Peasant Salad from Cyprus (Choriatiki)

Perfect summer food. A reminiscence of vacations in Cyprus or Greece. Serve with bread and a cooled light wine or mineral water. Tastes best outdoors in the hottest time of the day. The treatment of the onion will reduce the strong and bitter taste and make it possible to use a greater amount of it. The raw eggplant may seem peculiar, but will add a little bitter taste that goes well with the sweeter vegetables. Traditionally, the cheese is not mixed with the salad, but exposed on top. Neither is the dressing made in advance, but up to the guests. NB that there is no lettuce in this recipe.

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  large  ripe tomatoes
• 1  cucumber
• 1  large red onions or 1  large  white onion
• 1  stalk celery
• 1⁄2 small eggplant
• 4  small  fresh beetroots
• 1⁄2 lb Greek feta cheese
• 20  kalamata olives
• 1  tablespoon capers (optional)
•  oregano (preferably fresh)
•  salt
•  pepper
•  wine vinegar
•  extra virgin olive oil (preferably Greek)

Directions

1. Slice the onion very thinly.
2. Mix with one tablespoon (sic!) salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Knead the onion until it becomes transparent.
4. Then rinse in lots of water and drain.
5. Peel the cucumber.
6. Cut it and the tomatoes into large chunks.
7. Cut the celery and eggplant into smaller pieces.
8. Arrange nicely on four plates.
9. Grate the beetroots and put on top (mixing them with the rest would make the salad red).
10. Divide the cheese into four pieces and put on top of the beetroots.
11. Garnish with olives, capers and oregano.
12. Serve salt, pepper, vinegar and oil à part, so that everyone makes his own dressing.