Classic Shopska Salad with Snowy Sirene

⏱ 15 min · Serves 4

Bulgaria's national salad in a bowl: crunchy cucumber, sweet ripe tomatoes, sharp raw onion and smoky roasted pepper, all buried under a snowdrift of grated white brine cheese. Ten minutes, zero cooking, and it tastes like a Balkan summer terrace.

Per serving: 275 kcal · 11.5g protein · 10.0g carbs · 22.0g fat

Ingredients

• 4 ripe tomatoes (about 500g), cut into chunks
• 2 small cucumbers (about 300g), quartered lengthways and sliced
• 1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and sliced (or 1 jarred roasted pepper)
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or sunflower oil, as is traditional)
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 200g sirene (Bulgarian white brine cheese) or firm feta, coarsely grated
• Handful of black olives (optional)

Method

1. If roasting the pepper yourself, blister it over a gas flame or under a hot grill until blackened all over, about 8 minutes. Pop into a bowl, cover for 5 minutes, then rub off the skin, discard the seeds and slice.
2. Put the tomatoes, cucumber, roasted pepper and red onion in a wide bowl. Scatter over the parsley.
3. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt and plenty of black pepper together, pour over the vegetables and toss gently.
4. Tip into a shallow serving dish and level the top. Grate the sirene generously over the whole surface so nothing shows through — that snowy blanket is the point.
5. Dot with olives if using, drizzle with a little extra oil and serve straight away, with crusty bread and something cold to drink.