Enjoy this summer salad as a starter or as a side dish.

Use the freshest ingredients you can find at the height of the summer vegetable and fruit season. Substitute out one ingredient for another feeling free to use both fruits and vegetables together.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, it’s really hot out and it seems that the heat is going to continue for a few more days.  During this type of heat, creating things that require quick cooking techniques allows me to keep ovens and burners off and, consequently, not get so hot in the kitchen.  Better yet, salads and side dishes that require no heat provide a respite from the heat and given how great the New Jersey produce is right now, you really can’t go wrong.  This salad is simple with just a few ingredients that are fully in season and truly tasty.  The best thing to do when good quality produce is readily available is to celebrate just how great it tastes by getting out of its way and simply allowing the ingredients to shine.

Here, I used red, green, and yellow tomatoes and paired them with a touch of shaved red onion, a touch of green onion tops that I sliced thinly, a couple different mild peppers, and a mix of fresh mint and fresh Italian parsley.  I seasoned it all very simply with flaky sea salt and a simple drizzle of good quality olive oil and a good quality vinegar (I used sherry but please just use the best quality vinegar you have).  You can certainly substitute out ingredients here and if you prefer more or different herbs, feel free to use those.  As long as you keep it simple so that the fresh, summer produce you choose is able to shine.  This dish can certainly serve as a first course or if you prefer, it would certainly shine as a side dish.

As an aside, if you feel your onions taste too strong, simply place them in a bowl and squeeze some lemon juice and a bit of water over them and allow the onions to sit for 10-20 minutes.  This will mellow the strong onion flavor.  Be sure, however, to dry the onions prior to using them in the salad so that the extra moisture doesn’t take away from the natural juices created by the tomato and olive oil and vinegar.  Recipe follows after the jump…

Ingredients:

• 2-4 Tomatoes using a mix of colors and sizes
• 2-3 Cherry tomatoes
• ¼ Red onion, sliced very thinly
• 1 Green onion, thinly sliced on a bias.
• 2 Mild peppers, each with different colors. Different varieties would be ideal.  I used cubanelle and shishito.
• 1 Tablespoon fresh mint, coarsely chopped (use more to taste if desired)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped (use more to taste if desired)
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil
• Good quality vinegar (I used sherry vinegar)
• Flaky sea salt such as fleur de sel, gray salt, or Maldon salt (I used gray salt).
• Freshly cracked black pepper or red pepper flakes if desired

Instructions:

• Cut the tomatoes into quarters or eighths depending on the size of the tomato. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.  Place the tomato wedges in a large bowl.
• Then prepare the onions by thinly slicing the red onion and thinly slicing the green onion on a bias. Then add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
• Cut the peppers into different shapes, keeping them coarsely chopped. If you prefer, remove the seeds from the peppers.  I chose not to do that.  Place in bowl.
• Add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of good quality vinegar over the top of the vegetables. Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt over the top of that and then gently toss the vegetables ensuring that they all are coated with the oil and vinegar.  You will know if they are as they will have a shine and sheen to them.
• Allow the vegetables to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the tomatoes to release liquid, thus creating a nice, loose, natural dressing.
• After the resting time has expired, add the mint and parsley and gently toss the vegetables again. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more salt, pepper, olive oil, or vinegar as necessary to suit your taste.

Place the vegetables on a plate, ensuring all the different types and colors of tomatoes are part of each serving.  Add more per plate if you are serving this as a salad or less if you are using this as a side dish.  Using a tablespoon, carefully drizzle some of the accumulated liquid from the vegetable bowl over the top of the plated vegetables.  Serve immediately while cool.