Insalata Estiva
Insalta Estiva
The perfect salad for those hot summer days and end of summer evenings.
My dad is the king of salads He always has the perfect combo with just the right amount of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Whenever it is dinner time, you can guarantee there will be a salad on the table and you best believe he will make sure you take some salad, that Italian look.
My father’s garden consists of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, romaine lettuce, shallots, and basil. Every spring, he adds something different, this year was a black tomato, and I can always depend on him for the summer staple. A funny story about my father and his green thumb, one summer he needed some dirt for the front yard by the sidewalk because he wanted to plant new grass seeds. So he thought “Eh, I’ll just use some dirt from my garden.” Well, I’m not really sure where in his garden he thought he was grabbing dirt from but he accidentally started to grow romaine lettuce in that very spot in the front yard! I tell ya, he has a green thumb! Can even grow lettuce where everyone would least expect it!
One of my all time favorite salads my dad puts together is his Insalata Estiva. The PERFECT salad for a hot summer day and a cool end of summer evening. It is super easy and quick to make. I enjoy taking advantage of the tomatoes and cucumber from the garden and mixing it with some fresh and dried herbs. It can be used as a side salad or a main dish by adding things like tuna or grilled chicken. However you do it, there’s no wrong way! As an extra bonus to this dish, I absolutely love pairing it with a crusty Italian bread! I leave no food behind so the bread at the end helps me absorb the leftover oil and vinegar!! One of the best parts of a salad in my opinion!
Recipe:
8 Cherry tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
Fresh provolone or gouda - 2 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1-2 fresh basil leaves chopped
1-2 fresh parsley branches *optional
Salt and pepper to taste *optional
1-2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
No cook time needed unless you are adding grilled chicken or fish.
Instructions:
Cut cherry tomatoes in half and place into bowl
Shave skin off cucumber. I like to slice the cucumber into 1/4-inch slices then quarter them but you can slice and cut them in half. Place in bowl with tomatoes once cut.
Cube your cheese. I used fresh provolone for this recipe. I like 1/4-inch slices and I just cube it up. Add into the same bowl as tomatoes and cucumber.
Add in dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, fresh basil and fresh parsley.
Drizzle with oil and vinegar.
Mix and enjoy!
You can add tuna or grilled chicken as you like.
Cheeses that pair well with this is a young gouda such as a Cablanca goat gouda, an aged such as Paradiso gouda, young Provolone, Cacio Cavallo, and fresh Mozzarella.
If you’d like to prepare this ahead of time, don’t add the oil and vinegar until you are ready to eat. This will prevent the tomatoes and cucumber from getting soggy.
Can be paired with a nice crusty Italian bread!