Grandma Sarah’s
Summer Garden Salad

This Summer Garden Salad recipe is the perfect summer side dish. It showcases the flavor of ripe, in-season summer vegetables at the height of their flavor. Do you garden? Summer Garden Salad is an excellent way to use excess tomatoes and cucumbers. You can easily turn this into a main dish by including grilled chicken or cheese.

When I think of memories of my Grandma Sarah, many revolve around the kitchen.  I recall she stored her ice cream in plastic containers perfectly sized to fit the rectangular box now considered a “vintage” container (gasp).  I recall hearty, satisfying pastitsio, a Greek baked pasta dish.  And I recall her salad dressing.  Thought not for lack of trying, neither my mom, nor I, have ever been able to replicate her zippy, vinaigrette dressing.  As my mom was organizing some storage boxes, she stumbled upon an old recipe file, and contained in that file was the recipe for my Grandma Sarah’s vinaigrette.

This vinaigrette elevated a simple head of romaine or iceberg lettuce, and with a little more effort, the perfect summer garden vegetable salad is yours.  (Grandma had a beautiful garden, and I loved sneaking out back to eat ripe sugar snap peas right off the vine.)  Toss this dressing with tomato, cucumber, and onions to make them sing.

This vinaigrette is equally at home drizzled on chicken, steak, potatoes, or a roasted vegetable, such as cauliflower, broccoli, or asparagus. You can also use it to top bowls.

This is her dressing and my version of her garden vegetable salad. 

Grandma Sarah’s Summer Garden Salad

Salad

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small English cucumber, halved and cut into ¼” slices
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon basil or oregano

Combine cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.

Combine red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and basil or oregano.  Drizzle olive oil into mixture and whisk to combine. (Alternatively, combine ingredients into a leak-proof jar and shake.)

Add dressing to vegetables to taste.

Optional Additions

• Olives (Grandma Sarah loved Kalamata … and I love Castelvetrano)
• Chunks of Feta or Goat Cheese
• Dollop of Cottage or Ricotta Cheese