Greece boasts of over 6000 islands but the most well known are the Cyclades, located in the Aegean Sea.
Last year I visited Naxos, a large, almost self-sufficient island – they can eat from what they cultivate. Meat, dairy, seafood, vegetables all grown on the island.
I had this simple yet delicious salad that celebrates tomatoes. I love the sweetness of cherry tomatoes and although you may not have them in your garden, they are in season, cheap and delicious!
I’ve also come up with my own easy hack to make a close version of Cycladic Anthotyro – a tangy fresh cheese that’s often served on local salads.
The base of the salad are dried rusks (like the Cretan ones) and rounded-out with red onions, capers and dried Greek oregano. Be generous with your olive oil!
Naxos Style Tomato Salad
(serves 4)
For the cheese
3/4 cup mashed Feta cheese
3/4 cup strained Greek yogurt
Salad
4 Cretan Dakos/rusks
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup of capers
extra virgin olive oil
dried Greek oregano
optional: red wine vinegar
- In a medium bowl, mix your mashed Feta with yogurt until firm but creamy. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour.
- Briefly run your rusks under water and crumbled into big chunks in each salad bowl.
- In a large bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper and gently toss. Allow to rest 10 minutes.
- Divide and plate tomatoes on top of rusks, add onions and drizzle with olive oil and splash of vinegar. Place a heaping Tbsp. of cheese blend in center.
- Sprinkle capers, oregano and serve. For tastiest results…now mix up the salad and enjoy.
