A refreshing, popular, tomato & cucumber salad found throughout the Mediterranean, but also with feta cheese
Servings: 1 side
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 slotted spoon
- 1 serrated knife (makes it easier to cut tomatoes, even if it's not super sharp)
- cellophane (plastic wrap)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber (it's longer and thinner than a normal cucumber, and has less seeds)
- 2 globe/beefsteak tomatoes (just the standard American tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp basil flakes
- 2 tsp parsley flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 oz block of feta cheese (half of an 8 oz package)
Instructions
- On the cutting board, chop the unpeeled cucumber into chunks with the serrated knife.One way to do this is to discard the ends, then cut the cucumber into 2 or 3 fairly straight sections. You can stand each section on its end, cut it in half, then the other way into quarters. Keeping the long quarters together, lay the section down on its side and slice through every ½" or so, producing 4 chunks per slice.
- Move chunks to the mixing bowl
- Chop the two tomatoes into chunks with the serrated knife.One way to do this is cut off and discard the top, and in the same direction cut the rest into two or three ½" thick rounds, depending on the height of the tomato. Stack the tomato rounds, reconstructing the tomato top-down on the cutting board. Cut it into halves, then perpendicullary into quarters, then diagonally in one direction and then the other, into eights. This will yield 16 or 24 chunks.
- Move chunks to the mixing bowl
- Chop the 4 oz of feta cheese into chunks
- Move chunks to the mixing bowl
- Add the rest of the ingredients: 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 2 tsp basil, 2 tsp parsley, and 1 tsp salt
- Toss the chunks well
- Cover the bowl with cellophane and put in the fridge for ½ to 6 hours
- Scoop up with the slotted spoon into serving dish