Letters from a 300-year-old Italian farmhouse. July 5
The perfect salad at the perfect time. Again.
“The best I’ve ever had” summer salad!!
(My MOST POPULAR RECIPE EVER is BACK…just in time for the best long weekend of the year!)
Where have you been, all my summer? I asked. This beautiful, simple, genius combination of reds and reds. Watermelon and tomatoes. Did I even know you could put them together? I had never once considered it. And yet, like finding your true love late in life (which, happily, I also did), finding the best summer salad late in the summer is something to celebrate and to share.
This all started because I was faced with more sweet, tomatoey tomatoes than I have ever had the pleasure of harvesting, and was left wondering what I could possibly do with them. (What a great problem to have, right?!?!) I gave a few to our friends next door, and look what magic she created!
At our house, Caprese everyday for lunch is already a given. Tomatoes, chopped and laced with basil, are put up in the freezer—done. And my tomatoes are not San Marzanos or Romas, which are really the only kind you should make into a serious tomato sauce. So I turned to my trusty food sources to find out what to do with a plethora of gorgeous tomatoes, still warm from the garden.
I found a theme; so many ways to combine tomatoes and watermelon. Of course, Melissa Clark from New York Times Cooking offered a few interesting riffs on the two fruits. She is such an amazing writer, and I have yet to find a recipe of hers that I did not love. Wandering through my New York Times Cooking Recipe Box, though, I found the beautiful simplicity of Sam Sifton’s tomato and watermelon salad calling to me. He adds feta, which I did not, although tomorrow, I just might. This time out, I found something intriguing about the monochromatic reds playing off of each other. And then, I switched up his sherry vinaigrette. I am in awe of Emily Nunn and her “The Department of Salad: Official Bulletin” substack, which may be my favorite substack of all.
She has a wonderful Quick Lemony Basil Oil, which I sort of twisted into a Lime and Olive Oil Vinaigrette, that was perfect to play ball with both the tomato and the watermelon, and make stars of all of them (and of the chef!)
After tasting and testing Sam Sifton’s recipe, and Emily Nunn’s Quick Lemony Basil Oil, I landed on a nice blend that really sang to me, and to my husband. Really, what better combination of late summer flavors could there be than watermelon, lime, tomatoes and mint?
Presto! Just in the nick of time, the day before the last great weekend of summer, and with gratitude to the New York Times Cooking and to Emily Nunn and her Department of Salad, right here, I offer you my new favorite summer salad. Buon appetito!
Tomato and Watermelon Salad
1 pound of freshly picked tomatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups (about) of seedless watermelon
⅓ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest from 1 lime
The juice from the same lime, or a second one, too, to taste
Flaky sea salt
Chop the watermelon into pretty cubes, and the tomatoes into wedges or symmetrical chunks as best you can. Place in a pretty glass bowl. Drizzle all over with the olive oil. Zest the lime right on top of it, and pour the lime juice all over, then sprinkle lightly with flaky salt. Chill nicely, and serve.
Any summer salad plans on your agenda? It is the perfect time to take advantage of summer’s bounty. Go out to the garden, your farmers’ market, or the colorful fruit and veggie section of your local grocery for inspiration. You can’t go wrong if you keep it seasonal!
And do share! I would love to see your favorite recipes, especially simple ones, or the ones you turn to, year after year. To me, those are the best. Thank you in advance, and thank you for taking the time to read my letter this week, and finally, thanks for continuing to be a part of my community. It really does matter to me!
Keep looking for my posts. I’ll be right here.
This is how I stay close to everyone far away. I will be writing letters once a week or so, with stories of Piemonte, recipes that I have fallen in love with, tales of people I meet, places I discover and anything else that I think you might find amusing, curious or worthwhile. It’s a way to look at the world from a different window, and hopefully let a little Italian sunshine into your day.
Tomatoes, zucchini, crooknecks, cukes, basil, parsley. All these from l'orto. Making many meals and giving lots away. No one has refused zucchini yet.
Happy summer to all.