Greek Cherry Tomato Salad

 

2 pints (about 4 cups) cherry tomatoes, ripe, quartered

½ teaspoon sugar

2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

½ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

 

1.    Toss tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl; let stand for 30 minutes.

2.    Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45 to 60 seconds, stirring to redistribute tomatoes several times during spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.

3.    Bring ½ cup tomato liquid (discard any extra), garlic, oregano, shallot, and vinegar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.

4.    Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to ⅛ teaspoon salt.

5.    Add cucumber, olives, feta, dressing, and parsley to bowl with tomatoes; toss gently and serve.