Tomato, Caper & Olive Salad is a herbaceous, vibrant recipe with fresh ingredients all tumbled together & tossed in a simple lemon vinaigrette.
Fresh herbs can elevate any recipe. And if you cook with them you’ll know this. If you don’t it’s time to start. A couple of tablespoons here & there are usually all that’s required. What I love so much about this recipe, apart from the simplicity & relative speediness to prepare, is fresh herbs are used as star ingredients rather than merely additional flavorings.
What goes perfectly with fresh herbs? Tomatoes of course. And although tomato season might still be lurking around the corner, I love these smaller, vine-ripened, campari tomatoes that are available almost all year because they’re hot house grown. These became a favorite of mine years ago & they never disappoint.
Fresh herbs are an integral part of this salad. Italian parsley, mint & cilantro take center stage & are used almost like small salad greens to add color & of course their distinct flavors. If you’ve ever read or cooked any of my recipes you know I like to use them often & quite liberally in my cooking. It’s a simple, inexpensive way to elevate almost any recipe.
Admittedly, this is a little bit of a rushed post today. This post was intended for yesterday but we lost our internet for most of the day. No internet = no blog posts. Thankfully we’re back on line today & trying to squeeze two days worth of to-do lists into one day. Some good news is I lost 6 1/2 lbs (3kg) this week. I was working on a body spring clean. My week consisted of juices & vegetables with a little fruit here & there. This salad certainly is perfect for a healthy eating regime. And it’s ridiculously easy to make. So is this Orange & Fennel Amalfi Salad. Until next time,
- LEMON VINAIGRETTE
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and cracked black pepper
- TOMATO, CAPER & OLIVE SALAD
- 12 oz (340g) small tomatoes, quartered
- 3 small cucumbers, chopped
- 15 oz (425g) can garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed & drained
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
- 2 tablespoons tiny capers
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives
- 6 thinly sliced green onions
- 4 medjool dates, pitted & chopped
- To make the vinaigrette, put all the ingredients in a jar and shake until combined.
- To make the salad: Gently toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the lemon dressing & gently toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes for the flavors to infuse if time permits.
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