Cretan Dakos
The first time I made this recipe I used a baguette. This time I got my hands on dakos (barley rusks.) It tasted like…more…
A friend from Greece sent me the original recipe. It’s simple to make and will look familiar – the Italian’s variation is bruschetta.
However, what makes this special is the flavor combination of the dako with flavorful tomatoes, along with grating the tomatoes. I wrote this recipe using Early Girl tomatoes, which are juicy and have the right touch of sweetness and don’t necessarily need added honey. If using other tomatoes, you many want the honey to balance the acidity along with the salt. You could add capers, olives or other herbs, and sometimes I’ll add green onion.
- 6 small dakos (or 6 baguette slices)
- 6 Early Girl tomatoes
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- pinch of salt
- freshly ground pepper
- fresh basil, finely chopped
- fresh thyme, finely chopped
- olive oil
- ¼ fresh onion, finely chopped
- soft cheese (optional)
Place the dako pieces onto a plate.
Cut 3 of the tomatoes in half and grate into a bowl. (If the skin doesn’t break down, pop those extra antioxidants in your mouth.) Dice the remaining 3 tomatoes and set aside.
In the bowl, add the vinegar, honey (if using), salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Toss. Adjust seasoning and herbs to taste.
Pour the mixture over the dako. Drizzle with olive oil. Top the dako pieces with the diced tomatoes along with the juices. Sprinkle with onion.
I do recommend trying this with the barley rusks. However, if you can’t find them you can make them or use a day-old baguette instead.
Enjoy!
xo,
Julie
