Olive & Walnut Salad (Shepherd's Dinner)

Vegan
  • Serves
    4 to 6
  • Cooks in
    5 to 10 minutes
  • Difficulty
    Easy

This unique and flavorful salad is often referred to as the Musalertsi Shepherd’s Dinner (dinner for a shepherd of Musa Ler). This is most likely because olives and walnuts, the main ingredients, are abundantly available and accessible throughout the mountainous region and the salad offered a convenient, filling, and nutritious meal for those working the land. Luckily, this dish, created perhaps out of utility, is delicious as well. While it can be enjoyed on its own, it is also a great addition to a holiday spread, brightening up the table with its festive colors!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups
    green olives, pitted, either whole or sliced
  • cups
    small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cups
    roughly crushed walnuts
  • 1 tbsp
    tomato paste
  • 3 tbsps
    olive oil
  • 2 tbsps
    chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Mix the olives, onion, walnuts, parsley, and pomegranate molasses or syrup (or seeds, or both) together.

  2. Add the tomato paste and olive oil and mix very well.

  3. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

  4. Plate and decorate with chopped parsley and pomegranate arils (optional).

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