tomato feta olive sauce

It is one of those sauces that well, can find a home on many plates, aside many dishes or is perfectly happy just being smeared on that last bit of bread. That was how it went for me: my first experience with this tomato-based concoction. It was Christmas Eve, and we went out to dinner—a family tradition, who has time to cook when there are presents to wrap?—and this sauce uneventfully sat next to a few slices of bread.

The event was my first bite.

I of course asked for the ingredients (so innocent am I, oh this is so good, what is in it anyway?). And lucky for me there was paper and a pen nearby. When the waiter turned on his heel to leave, I wrote—like rapid fire—the list of ingredients he mindlessly decanted.

And later, at home, I played with amounts and landed on a recipe. And that recipe, this Tomato Feta Olive Sauce, has since landed on asparagus, under a poached egg, on toast and over white fish.

Tomato Feta Olive Sauce
1/4 cup basil
1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
2 T finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped feta
2 T olive oil
1 can plum tomatoes
kosher salt, coarse pepper

Mix all in bowl; serve at room temperature. Keeps well in fridge for 4-5 days.

Notes: play with the ingredients, slice ingredients large or tiny, increase the feta if you like more cheese, adjust the seasonings. I used a 28 oz can of plum tomatoes, but drained them from the sauce and lightly crushed and cut them. I loved the olives and feta, so my next round will have more… and I might even try this with roasted romas sometime…

•