RUSTIC TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD

This cucumber and tomato salad is so good that you could eat it on its own and never think of eating anything else with it, like bread, meat, etc. It’s one of those salads that is so balanced and tasty that you want it, just like you would with chocolate. It’s one of those salads that is so balanced and so tasty that you crave it, like you crave chocolate. The good thing is that this salad is very easy and quick to make.

In fact, my 8-year-old daughter made the salad you see in the pictures by herself, peeling and cutting the vegetables, making the dressing and mixing it all together. She was so proud! It’s the first dish she ever made on her own, and the salad was so good that she got a ton of compliments for it.

This salad is a close relative of the family’s favorite tomato, cucumber and avocado salad, but without the avocado and with different herbs. Yes, not everyone likes avocado and basil as much as I do, and most people I know like parsley and coriander. If you want, you can replace the basil with herbs in this salad. Either way, this salad will impress you.

Ingredients

For vegetables :

5 large tomatoes (fresh and ripe; vine-ripened tomatoes are a very good choice)

1 pinch of brown sugar

1 English cucumber (fresh and firm)

1/2 large red onion

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

1 pinch of kosher salt

1 pinch of black pepper

For the dressing :

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil (very good quality)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

2 cloves of garlic (pressed)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

Seed the tomatoes, cut them into 6 to 8 quarters, then cut each quarter in half. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl, sprinkle them with a pinch of brown sugar, salt and pepper and mix well.

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut it into slices 1/4″ thick. Add the cucumbers to the tomatoes.

Cut half of the red onion into very thin slices across the width. Then cut the slices in half or leave them as they are, as you prefer. Add to the cucumbers and tomatoes. Add the chopped parsley and coriander.

To make the dressing, toss all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until well blended.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir gently with both hands. Cover the bowl with plastic and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve for 1 to 6 hours. This will allow the flavors to blend. Then serve and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.