What I am eating in August
August 18th, 2007
The genuine Greek salad, as I found it when eating in Mykonos in 1984.
This summer there’s one difference. Instead of chunks of plain fresh tomatoes, the tomatoes are made up into Ligurian tomato salad. The tomatoes are chunked, sprinkled with salt, a finely minced clove of garlic goes in, and then it is doused with good olive oil. When eating it on its own, I add a generous amount of finely sliced fresh basil, but for Greek salad I do not. The bowl of tomatoes is covered with a clean dishtowel and left to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
To assemble this Greek salad, which I love to have composed rather than tossed, I peel and chunk a cucumber for the first layer. Over that goes a similar amount of the tomato salad, then a layer of finely sliced onion, a layer of crumbled Feta, and last a handful of dry-cured black olives. This has made me happy five times this week! One other time I sliced everything very thin instead and layered it onto a dry-grilled piadina– a dead ringer for a flour tortilla. A bit of oil and then roll ‘her up. Cut in two and tackle with your hands.
It makes me feel like a Greek island goddess.
Entry Filed under: Food, Italy, Beauty, Dieting, kitchen stuff, cheese, primo, one dish meal, salad, meal salad, vegetarian, cucumbers, tomatoes
7 Comments Add your own
1. Delina | August 18th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Looks great. Brings back memories of the many Greek salads I had in Greece. I love Summer food….and Winter food… and Spring food and Autumn food come to think of it :)
2. Robert | August 18th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
My that salad looks good! The colour of the tomatoes is so intense!
I have been seeing a lot of Greek salad on tv of late thanks to a show on BBC - Rick Stein’s Mediterranean. Am tempted but will wait until the sun shines again (probably mid-2008 or thereabouts…).
3. admin | August 19th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Delina, I suffer from the same ailment. Thing is, these fresh summer things will never be this good again. Sure, I freeze, preserve, cook ahead for the coming seasons, but there’s no substitute for what they are right now with very little adornment.
Robert, the flavor outstrips the look by a mile. Don’t wait for the sun. When you eat those tomatoes the sun pops into your mouth even on a rainy day. I have an advantage in that Italians prefer salad tomatoes almosy green so that they are still crunchy. That means that all their homegrown tomatioes that make it to dead ripe are MINE!
4. Barbara | August 19th, 2007 at 9:35 am
I\’ll be buying cucumbers at the Monday morning market for sure! thanks remiinding me how much I love Greek salad!
5. admin | August 19th, 2007 at 11:35 am
And don’t forget tsatsiki. For me: grate one peeled cucumber and put it into 1/2 container of Total Greek Yogurt. Add a single finely minced clove of garlic and a dollop of oil a sprinkling of salt. Mix and leave 30 minutes. Wonderful and easy peasy.
6. David | August 19th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Now that looks really good for a hot day!
7. Gia D. Parsons | August 21st, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I am having a bumper crop of tomatoes this year too and I bet I will have to can most of them. One variety in particular seems very Italian, Mamma Mia, long and very sweet. Thank you for your commments in the remodel. It is taking its toll on me and so we are trying to get things done as quickly as possible.
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