Easy Tomato, Red Onion, And Kalamata Olive Summer Salad

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 ounces capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons chives, snipped
• coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 -8 vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup kalamata olive, pitted
• 5 ounces cheese (crumbled blue cheese or curls of romano cheese made with a vegetable peeler)
• 1/3 cup mixed fresh herbs, minced (basil, flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, and mint)
• crushed red pepper flakes (to taste) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 in a medium bowl combine 4 cups of ice cold water and 2 teaspoons salt; stir to dissolve the salt. add the onion rings; let stand for 20 minutes. drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• 2 meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, garlic, capers, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. add the oil in a stream, whisking; whisk the vinaigrette until it is emulsified.
• 3 on a chilled deep serving platter, alternate the tomato slices and onion rings, scatter the kalamatas over them. drizzle 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette over the salad, reserve the remaining vinaigrette.
• 4 chill salad for 20 minutes. sprinkle over the top your choice of cheese, the minced herbs, and the red pepper flakes (optional). drizzle 2 or 3 tablespoons of the reserved vinaigrette over the cheese and herbs. (any leftover vinaigrette can be refrigerated and used within 1 week.)
• 5 let salad stand for a minimum of 15 - 20 minutes before serving.
• 6 cook's tip: because the longer you let the flavors "marry", the better this salad tastes, i like to prepare it early in the morning for a lunchtime snack or light meal.
• 7 cook's tip: this quick and delicious salad makes a terriffic filling for pita bread or baguette sandwiches, and a yummy topping for bruschetta.
• 8 buon appetito!