A real Greek salad has no lettuce, none. If your Greek salad has lettuce in it you have never had a real one. The authentic version takes six minutes, uses five ingredients and tastes completely different from every Greek salad served outside Greece. Here is exactly how it is made. Cut three large ripe tomatoes into thick wedges, never thin slices. Slice half a cucumber into half-moons with the skin on. Cut half a green pepper into rings and thinly slice a quarter of a red onion. Everything goes into the bowl uncooked with nothing wilted or dressed early.

My Italian neighbour has made the same tomato sauce for 40 years.
I asked her to write down the recipe. She laughed and said, "It is not written down. It is felt."
So I stood in her kitchen and wrote every step by hand instead.
Six steps. No shortcuts. No jarred sauce ever again.
Here is exactly what she does, and why each step matters for your health. Crush four large garlic cloves with the flat of a knife. Cook them whole in five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, over the lowest heat you have.
Give it eight minutes. You want the garlic golden and sweet, not brown and bitter.
Low heat protects a compound called allicin. Allicin forms when garlic is crushed, and heat can break it down fast. Gentle cooking may help preserve some of its benefits.