Friday, July 18, 2008

Yummy Summer Salad

What to do with a preponderance of summer produce? Make a salad. I made one today that was quite...er...interesting, and wonderfully colorful. Actually, it was quite delicious.

1 yellow squash, sliced into thin circles (I used a mandolin)
8 large strawberries, hulled, sliced thin
1 handful fresh basil, julienned
10 lemon verbena leaves, julienned
the green parts of three scallions, chopped
2 tblsp chopped walnuts
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar (I used Strawberry Balsamic from Trader Joe's)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp superfine sugar, more or less to taste
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss the squash, strawberries, scallions (thinly sliced red onion would be good too), and herbs in a medium bowl. In a small dish, beat together the vinegar, mustard, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle in as much olive oil as you like in your dressing (the common ratio is 1 part vinegar to 4 parts oil, but I usually reverse that since I prefer a tarter dressing) and beat well to emulsify. Pour over fruit and veg in other bowl and toss to coat. Add walnuts, toss lightly, and serve.

3 comments:

Chris said...

Wow, that sounds FANTASTIC! I love salads . . . especially ones with fruit and nuts but not in a sweet setting.

Nanc Twop said...

Love your salad.
~Really~ love ~my~ mandolin!

Unknown said...

Sounds great! Can I come over and have some?