Dakos - Greek Bruschetta

We recently came back from a lovely holiday in the Chania region of Crete. As always, I've come home wanting to re-create some of the dishes we have eaten on holiday. The first one being dakos/ntakos or Greek bruschetta. This simple starter is traditionally made with barley rusks, but I swapped them for Krisprolls which have a similar texture and are more readily available. You could also use any good, crusty bread such as ciabatta.

The Cretans make these with Greek mizithra cheese, which is a whey cheese generally made from goat's or sheep's milk. I used a soft goat's cheese for the closest taste and texture, but you could use ricotta or crumbled feta instead.

• 1 pack of dakos rusks or Krisprolls
• 2 ripe beef tomatoes, quartered (or de-seeded vine tomatoes)
• 1 large clove of garlic
• ½ tsp Greek oregano
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 150g soft goat's cheese
• A handful of Greek olives

Briefly blitz together the tomatoes, garlic and oil in a blender for a few seconds (it should be slightly chunky like a salsa). Season to taste.

Spoon the mixture over the rusks/Krisprolls and top with crumbled goat's cheese and an olive. Sprinkle with dried oregano.

Refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving.

Vegan option: Swap the cheese for a vegan Greek olive paste (check ingredients for anchovies).

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