When I was growing up, my mom did all of the cooking for our family of six kids. My dad did cook a few signature dishes but he always did the chopping. I think my dad really enjoyed chopping because whenever he was in the kitchen, he had a knife in his hand and was standing in front of the cutting board, chopping, dicing or slicing up vegetables. This was my dad’s signature salad. The fresh vegetables were always so thinly sliced, you wondered if perhaps a mandolin was used. Nope. Just the skilled hands of someone who liked to slice, dice, and chop for his family. This salad is especially good with homegrown tomatoes straight from the garden.
Slicing the cucumbers super thin is key to this salad. If you have a mandolin, use it. If not, a very sharp knife and a skilled hand will do the trick.
- Salad
- 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
- Dressing
- 1 garlic clove and 1 teaspoon kosher salt [url href=”https://gogingham.com/2013/09/use-mortar-and-pestle/” target=”_blank”]mashed in mortar and pestle[/url]
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon dill, fresh, minced
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juice of
- pepper to taste
- Combine sliced and diced vegetables in a large bowl.
- In separate small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
- Whisk dressing until thoroughly combined.
- Pour dressing over diced vegetables and toss, gently.
- Serve at room temperature and enjoy.
My favorite tomatoes in this salad or in any salad are Sun Gold variety cherry tomatoes. They’re the only cherry tomatoes I plant and they never disappoint.
My husband likes to layer spices into this salad – Old Bay seasoning and red pepper flakes. My dad didn’t include these in his recipe but I’m sure he’d approve of their additions.
This salad says summer to me. Go make some!
What’s you favorite summer salad? Do you like cherry tomatoes or slicing ones?
Go Gingham related links:
How to roast tomatoes for an easy sauce
Staking tomatoes in a very stylishly frugal way
Preparing for tomato planting season
Shrimp and quinoa salad recipe is here
A family favorite – beet salad – it’s delicious, too
Corn and black bean salad – feeds a crowd!!
Grilled veggies are good with this salad, too
Try this roasted garlic spread with your appetizer
Go Gingham 
The looks of your salad itself is passing a cool feeling! 😀 Has to be a good one then for summers.
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Minnie, it’s definitely an easy, summer salad. It’s good in other seasons, too, but not quite as good without homegrown tomatoes and fresh dill from the garden! Thanks for your comment.
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I can’t wait to try this one out. It looks so refreshing!
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Lonna, you’ll love it! It’s easy and good on a hot summer day. Or a cool summer day. Fresh tomatoes and fresh dill are key to this recipe! Please let me know how it turns out for you.
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What beautiful colors! I am glad to know about the cherry tomatoes you plant. I am trying a couple different kinds this year. The salad looks great – and simple!
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Thank you, dear Annie! These are my favorite tomatoes and get devoured straight from the vine to mouth – just a little warning 🙂
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Oh my goodness! We grew up on these salads — onion, cucumber, tomato, drizzled with a vinegar dressing, pepper and salt. That always meant, “Summer is Here!”
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