One of the great things about summer is the abundant fresh veggies just begging to be eaten. The best way to honor them is a fresh summer salad, the perfect no-hassle dish for hot days.
The weather is getting hotter and hotter each day. Who’s going to want to stand in the sweltering kitchen in front of the hot stove? As much as I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, a quick summer salad is always delicious and usually requires minimum effort and skill. Here are some of the best salads to enjoy in the hot summer months:
The seasonal
This might be a no-brainer, but it is the most environmentally friendly, climate-conscious option. The ingredient list for this one couldn’t be simpler: Go to your local grocer or bazaar or any spot that provides goods from local farmers and see what they have there. Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, young onions, green onions and a variety of peppers. Combine them to your heart’s desire, sprinkle some salt and a good dash of olive oil and enjoy! Enhancing these seasonal salads with grains or nuts can make for an interesting variation as well. For example, you can lightly toast sesame seeds in a pan and mix that in. My personal favorite is and will always be sunflower seeds.
The Turkish grain salad: Kısır
The best part of kısır is that you usually eat it using lettuce as an edible spoon and/or plate. Just scoop a few spoonfuls onto the lettuce leaf, close it up slightly and enjoy. The crunchy leaf combined with the tomato-paste-laced bulgur salad is an experience you’ll need to try.
Italian flair: Panzanella
When you have some leftover pieces of bread and you are not in the mood to make breadcrumbs for future cooking endeavors (and for those who refuse to waste them by throwing them away) there is this amazing Italian bread and tomato salad that might sound very simple but has become a favorite of mine. There are different takes on this recipe, as with all good recipes, so don’t be hesitant to change it up a bit as well.
Ingredients