My big plans to work in the garden and prepare for our annual pilgrimage to Trinity Alps have been thwarted by a freak storm that makes me think we’ve been transported back to February.
So what’s a girl to do? Make a pot of stew in June? Unthinkable! Mike has proclaimed that he loves to barbecue in the rain – perfect! We’ve already been to Farmers’ Market and have a beautiful selection of tomatoes and cucumbers.
Nothing says summer like tomatoes and cucumber, right? So we grab a big thick t-bone steak, strike a match to the barbecue, shuck a couple of ears of corn to grill and pretend that it isn’t windy, cold and wet and start our summer out right with a classic backyard dinner. Even if we were indoors with the heater cranked up an extra 2 degrees for the occasion. This was the perfect end to a not so perfect summer day.
When I find myself with an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers – which I’m hoping happens a lot this summer - I go back to a favorite salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with rice wine vinegar and feta cheese. I usually add cilantro or Italian parsley, onions if I’ve got a nice sweet onion on hand. It is a very simple, satisfying salad that takes 2 minutes to throw together.
There is no official recipe for this dish. While in Talca, Chile a few years ago we were served this at a communal dinner. When we got home I tried to recreate it and here’s what I came up with:
Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad
Serves 2 or 3 but is easily doubled or tripled.
1 garden fresh ripe tomato, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
3 Tablespoons cilantro or Italian parsley, chopped
3 Tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sweet onion, diced
3 Tablespoons good quality feta cheese
Combine ingredients, serve at room temperature.
