Aug 21, 2012
Like Lori, I came on here looking for Balela salad after trying it at Trader Joe's. I agree that this is far better, although theirs was good enough to inspire me to find a recipe!
I'm not normally an ingredient snob, but this recipe demands the best ingredients possible. Grape tomatoes generally have more flavor than typical store bought tomatoes, so that is not an area I would skimp on by using diced tomatoes (or egad! canned!). It takes a few extra minutes to half those grape tomatoes, but well worth it, in my view.
Use the best olive oil you can find. I might roll my eyes at that suggestion in another recipe, but for this one, your choice of oil is going to make a difference. Trader Joe's California olive oil was my choice for this. It has a strong, fresh, peppery flavor that complements the other ingredients perfectly.
I suggest you make it exactly as written before changing anything. The feta cheese suggestion sounds tempting, but this recipe is so well balanced I would hesitate to modify anything. Perhaps offer it on the side?
—Kevin Andrews
