Shopska Salad (Шопска салата) — Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Sirene

• 4ripe tomatoes (about 600 g total, cut into 2 cm chunks)
• 1English cucumber (about 350 g, peeled in stripes and diced)
• 1green bell pepper (seeded and diced)
• 1roasted red pepper (peeled, seeded, and diced)
• 1red onion (about 80 g, finely diced)
• 8 sprigflat-leaf parsley (leaves chopped)
• 200 gBulgarian sirene cheese (well chilled for grating)
• 3 tbspsunflower oil
• 2 tbspred wine vinegar
• 2 gfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion, and sirene before assembling, because shopska salad is best served cool and crisp. Wash and dry all vegetables thoroughly so the dressing clings rather than becoming watery.

2. 2

   Cut the tomatoes into generous 2 cm chunks and place them in a wide mixing bowl. Dice the cucumber, green pepper, roasted red pepper, and red onion into smaller pieces so every forkful has a balanced mix of sweet, juicy, and sharp flavors.

3. 3

   Add the chopped parsley, sunflower oil, red wine vinegar, fine sea salt, and black pepper to the vegetables. Toss gently with a large spoon for 20 seconds, just until the juices begin to mingle and the salad looks glossy.

4. 4

   Transfer the dressed vegetables to a shallow serving bowl, leaving excess liquid behind if the tomatoes are very juicy. Grate the chilled Bulgarian sirene directly over the top in a thick, even layer, which is the classic presentation for shopska salad.

5. 5

   Serve immediately while the vegetables are crisp and the sirene still looks snowy. Do not stir the cheese into the salad at the table until just before eating, because the visual contrast is part of the traditional appeal.