INGREDIENTS
- 600-700 gr ripe red tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 small Cretan cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber
- 1 small onion, cut into half-rounds
- 2 small sweet green horn peppers
- 70-80 gr green “throumba” olives or black Kalamata olives
- 1 tbsp caper buds, rinsed
- 60-70 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Vinegar, white- or red-wine
- ½-1 tsp dried oregano
- A few sprigs of a fresh herb such as mint or basil, roughly chopped right before serving so they don’t brown
150-200 gr feta cheese (alternatively you can use other white cheeses made of goat or ewe’s milk, or fresh cheeses such as anthotyro for a lighter result. Another idea is to use the slightly tangy xinomyzithra cheese produced on the Cycladic islands Cyclades) - Freshly-ground black or green pepper
- Fresh bread or barley rusks
- Fleur de sel or regular rock salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the tomatoes in a large salad bowl and salt lightly so that they release the juices that will form the basis of a delicious sauce for dipping your bread (a practice that is strongly encouraged at the Greek table). Cut the cucumbers lengthwise, remove the seeds and then chop into half-centimeter slices. In a separate bowl, salt them lightly and add a few drops of white- or red-wine vinegar. Mix and add to the salad bowl. Place the sliced onions in a fine sieve with a pinch of salt, and bruise lightly with your hand so they soften and lose some of their acidity. Then add to the salad.
Cut the peppers down the middle, cut away the stalk, clear the seeds and then chop in thin slices before adding to bowl. Add the capers. The feta can be chopped into cubes or broken up by hand or fork. Add to the salad after it’s been mixed so that it the feta doesn’t get too broken up. One idea to give the salad a bit of crunch is to add pieces of rye bread. These will soak up the salad juices and become delightful little bites that also make the salad more filling. Be sparing with the salt as both the capers and the feta are quite salty already.
