- 4 pita bread rounds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 4 vine-ripe tomatoes – halved, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup seedless cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 celery ribs from the heart, thinly sliced at an angle
- 1 red or green bell pepper seeded, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt (available in the dairy case)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), eyeball it
- 3/4 pound feta, crumbled
- 8 jarred pepperoncini
- 1 cup pitted Calamata olives
- 8 jarred or store-bought stuffed grape leaves, drained
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Split the pitas open into 8 halves. Lay the bread out on your countertop, insides facing up. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, thyme, oregano and cinnamon. Sprinkle the spices evenly over the split bread. Place the bread on an oven rack and toast until golden and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and tear into jagged pieces about the size of tortilla chips and reserve.
- On a large serving platter, combine the tomatoes, half of the cucumber, and the onion, celery, bell pepper and parsley, season with salt and pepper.
- To a food processor, add the remaining cucumber, the yogurt, cumin, garlic, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce and a little salt. Process the ingredients, adding the EVOO in a thin stream until smooth; taste the dressing and adjust the seasonings.
- Arrange the pita crisps on the salad, then drizzle the dressing all over. Finish off your salad with a pile of the feta, pepperoncini and olives. Serve with the stuffed grape leave on the side. Opa! (I think that's Greek for “Yum-O!”)