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First, some general notes about salads.
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It takes four persons to make a good salad:*** End Right Sidebar ***
While some people chill both a salad and the plates from which it will be eaten, I find that suppresses the flavor. I prefer my salad near room temperature to bring out all the flavors.
Both a salad and its dressing may be prepared in advance. However, don't add the dressing until just before serving. Otherwise, the salad may become soggy. (However, coleslaw should be dressed even a day in advance. Both the taste and the texture of the cabbage seem to improve after long contact with the dressing.)
Always use a serving bowl much larger than you think is necessary. When tossing a salad, there should be enough room to do so vigorously without getting salad all over the table.
Be careful when mixing seasonings for the dressing. Except for possibly a slight hint of garlic, no one herb or spice should stand out and dominate the others. It's better for someone to not quite recognize what they are tasting in the dressing than to know for sure.
Because of the onion and cucumber, this is a strong-flavored salad. However, the basil tends to moderate the flavors.
Today, I brought this to the Ventura County Grand Jury (where I'm a member for 2006-2007) for a potluck lunch for the 19 jurors. There was another salad, many cold cuts, and other dishes. Most of this salad was gone by the end of lunch.
1 large cucumber
1 red onion
2-3 large ripe tomatoes
a large lump of mozzarella cheese (about 1 lbb)
a bunch of fresh basil leaves
12 Greek olives
3-5 slices of dry Italian salami (optional)
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into very thin slices.
Peel the onion. Cut it in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into very thin slices. Separate the slices into individual strips. If they are large, cut the strips in halves or thirds.
Dice the tomatoes and the cheese.
If the basil leaves are large, cut or tear them in half.
Coarsely chop the olives.
If you are using salami, mince it into very small pieces.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBS wine vinegar
1 TBS capers
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp dried dill leaves or 1 small sprig of fresh dill
Blend the dressing ingredients until the capers are finely chopped.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly.
Depending on what else is being served, this might serve 6-10.
Note there is no salt. The capers provide sufficient salt, and the onion eliminates any real need for salt.
For the basil, I cut two large branches and stripped the leaves. This being late in the season, most leaves were quite small; so I used the whole leaves. Do not use dried basil for this salad.
I used kalamata olives, which I can buy already pitted at a local grocery.
21 November 2006
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