Cretan bread salad

This original Cretan bread salad is a delicious and refreshing meal. It is ideal as a starter or light lunch. But it is also perfect as a side dish to grilled meat or as a snack for convivial evenings with friends. The combination of hearty flavors and a pinch of Mediterranean air makes this salad a versatile star on every table.

Ingredients for 2 people:

• approx. 150 g Paximadi *
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 4-6 pickled dried tomatoes
• 2 tbsp capers
• A handful of Minos Organic Kalamata Olives without stones
• A small bunch of fresh basil
• 1 ball of buffalo mozzarella
• Minos extra virgin olive oil for salads
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp dried oregano

* Paximadi is a traditional Greek hard bread and can also be purchased in Germany in some delicatessen or specialty shops. Alternatively, you can use hard wholemeal bread, preferably a sourdough bread, or a hard baguette or ciabatta bread. You can cut it into rough cubes and toast it as needed to get a similar texture to paximadi.

Preparation:

Preparation time: approx. 20 minutes + 15 minutes brewing time

Difficulty level: easy

1. Break or cut the bread into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Cut the tomatoes and cucumber into large cubes, the green pepper and red onion into thin strips and add everything to the bread in the bowl.
3. Finely chop the pickled dried tomatoes and add them to the bowl with the other ingredients.
4. Add capers and olives .
5. Roughly chop the fresh basil leaves and add them to the mixture.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with dried oregano.
7. Pour the Minos extra virgin olive oil for salads generously over the salad and mix well until all ingredients are evenly coated with the olive oil.
8. Tear apart the buffalo mozzarella and top the salad with it.
9. Let the Greek bread salad rest for about 10-15 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the flavors.
10. Before serving, drizzle lightly with olive oil again and garnish with fresh basil.