Recipe: The Village Salad

This Greek classic is a study in balance: sweetness from ripe tomatoes, freshness and crunch from cucumber, acid from Kalamata olives and briny Arahova feta. Simply finished with a high quality, PDO-level olive oil (we love olive oils from Crete and Kalamata in particular), it's an ode to summer and the perfect way to start a meal.

Ingredients

2 Tomatoes, Quartered  we prefer Lucky's heirlooms - never refrigerate 

1 Cucumber

Quarter Red Onion, Sliced

Handful Kalamata Olives  or Castlevetrano if you're team green

Two Thick Slices Arahova Feta this is a barrel-aged, PDO feta aged for 90 days - find at Titan foods in Astoria

Pinch Dried Oregano - use fresh for a more intense herbal flavor

Pinch Maldon Salt

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil - we love kritiko, ilada or spitiko

Pinch Smoked Paprika

Method 

1. Partially peel cucumber in stripes.  Cut off ends, cut in half, and scoop out seeds.  Chop hollowed out cucumber halves into roughly 1-inch pieces.

2. Toss Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Olives, Oregano and Olive Oil in a bowl

3. Carefully plate salads, adding a small pinch of Maldon salt to tomatoes

4. Top each salad with a thick slice of Feta, sprinkling Paprika on Feta 

5. Eat with a knife and fork; pair with a glass of Santorini Assyrtiko