A medley of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tender green beans, bright peppers, crunchy radishes – all drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and topped with feta cheese. Çoban Salatasi, aka Choban Salatasi, is a classic recipe from Turkey, very appropriate for the summer.
Yield: 4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb (60 g) firm feta cheese, not too salty, sliced
- 1 lb (450 g) seedless cucumbers (aka European cucumbers), thinly sliced
- 4 medium-size tomatoes, seeded and sliced
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup (110 g) green beans, trimmed and cut in the middle
- 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil for sautéing the peppers
- 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (28 g) cilantro (coriander leaves), left whole, thick stems removed
- 4 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar or white vinegar with low acidity
- l6 black oil cured olives
If you can use genuine feta cheese, the one made from goat’s not cow’s milk. In Turkey, you would use “Beyaz Peynir” cheese.
Preparation:
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and green beans. Cook them until tender. Refresh green beans under cold water to preserve the color. Drain and set aside to cool.
Warm 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the pepper and onion slices briefly until they just begin to soften up. Set aside to cool.
Wash cilantro (coriander leaves) and place them on paper towels to dry.
Make a marinade out of olive oil, vinegar, chopped dill, salt and freshly ground pepper.
When ready to serve, arrange all ingredients in a nice fashion over the plates. Top with the feta cheese and drizzle marinade over it.
