Shared by: Vesa
Recipe origin: Rotino, Macedonia

Rustic, yes. Simple, yes. Refreshing, you bet!

I’ve been enjoying this authentic salad, which is more like a soup for as long as I can remember. It comes from my baba’s (grandmothers) village Rotino. After working in the fields during the hot European sun they would quickly chop up some fresh cucumber, tomato, chilli and onion, add oil, vinegar and salt and some icy water straight from the natural spring, from Mount Pelister.

I add ice cubes to keep the salad cold however this is optional.
For another really lovely variation, try cucumber and garlic.

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Recipe

Serves  4

Ingredients
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, diced (peeling is optional)
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium banana chilli, sliced into rings (also known as Hungarian or bullhorn chillies)
1/4 Spanish onion, finely sliced
3-4 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt to taste (as a guide 1/4 teaspoon per bowl)
12 ice cubes
3-4 cups ice cold water

Method
1) Evenly distribute chopped vegetables into 4 soup bowls. Add oil, vinegar, salt, ice cubes and water. Gently stir and serve imediately.

Tip: For another variation try cucumber and a little finely chopped garlic, leaving out the tomato, chilli and onion.