Feta and cucumber salad with dill dressing
Ridged cucumbers have a stronger flavour than the regular variety and are shorter and fatter, too. They have a slightly more bitter, tougher skin that needs to be removed, but this gives way to a cooling, firmed-fleshed cucumber that tastes far superior. These can withstand strong flavours, such as the olives and feta in this dish, which is inspired by the flavours of Greek salad and tzatziki.
25 MINUTES | SERVES 4 AS A SIDE | EASY | V GF
ridged cucumbers 2, trimmed
sea salt flakes 1 tsp
Kalamata olives 50g
feta 100g, finely crumbled
greek yogurt 250g
garlic ½ a small clove, crushed
lemon ½, zested and juiced DRESSING
shallot 1 long, peeled and finely chopped
white wine vinegar 3 tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Greek) 6 tbsp dried oregano ½ tsp
dill finely chopped to make 1 tbsp
sugar a pinch
1 Roughly peel the cucumbers, removing most of the tough skins but leaving a few stripes. Cut into long 3mm-thin strips using a mandoline or sharp knife. Put in a sieve, sprinkle with the salt and sit over a bowl. Leave to 10 minutes to draw out some of the moisture. Meanwhile, put the shallot and vinegar for the dressing in a large bowl and leave to pickle slightly.
2 Put the olives on a board and bash with the side of a knife to expose the stones. Remove and discard them, then roughly tear the olives in half. Mash half the feta into the yogurt with the garlic and lemon zest using a fork, then season with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
3 Whisk the olive oil into the pickled shallots, then stir in the oregano and dill. Season and add a small pinch of sugar. Add the drained cucumbers and toss in the dressing to coat. Fold in the remaining feta and olives. Spoon the feta yogurt over a large platter and spoon over the cucumber and feta mixture. Drizzle with the remaining dressing to serve. This works well as a side for grilled fish such as trout or sea bass, lemon and oregano chicken skewers or charred lamb chops on the barbecue.
PER SERVING 326 kcals | fat 29.9G saturates 10.2G | carbs 4.8G | sugars 4.5G fibre 1.6G | protein 8.6G | salt 2.4G