Dakos - Greek Bruschetta

Last weekend in Athens.  For lunch today I had dakos.  Dakos is a light meal that originates in Crete.  Good tomatoes are essential for this dish.  They need to be really fleshy on the inside, not all water and seeds.   

To serve two.  Take 3 medium to large tomatoes.  Remove the stem and then grate the tomatoes on the largest holes of a grater.  Discarding the skin.  At this point I find it helps to season the tomato pulp with some sherry vinegar (use white wine vinegar if you don’t have sherry), white pepper and salt.  

Turn your cold water tap on to a dribble and pass the rusks under the stream a couple of times.  Arrange three rusks per person on a plate.  Heap on the seasoned tomato pulp, followed by some grated feta (in Crete they would use aged myzithra), a liberal sprinkling of oregano and lastly a few good glugs of virgin olive oil.  It’s the only lunch I can imagine eating on a sweltering day (that or wedges of wonderful watermelon). 

I leave you with a picture of little L playing in the sea.  Tomorrow we are flying to Berlin, our new home, so this post is finally going to start living up to its name!