Actually Trying This Village Salad Thing
Alright so I saw people talking about this “Ovcharska Salad” online, supposed to be some big deal Bulgarian village dish. Healthy, tasty, blah blah. Figured I’d give it a shot since I had some free time today.
First things first, I needed stuff. Grabbed my keys and headed to the store. Needed veggies obviously. Got some cucumbers, couple of big tomatoes, one of those long green peppers – bell peppers were on sale too so grabbed red and yellow for color. Oh, and onions. Then it hit me – the cheese part. Recipe kept saying “sirene” cheese. What even is that? Had no clue. Asked the dude at the deli counter. Blank stare. He points at feta. “This?” he says. Close enough, I guess. Got some feta. Also grabbed some ham slices, looked good. Almost forgot the eggs! Scrambled back to the dairy section for those.
Got home, unpacked everything on the counter. Massive pile of veggies staring at me. Okay, time to chop.
- Cucumbers first. Peeled them, cut ’em lengthwise, scooped out the seeds like the recipe said. Then chopped chop chop into little cubes. Took ages.
- Tomatoes next. Messy. Juicy. Cut them up same size as the cukes. Got tomato juice all over the dang counter.
- Peppers. The green one, seeds out, sliced thin. Bell peppers too, cubed them up. Didn’t bother roasting or anything, just raw.
- Onion. Cried like a baby chopping it fine. Worst part for sure.
- Feta cheese. Took it out the brine, crumbled it up with my fingers. Pretty satisfying actually.
- Ham? Yeah, just took those slices, stacked ’em up, cut ’em into little squares.
- Boiled the eggs. Always forget how long. Simmered them about 10 minutes I think. Cooled ’em in ice water, peeled (half the white came off with the shell, as usual), then chopped.
By this point, my cutting board looked like a veggie massacre zone. Had a huge bowl filling up with all this colorful chopped stuff.
Mixing It All Together & The Dressing Saga
Time to chuck everything into the big mixing bowl: cukes, tomatoes, all the peppers, onions, ham, feta, eggs. Tossed it all gently with my hands. Looked pretty good actually, like confetti.
Now for the dressing. Saw different recipes. Some said just olive oil and vinegar. Some said add mayo. Decided I wanted it a bit creamy but still bright. Winged it.
- Big spoonful of mayo in a small bowl.
- Glug of olive oil.
- Splash of red wine vinegar.
- Pinch of salt, ground black pepper, and some dried parsley flakes (couldn’t find fresh).
- Whisked it all together like crazy with a fork. Looked kinda white and weird.
Poured the dressing over the big bowl of salad. Carefully folded it all together. Tried not to smash the tomatoes.
The Waiting Game & Final Taste
Some folks online said let it chill. Okay, covered the bowl with cling film and shoved it in the fridge. Went and did laundry for maybe an hour?
Came back, took the bowl out. Looked kinda wet at the bottom – probably the tomatoes doing their thing. But smelled fresh.
Scooped some into a smaller bowl. Took a bite.
Honestly? Way better than I expected. The cucumbers and peppers are super crunchy. The feta gives that salty tang. Ham is nice and smoky. The dressing? The mayo/vinegar mix worked out, made it creamy but not heavy. Got a nice tang from it. The onions have a kick but aren’t overpowering. Everything feels fresh and chilled. Really good on a warm day. Messy to make? Sure. Worth it? Yeah, actually. Might mess with the dressing next time, add some herbs, but this village salad thing? Good stuff.
