Greek salad (horiatiki)

Method

1. Peel the onion, cut it into thin rings and soak them in cold water for 5 min; this takes away the harsh bite. Drain and pat dry.

   Add in this stepRed onion ½

2. Cut out the core of the tomatoes and cut them into irregular bite-size wedges, about 3 cm. Put them in a 24 cm wide, shallow bowl and sprinkle with the salt; the salt draws out the juice that becomes part of the dressing.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 350 gCoarse sea salt 2 pinch

3. Peel the cucumber in stripes, halve it lengthwise if it is thick, and slice it into 1 cm half-moons. Cut the pepper into thin rings, shaking out the seeds. Add both to the bowl with the onion rings.

   Add in this stepCucumber 200 gGreen pepper (long Greek type or bell pepper) ½

4. Scatter over the olives and capers, sprinkle with the vinegar and drizzle with half the olive oil. Toss gently with your hands or two spoons, just once or twice, so the tomatoes don't turn mushy.

   Add in this stepKalamata olives 10Capers (optional, island style) 1½ tspRed wine vinegar 1 tspExtra virgin olive oil 1¾ tbsp

5. Lay the feta on top as one whole slab (don't crumble it; everyone breaks off their own). Rub the oregano between your fingers over the feta and vegetables to wake up its aroma, then pour the rest of the olive oil over the cheese.

   Add in this stepFeta, in one block 150 gDried Greek oregano 1 tspExtra virgin olive oil 1¾ tbsp

6. Let the salad stand for 5 min so the tomato juice and oil pool at the bottom of the bowl. Serve with crusty bread to mop up those juices.