(Late) Summer Salads: Part I

Monday, August 31, 2009

I know, I know.  Summer is nearly over; you don’t have to tell me.  In fact, you never have to tell a teacher that their summer is coming to an end.  Moreover, not only do you never have to tell them, you never should tell them.  Period. 

That being said, I wanted to present three variations of a summer salad.  Each uses fruit as the basis, and each has many permutations.  I’ll leave out the quantities, making that a matter of judgment for the cook.  Just make sure there is some sense of balance and proportion, being aware of variety and contrast in tastes and textures.

The first entry centers on the juxtaposition of salty soppressatta and sweet cantaloupe.  It’s a variation of a recipe I first found in Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s The Italian Country Table.  Rather than use vinegar, I used some leftover pickled onions canned earlier this summer.  That doesn’t mean you have to.  You could easily replace the pickled onions with green onions (or chives) and vinegar.  Also, you’ll want to use your very best olive oil for this one.  Ideally, it will be of the single-estate, no-more-than-one-year-old variety.

Cantaloupe & Soppresatta Salad

Cantaloupe, cut into bite-size pieces
Soppressatta, cut into 1/2-inch long matchsticks
Pickled Onions, chopped
Italian Parsley, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Toss all ingredients to coat.