“If you do nothing else in summer except for swirl tomatoes, basil, and burrata into homemade pasta, you’ll be happy. Put your ice maker to work and sip a timeless spritz on a deck somewhere at sunset. Shuck some corn, and keep your eyes peeled for zucchini flowers to scatter on top of casarecce. Cook seafood because it’s fast and light.”
“Take off your shoes, wear splendid hats, try building a champagne tower, lick salted-caramel ice cream, have a glass of chilled Nerello Mascalese in an outdoor shower, dance, and get some sun.”
– An excerpt from one of my recent favorite cookbook discoveries, Simple Pasta, by Odette Williams.
One of the things I love most about summer is the ease in which a meal can be prepared. One or two (Okay, a handful, if we must!) fresh ingredients, a smattering of herbs or other flavorings, and dinner is served! This is the season of simplicity after all.
The “salad” you see here is a prime example of the above. I was inspired by a recipe from another (longtime) favorite cookbook, Cook Beautiful, by Athena Calderone. My cucumbers, strawberries and tomatoes all came ripe and sweet, straight from the garden, so I pared down my version even more. Instead of making a dressing, I subbed a drizzle of Lindera Farms drinking vinegar, which hit similar honeyed and spiced notes.
If you too are interested in making this (or another version therof)…there is no need for measurements here; just a short list of some of the best of what summer has to offer:
Strawberries, trimmed and halved or quartered
Seedless cucumbers, medium-diced
Sungold cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh basil and mint leaves, to preference
A drizzle of Lindera Farms Sangria Drinking Vinegar
Sea salt
You can serve this on its own (Perfect, as is!), or as I did alongside marinated, grilled chicken.
