad.

The crispy jicama, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn niblets, bright red onion and cool cucumbers all complimented each other so well.  That topped off with a slightly acidic but creamy oregano dressing brought all the flavours together.  All that was missing was something salty...but no, they topped that salad off with diced feta cheese that made it perfection.

Sadly the restaurant wouldn't share the recipe with me, but don’t despair. I created my own version and it might even be better - enjoy!

For the salad

1 small red onion, small dice

3-4 Lebanese cucumbers, diced

1 pc. Jicama, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups corn kernels fresh from the cob

3/4 cup fresh, ripe tomato, seeded and diced

2 radishes, sliced paper thin

1 cup (6oz) diced feta cheese

1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

For the dressing

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, add all salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.