ISRAELI SALAD

Cherry tomatoes - quartered
Cucumbers - (kirbies or Israeli) - diced
Onions - any color - chopped
EVOO
Freshly squeezed lemon juice or red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

This is your basic salad - the way it is prepared in the
Middle East and in Europe.
It is called Israeli because this is what all decent
Israeli restaurants serve and because it came together for
me in just this way when I was living in Israel. It
actually took me a little while to figure all these things
out because my mother used to kick out of the kitchen, but
eventually, I got the gist of it by experimenting any time
my mom was not home. (The size of your cut vegetables,
makes a big difference.) I fully started to appreciate what
a treasure a good salad is, after the first time that I ate
in a restaurant in the US. Most dishes on an American menu
are served with a "salad." In New York, Florida, New Jersey,
All of New England, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Georgia and
Delaware (At the time of this writing, this covered all the
states I dined in,) that means a bowl full of lettuce
(usually romaine or iceberg,) three slices of tomato and
one slice of cucumber. If you're lucky, they'll throw in an
onion ring. The dressing choices are quite varied but a
lot of them contain sugar, or ketchup (with lots of sugar
or corn syrup.) I love sugar, but only when it has the
decency to stay in my dessert.

Anyway, you may add any of the following to our salad:
Radishes - any kind - diced
Sweet peppers - (any color) diced
Leafy vegetables of whatever kind you like but not more
than a quarter of your total salad volume wise.
Here are some of my preferences (in this exact order:)
Arugula
Watercress
Dandelion
Radicchio
Boston bib lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
You may add your favorites (I can live with a little
baby spinach.)

For a little more variety you may also add a little:
Oregano - fresh (chopped) or dry
Basil - fresh (ripped into small shreds) or dry
Cilantro - fresh (finely chopped)
Parsley and/or dill - fresh (finely chopped) or dry

For anything else, use your imagination and above all,
try to enjoy a real salad as much as I do.
Bon Apetit!

EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Copyright © 2006 by Ernest Samuel Leibovitz