The dish I am sharing took me about 15 minutes to toss together but the entire meal was on the table in under 25 minutes. Winner for a work day, I can tell you. I am just recovering from a nasty head cold so if I can get this prepped and on the table without being a baby, anyone can do it!
I prepared Jacques’ Tomato, Cucumber and Mozzarella salad. It was a breeze. While all those flavors mingled in the fridge I started a rice dish and prepared a frying pan for sea scallops. The rice dish I can take no credit for – it’s actually Zatarains Caribbean Rice mix with bits of coconut and pineapple. Tonight’s theme was tropical and cool so, this worked well for me.
My lovely Pepin salad was a great accompaniment to the rice and butter pan-seared sea scallops. The Rose was a nice touch too.
The recipe as it appears in Essential Pepin follows as it appears in the book. Since there are only two of us I cut waaaayyyy back on the quantities. This is so easy to make I would rather have it fresh than return to soggy leftovers.
Tomato, Cucumber & Mozzarella Salad
INGREDIENTS
· 1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes (regular or plum)
· 1 cucumber (about 1/2 pound), peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
· 1 to 2 onions (about 8 ounces total), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
· ½ pound mozzarella cheese, cut into sticks about 1/2 inch thick by 1 1/2 inches long
· ½ cup shredded basil
· ¼ cup chopped chives or parsley
· 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1 teaspoon salt
· ½ jalapeno pepper (optional), seeded and chopped fine (about 1 teaspoon)
· 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
· ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
PREPARATION
1. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and gently squeeze out seeds. Cut seeded tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Place chopped onion in a sieve and wash under cold water to remove some of the sulfuric acid compound, which tends to make the onions discolor and is strong-smelling and irritating to the eyes. Drain thoroughly.
2. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, stirring well. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed. An hour or so before serving, remove from the refrigerator so the salad is cool, not cold, when eaten. Serve with a crunchy French bread.
Surf over to I ♥ Cooking Club and see some other fast but delicious dishes. I am also sharing this with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.
Tina
xxx
That salad looks amazing and I have almost all the ingredients growing in my garden right now! I love the addition of the mozzarella for a little bit of richness. I'll definitely be making this soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a refreshing side dish on his awful heat. I probably tipped a bit more red wine vinegar in, per taste.
DeleteYour salad looks very healthy, delicious and refreshing! perfect with your scallops too! Congrats on completing this week's IHCC re Jacques Pepin's recipes in less than 30 minutes too!
ReplyDeleteJoanne
What's On The List
Thank you so much, Joanne, I appreciate that! We love scallops and a cool side is the ticket for this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI like the summary salad and love the scallops. They are well seared and look very appetizing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, we really should have scallops more often. They are so easy.
DeleteThat salad looks beautifully refreshing...I would love a bowl of it right now to enjoy in our 35C/95F weather.
ReplyDeleteZosia, I hope you dnt have high humidity too. Love the cool meals for summer.
DeleteSOOOO much better than heating up the kitchen on a HOT summer's night! Looks delish!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your head cold. Those summer colds are the worst! This salad looks wonderful. My neighbor gave me some cucumbers and they would be perfect for this. And those sea scallops...yum!They're making my mouth water.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim. The cold had finally run its course. It was a devil to deal with in this heat!
DeleteWe are big fans of scallops😃