Recipe Favorites: Middle Eastern Tomato Salad

When I arrived home from the Blogher conference, my garden was bursting with tomatoes. I'll try to take some shots of the garden this weekend, but meanwhile it's time to start sharing some of my favorite ways to use that garden produce. I love this time of year when you can start eating things from your garden!

This salad would have to be one of my very favorite ways to eat tomatoes when they're fresh and sun-ripened. It's actually very good made with Roma tomatoes since they have less seeds and the flesh is firm, but you can make it with any type of tomatoes. I learned to make this from my friend Massoud who came to the United States from Iran many years ago, and this combination of salad ingredients is often called simply "salad" there. You might also see it on a restaurant menu called "Shirazi Salad." You can vary the proportions based on your own taste or what you have in the garden, but don't skimp on the mint and parsley.

Middle Eastern Tomato Salad
(4-6 servings, Massoud's recipe)

All amounts are approximate. Feel free to use more or less of some ingredients, depending on your own preferences.

Ingredients:
1 cup finely diced cucumber (remove seeds if they are large)
1 cup finely diced tomato
1 cup finely diced onion (I often use sweet Vidalia onion)
1 cup finely chopped parsley (more or less, to taste)
1 cup finely chopped mint (more or less, to taste)
2-3 T olive oil, or more to taste
1-2 T fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
salt, pepper to taste

Instructions:

Chop cucumber in pieces less than 1/2 inch and put in colander. Add a generous amount of salt and let sit while you chop other ingredients. (If the tomatoes are juicy I add them to the cucumbers and let the juice run out.)

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions should be cut in same-size pieces, and parsley and mint should be chopped very finely. (You can use a food processor to chop the mint and parsley if you wish.) When all ingredients are chopped, combine in mixing bowl.

Mix in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. (Start with a bit less and add more until it tastes right to you. I find it does not need a great deal of dressing to taste good.) Serve immediately.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This is a perfect side salad for any phase of the South Beach Diet, but in the summer I'd be very happy just having a big bowl of this for lunch. For dinner, this would taste great with something like Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Capers, and Oregano and Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms for phase one. For phase two or three, you could replace the asparagus with something like Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar.

More Tomato Salads I Love:
Summer Red and Yellow Tomato Salad
Zucchini Salad with Tomatoes and Basil
Sliced Tomato, Olive, and Goat Cheese Salad with Onion-Caper Vinaigrette
Chopped Middle Eastern Salad with Purslane
Garbanzo, Tomato, And Cilantro Salad with Lime and Chile Dressing
Tomato, Egg, and Olive Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette
Tomato and Garbanzo Salad
Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Marinated Garbanzo Beans
Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm, Olives, and Feta with Basil Vinaigrette