This light salad is served well chilled, which makes it a refreshing first course for a summer barbecue. The feta cheese and black olives provide a Mediterranean accent that continues with the ­lamb.

Ingredients

• 6 medium tomatoes (organic if possible), peeled (see note below), seeded, and cut into 1/2­-­inch ­cubes
• 2 large English (seedless) cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2­-­inch cubes
• 1/4 pound pitted black ­olives
• 1 1/2 pounds feta cheese, cut into 1 1/4­-­inch ­cubes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 4 tablespoons rice ­vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ­sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra ­virgin olive ­oil
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to ­taste

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, and basil, and mix well.

2. To make the dressing, mix the vinegar and sugar together in a small bowl, then gradually whisk in the olive oil.

3. Add the dressing to the salad, season with salt and ­pepper, and toss well. Place the salad in the refrigerator for 1 hour or the freezer for 15 minutes before ­serving.

Note: To peel tomatoes, use a paring knife to score them with an “X” mark on top. (The center of the “X” should be the spot where the stem was plucked.) Drop the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, plunge them immediately into ice water to stop any cooking action, then peel off the skins by ­hand.

Other Salad Recipes

Bean and Red Onion Salad
Bulgur Mint Salad
Caprese Salad
Chopped Vegetable Salad
Frisée with Croutons & Bacon
Mixed Green Salad
Tomato Sambal
Watermelon, Tomato, & Basil Salad