A taste of Hellenika at home: Add the restaurant’s dakos salata to your summer spread
Earlier this month, Hellenika officially released its very own cookbook. Compiling recipes from across the iconic restaurant’s 15-year lifespan, owner Simon Gloftis and co-author Marie Sourris have immortalised more than 100 dishes in an approachable and honest format. If you’ve been considering snapping up a copy, perhaps this Cretan-style salad – featuring crusty rusk bread, salty feta cheese, juicy tomatoes and, of course, a liberal splash of olive oil – is just the thing to convince you. This dish is phenomenal as an accompaniment to a summer barbecue and only takes 15 minutes to throw together.
INGREDIENTS
3 large heirloom tomatoes
100 ml olive oil
20 g feta cheese
20 g Manouri cheese
10 g pickled rock leaves
1 barley rusk
20 g pitted black olives, sliced in half
lengthways
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
sea salt and cracked pepper, to season
TO MAKE
Finely grate the tomatoes into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Give a good stir and set aside.
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Crumble the feta and Manouri cheese by hand into a bowl and gently toss to combine. Lightly wash the pickled rock leaves in cold water, then drain.
To assemble the salad, dip rusk in cold water for a few seconds to soften then place in a serving bowl. Pour half of the remaining olive oil over the rusk and spread evenly. Pour the tomato mixture over the rusk and top with the crumbled cheese mixture. Add olives, leaves and oregano. For a final touch, lightly drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dish.
Chef’s note: You can make your own rusks at home with old bread by leaving it in a warm oven (90–100°C) for 6–8 hours. This is a great way to use up leftover bread, and if you’re catering for a large group, you can do this ahead of time
This is an edited extract from Hellenika by Simon Gloftis and Marie Sourris. Click here to order a copy and be sure to read our chat with Simon Gloftis about the creation of the cookbook itself.
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