Tomatoes star in simple salad

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Aug 1, 2007 by Associated Press

This simple salad makes the most of early seasonal items, dressing chopped tomatoes, cucumber and red onion with fresh cilantro and a splash each of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

To make this salad more substantial, add cubes of slightly stale bread or croutons to create a simple panzanella (an Italian bread and tomato salad). You may need to add a bit more oil and vinegar.

TOMATO SALAD

Start to finish: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

6 medium tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped

1 medium cucumber, finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, tough stems removed

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber and red onion. Toss to combine. Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper, then toss again. Roughly chop the cilantro, then add it to the salad and toss again. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Serve immediately. Recipe adapted from the July issue of BBC GoodFood magazine.