Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• large handful fresh flatleaf parsley
• roughly chopped
• 25g/1oz pine nuts
• 50g/2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 150ml/5fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 beef tomatoes
• or 12-15 large plum tomatoes
• 450g/1lb courgettes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• handful fresh basil leaves
• plus extra for garnish
• 450g/1lb Greek feta cheese
• crumbled
• olive oil
• for drizzling
• 18 large Kalamata black olives
• 6 lemon wedges
• to serve

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
• To make the pesto
• place the garlic and parsley into a food processor and blend together. With the food processor still running
• add the pine nuts
• parmesan and oil and blend until smooth. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Skin the tomatoes by cutting a small cross into the bottom and carefully placing them into a heatproof bowl of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of iced water for one minute. The skin should then peel off easily. Once peeled
• slice the tomatoes to the thickness of a pound coin.
• Heat a griddle pan until smoking. Slice the courgettes to the same thickness as the tomatoes
• season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place onto the griddle pan to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side
• or until striped with griddle marks.
• To assemble the salad
• place six deep 10cm/4in chefs' rings onto a baking tray. Place a layer of the tomatoes into the bottom of each ring. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• then spoon over a little pesto.
• Add a couple of basil leaves to cover the pesto layer
• then add a layer of feta.
• Add a layer of griddled courgette
• then repeat the layers of tomato
• pesto
• basil
• feta and courgette.
• Top the stacks with a layer of feta and drizzle each with a little olive oil.
• Transfer to the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes just to warm the stacks through. (You can then place the stacked chefs' rings under a hot grill to brown the feta if you want.)
• To serve
• place each chefs' ring onto a plate
• and arrange three olives around each stack. Carefully remove the chefs' rings and garnish each Greek salad stack with basil leaves
• drizzle with olive oil and place a lemon wedge alongside.