Dakos

As ever, the taste of a simple tomato salad is dependent upon the quality of the tomatoes. There is a rich and beefy depth to end-of-season tomatoes, which can even exceed the taste of those from high summer, but if yours are anything other than bursting with flavour, a pinch of sugar or a few drops of balsamic vinegar will work well to draw out their natural sweetness. Consider mixing your feta with some ricotta to simulate the flavour of the sweet mizithra cheese, which is often served with dakos.

4 people

Serving size

Ingredients

6 large tomatoes (500g gross), cut into 1 cm dice 
½ red onion, cut into ½ cm dice (50g net) 
1 tbsp red wine vinegar  
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 to serve 
½ tsp ground allspice 
70g feta, crumbled roughly 
40g black olives, pitted and halved
30g capers, whole or very roughly chopped 
150g Cretan dakos or other rusks  
5g chopped parsley, to serve 
Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Place the tomato, onion, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of oil and allspice in a large mixing bowl, along with 1/3rd teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Stir gently and set aside.

  2. Spread the dakos out on a serving platter and spoon the tomato mixture on top. Sprinkle over the feta, olives and capers, followed by the parsley and remaining olive oil. Leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Allspice (Pimento)
£3.75