Well, folks, another Friday down! We’re sitting here about to be looking at an “8” to start the date. July is almost dead and gone — now, we’ve got the optimism of August. And for me, my friends, that means only one thing: Tomatoes!
Yes, the tomato harvest really kicks into overdrive as the summer passes its midpoint. We’re sitting here looking at a bounty just ready to pop! You may recall last year, right around this time of year, I wrote about the same problem1. At the time, the solution was red sauce2, but this year, we’re going to switch things up a bit. Kick it over to the Cyclades, where Mrs. CWD and I honeymooned. When we were in Naxos3, we had an unbelievable salad which was basically just cucumbers and tomatoes. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly fresh ingredients, perfectly enjoyed. I’ve thought about it often since4.
Given that, besides a ton of tomatoes, we also have a quantity of cucumbers, I thought: Why not put that abundance to use and make something simple? I’d encourage you to over prep the veggies for this one, since it’s easy and gets better as it sits in the dressing.
Here we go. This might be the easiest recipe we ever post on CWD, so pay attention!
Dice up several cucumbers5 and tomatoes, roughly equal amounts of each. Throw those in a bowl, amply season with salt and a little pepper. Drizzle with some olive oil, give a splash of red wine vinegar, squeeze in at least half a lemon, and mix well. Give it a taste, adjust the seasoning as needed, and enjoy.
Seriously, that’s it. That’s the recipe. You could probably spice6 it up a bit with some oregano or thyme, or toss in some onion or peppers if you want, but I don’t think it’s worth the hassle. There are very few things better than farm fresh tomatoes and cucumbers — don’t adulterate it!
As a bit of housekeeping, the Family CWD is traveling out West next week and spending some time exploring Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas. I don’t think I’ll be putting a recipe out, but maybe one of my loyal readers will send me a guest post that can fill the void. If not, I was convinced to start “tweeting” again, so I may throw some content up over that a-way. Feel free to “follow” along!
With that, I’ll wrap things up. As always, enjoy the weekend, eat something new, do something hard, and get some sleep!
Relative problem, that is — I’m never going to complain about having too many vegetables.
Which, as some of you know, was almost the name of this newsletter!
Looking across at Paros, which is best known for it’s view of Naxos.
Which is something that doesn’t happen with non-meat meals for me!
You can leave the skin on or peel the cukes. In this case, we peeled them to help them sop up the dressing.
Pun!