The 5 Days Before Christmas Greek recipes!

Here is recipe #3.

Two recipes in 1 post that you can try for the holidays. I know it is not tomato season, but many of my friends asked me for a favorite Greek appetizer. This is the one: Kalamata tapenade dip. You can use the Kalamata dip in so many things, and now you can try my Kalama-Dakos recipe too.

Let’s get to the cooking! Okay if you do not know what dakos is let me explain. You know the Italian bruschetta right? The yummy toasted bread with diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and herbs. Well, dakos is the Greek version of bruschetta. Made up of Greek rusks (paximadi) and olive oil, tomato, feta cheese, and oregano. Is your mouth watering yet? Well, I took the simple traditional dakos recipe and of course, added my twist. The secret ingredient “kalamata” olives hence the “kalama-dakos” name. I used my kalamata dip recipe from the first cookbook and then layered the dip, rusks, feta cheese, diced tomatoes, and herbs. Very easy to whip up in a matter of minutes and you only need a few ingredients.

Kalamata Olive Tapenade Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Kalamata olives
• 1 TB capers
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Pinch red pepper
• Fresh ground pepper
• 5 cups ladyfingers or cherry tomatoes

Method:

1. In a food processor combine all ingredients except tomatoes.
2. Pulse until ingredients are well combined.
3. Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out tomato seeds.
4. Add to the mix and chill for about 2 hours so flavors can combine.

Kalama-Dakos Recipe

A new take on the traditional dakos.

Ingredients:

• 10 rusks
• Approximately 1 cup of kalamata dip
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 10 grape tomatoes halved
• A handful of dried oregano (preferably strong)
• 1 lemon reserve the juice
• Black Pepper
• Greek olive oil (enough to drizzle on each rusk)

Method:

1. Prepare the rusks. In a medium bowl add 1 cup of lukewarm water, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine then soak each rusk inside the mixture. You just want to soak each side for a couple of seconds, so it slightly softens the rusk. (Be careful to not make them soft.) Remove rusk from the bowl and set it on a plate. Repeat the process until all the rusks have been prepared.
2. Start layering the dakos in this order:  1 heaping tablespoon of kalamata dip, crumbled feta, and tomato to serve. Drizzle olive oil, and then serve with pepper and oregano.

Happy holidays to you!