I could wax poetic love about raw vegetable salads. You can’t get through summer entertaining and alfresco dining without them! And they are so simple. It’s important to buy ripe vegetables when making raw salads to get the best flavor out of them. Tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers and red onions are four of my most favorite summer vegetables. Raw, they are crisp and refreshing. Cooked, they turn sweet and full of flavor (well, except for cucumbers – I’ve never cooked a cucumber).
Arrange the raw, sliced vegetables on a platter and top with a garlic and sherry vinaigrette. And salt. Salt is very important. You have to use enough salt to make the flavor of the vegetables shine. Does this ingredient list look familiar? It’s exactly the same as my gazpacho recipe. Which means if you have any of this lovely salad leftover from a meal place it all in a high speed blender – including any vinaigrette – and purée!
Use an assortment of tomatoes, whether they be different shades or heirlooms to create a colorful salad.
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
serves 4
Ingredients
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Basil leaves, for serving
Arrange the vegetables on a large platter or in shallow bowl. Combine garlic, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste for salt and adjust as you see fit. The vinaigrette needs to dress over 2 pounds of vegetables so be generous with the salt.
Drizzle vinaigrette over the vegetables and top with basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.