Summer cooking fits this free-form and easy salad which goes well with any main dish. In cooking, we think of ‘free-form’ as something where measuring is not essential, and the ingredients can be varied. In this case, we had a leftover red onion half, some basil leaves and fresh mozzarella (a rare event in Nan’s Test Kitchen), so it became an easy, healthy and tasty salad!
We have also made a version of this salad with our Passion Fruit White Balsamic Vinegar. The Passion Fruit marries well with both tomatoes and basil and gives a tropical summer flair.
Again, this is one of those recipes where more or less is fine - feel free to increase, decrease or change the quantities depending on your taste and what you have on hand.
ingredients
- 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, ½ inch cube
- ½ cup red onion, thin slices
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 5 to 10 basil leaves, chiffonade
- Nan's Basil Pesto Olive Oil, to taste (about 2 tbs)
- Nan's Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar, to taste (about 2 tbs)
Prepare and combine first four ingredients in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the slivered basil and mix to combine. Drizzle with the basil pesto oil and combine. Finally, drizzle the balsamic vinegar, and combine once more. Allow to stand in the fridge for an hour before serving for the flavors to meld.
Serves 4 as a side salad.
