Recipe from the book: Cooking & Eating Wisdom for Better Health (Balboa Press)
Dako Of Crete is the perfect dish as a mezze (appetizer) or a salad.
It originates from the island of Crete. Dako or barley rusks are twice-baked breads and are available from Greek delicatessens and Greek bakeries and cake shops. In Greek cooking we eat them on their own or add them to salads.
We also crumble them and use them instead of breadcrumbs. If you cannot find barley rusks then use two thick slices of a whole grain bread and slowly bake the bread at a low temperature until it dries out and hardens.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
2 large barley rusks
2 large ripe tomatoes
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
3.5 oz. (100 g) Greek feta, crumbled
¼ teaspoon dried wild Greek oregano
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped (optional)
Method
Take the garlic and rub the rusks with them. Place the rusks on a serving platter.
Cut the tomatoes in half and grate the cut sides into a bowl. Discard the outer skins. Season the tomato purée with sea salt and cracked pepper and stir through the olive oil and mint.
Spoon the tomato mixture on top of each barley rusk, then scatter over some of the feta followed by the oregano. Finish off the dish by drizzling over some olive oil.
Allow the rusks to stand for at least 5 minutes so that they soak up all the wonderful juices and soften a little. Serve.
Maria Benardis – Intuitive Chef
 by Maria Bernadis){kind=link}