The most known Cretan salad is what we call kritikos dakos. It is delicious, it is healthy, it is the ultimate representation of the Mediterranean diet, straight from Crete.
First of all it’s been described as a Greek bruschetta, but it isn’t, it is a bit different. Here’s what it is: Dakos specifically refers to a recipe that uses the famous Cretan barley rusks. These rusks are made with whole grain barley flour, water and salt. They are super hard and super healthy.
Ingredients
- 4 round or rectangle Cretan barley rusks about 4 inches in diameter (8-10 cm) or 4 slices toasted and thick whole grain bread
- 4 medium tomatoes grated
- 3-4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- Dry oregano
- Black olives for decoration
Instructions
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Grate the tomatoes and drain all the liquids.
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Pass the rusk under running water (very quickly) and place on a plate. (Skip this step if you using bread). Cretan rusks are very hard but you do not want to soften them too much, you do not want a soggy dakos. It should still be crunchy but easily breakable.
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Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let it absorb. (Please note that here in Greece we often add much more olive oil, but this amount works fine).
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Spoon the tomato on top, covering the whole rusk and then add the crumbled cheese.
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Drizzle with another teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Top with a Kalamata olive
Salade De Chou Rouge
