The Salad Days of Summer
By Michael Safdiah

The dog days of summer are almost here, just ask my lab Blondie; she’s always ready to race to the beach to body surf. So let’s think cool and refreshing. Think salads. I want a salad to be filling, but I want to know it won’t slow me down when I feel like being active. Grilling is such an important part of my summer cooking, I try to find side dishes I can make easily to go with grilled meats.

Unless it’s raining, and even then sometimes, I look for ways to grill whatever I can instead of using a skillet. I have all winter to sling my tits over a hot range in town. I hope these few recipes give you ideas for more. I’m already thinking there’s a whole book I could write on them. Salads demand that you improvise, just like life. By now I don’t need to remind you that pepper is fresh ground and all salt is kosher unless it’s sea.

GAZPACHO, as much a salad as a soup, came from the Moors of Andalucia as far back as the year 800. A nourishing thirst quencher in the hot summers of Seville and Granada, there are a zillion variations, but the general idea follows for around four guests. Of course you must devise your own version.

Double it and store in the fridge, but not in plastic. Ingredients: 2 lbs delicious, ripe, peeled plum tomatoes (canned are okay in wintertime, or peel fresh ones with a slit and boiling water), 2 c. good tomato soup, or V-8, 1 cucumber (peeled and seeded), 1 green pepper, one small red onion, 4 cloves of garlic, small piece of day-old bread, 4 oz water, 4TB chopped fresh parsley, 1 big pinch coarse salt, 4 tablespoon E-V olive oil, 2 TB red wine vinegar, or to your taste, 1 Tsp freshly ground cumin seed, dash Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper to taste.

Chop everything fine, or cut everything in relatively small pieces or throw in the food processor and pulse so there are small pieces left. My preference is chop by hand. Set the Gazpacho in the fridge for half an hour, come back and taste it, and adjust the seasoning.

In Spain it is common in the summer always to have gazpacho in the refrigerator. You come home hot and thirsty, go to the fridge. and pour yourself a cup. Garnish it with pieces of minced cucumber, hard boiled egg, tomatoes and tiny bread crumbs. In Jerez de la Frontera ( Cadiz), it is customary to throw in little pieces of freshly fried white fish (Bacalao).

I absolutely love this one. It reminds me of Ernie. KITCHEN SINK TOMATO SANDWICH (White Trash Cooking, Ernie Mickler): In the peak of tomato season, chill one very large or two medium tomatoes that have been vine ripened and have a good acidy bite to their taste. Take two slices of bread, coat them with 1/8 inch of good mayonnaise. On one slice, place tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick, salt and pepper then repeat with a second layer of tomatoes and more salt and pepper. Place the other slice on top and roll up your sleeves. Commence to eat over the kitchen sink while the juice runs down your elbows.

SALAD OF LOBSTER, RIPE TOMATOES & MINT: Luscious ripe tomatoes are essential. Rinse the salad greens. Soak them in water for twenty minutes and spin dry. 8 oz. cooked lobster meat, 6 sprigs fresh mint, 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced, 2 Tsp. balsamic or good red wine vinegar, 2 TB E-V olive oil, kosher or sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, 2 ripe medium tomatoes, red and/or yellow. Method: Place the meat in a small mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Remove the leaves from 5 sprigs of mint, chop coarsely. Combine the mint with the red onion, vinegar, and oil. Season lightly with salt and more generously with pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into 6 slices each and spread on a large plate. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Cover for 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, place the lettuce in a bowl and put the bowl of lobster meat next to it. Now, holding your hand on the sliced tomatoes so that they don’t slide, pour a little vinaigrette off the plate onto the lobster and onto the greens. Toss the greens and divide among four chilled plates. Arrange three tomato slices in the center of each plate, leaving space in the middle for the lobster. Toss the lobster meat and place the slices in the center. Garnish with a spring of mint.

SICILIAN CHICK-PEA SALAD: The very Sicilian raisins, pignoli, olive oil, and lemon juice as well as wine vinegar, anchovies, and scallions form the sauce for chick peas, which are then arranged on a plate with tuna pieces in the center, hard-boiled egg quarters placed all around, and basil leaves on top. This makes a substantial course by itself or even a nice light lunch. In Sicily they’d never dream of canned chick peas, but it’s summer; use Progresso. Sauce: 1/2 c. E-V olive oil, 1 Tb fresh lemon juice, 1 Tb red wine vinegar, 1 Tb raisins, 1 Tb pine nuts (pignoli), 6 scallions, white part only, sliced 1/4 inch thick, 2 whole anchovies preserved in salt (clean them under cold running water to remove the bones and excess salt), OR 4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained and coarsely chopped, sea or kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper. To serve: 2 extra-large eggs, hard-boiled, shelled, and quartered, one 7-ounce can Italian tuna packed in olive oil, drained, fresh basil leaves. Pour the sauce over the drained chick peas, mix very well, then transfer everything to a serving platter. Place the hard-boiled eggs all around and the tuna, cut into pieces, in the center. Serve with the basil leaves. Serves six.

GRILLED JAMAICAN CORN SALAD: 3 Tb fresh lime juice, 3 Tb cooking oil, 3 tsp garlic salt, 4 fresh cobs of corn, cleaned with husks pulled back but not removed, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 small seeded, peeled and chopped avocado, 2/3 cup chopped red pepper, 2/3 cup chopped yellow pepper, chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tsp kosher salt. Preheat grill to a medium heat lid down.

Method: In a bowl combine lime juice, oil and garlic. Brush corn with this mixture and sprinkle with chili powder. Fold the husks back up around the corn. grill corn for 8-12 minutes (lid closed) or until the kernels char slightly, turning every few minutes. Meanwhile, add avocado, red peppers, yellow peppers, cilantro and salt to remaining lime juice mixture. Hold cob vertically, and cut corn kernels from the cob, cutting with your knife blade down toward the table. Remember to scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get all the deep flavor out. Add corn to salad and toss to coat evenly. Serve at room temperature.

BULGUR SALAD: 1 c. cracked wheat (bulgur), 1 small onion, grated, 3Tb oil, 2 Tb fresh lemon juice, 4-6 Tb tamarind paste, 1/2 bunch chopped parsley, 3-4 Tb ketchup, S&P, dash hot sauce or cayenne to taste, 1/2 Tsp each ground cumin, coriander, allspice. Soak wheat 15-20 min. in water, drain, let stand 30 min., combine the remaining ingredients. This is one of my family’s secrets; they’ll probably disown me.

Thanks for your emails, I’m glad to hear from you, and expand on anything I’ve written. Love, Michael mymymichl@aol.com.