Bleeding Espresso

25 June 2008

what’s cooking wednesday: tomato & red onion salad

$What\'s Cooking Wednesday$ One of the best parts of having my mom here is a built-in buddy for market-hopping–and I’m talking about every market within a 40 kilometer radius.

Of course we’re having lots of fun in our travels, but all this marketing also means we’ve been enjoying even more fresh fruits and vegetables than usual…more hands to carry market booty! Woohoo!

As you probably know, I love tomatoes. So for today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday I’m sharing my absolute favorite way to enjoy fresh summer tomatoes (those in the US especially, be careful about salmonella right now!).

Here they are paired with “le cipolle rosse di Tropea,” the famous red onions from Tropea, a gorgeous town on the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is on the other side of Calabria (for those who don’t know, I’m on the Ionian Sea). These onions are some of the sweetest red onions in the world and are well-known not only in Italy but also throughout Europe–if you’re here, be sure to give them a try!

A tomato and red onion salad is a quick, easy, refreshing, delicious dish that is great at midday when the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove. It is dressed simply with olive oil, fresh basil, oregano and salt, and you’re welcome to throw in whatever other veggies you like; we especially enjoy cucumbers in this.

Along with the salad, P and I usually have something else uncooked with it, often local suppresata, cheese and bread but this is another favorite:

Bel Paese cheese spread on bread topped with prosciutto crudo

Doesn’t get any better than this after you’ve enjoyed a morning at the beach.

Tomato & Red Onion Salad

3 large tomatoes cut into bite-sized chunks
2 small red onions from Tropea, sliced
Olive oil, fresh basil, oregano and salt to taste

The longer you let the flavors mingle, the better this is, so I recommend making it early in the morning for lunchtime.

Buon appetito!

20 beans of wisdom »

20 beans of wisdom to “what’s cooking wednesday: tomato & red onion salad”

Jeni Hill Ertmer on 25 Jun 2008 at 6:36 am #

Sounds like my kind of salad recipe -easy -and tasty! Only problem here would be I’d be the only one who would enjoy it because I’m the only one in the house that seems to like raw onions -red, white or yellow! Makes no never mind there but no one else will eat those yummy kind of things! (No taste, huh?)

Jeni Hill Ertmer’s last blog post..I Do Hereby Bequeath…

I was never very fond of raw onions until I came here, Jeni…these red ones are *so* tasty
nyc/caribbean ragazza on 25 Jun 2008 at 8:51 am #

I heart this recipe!!!

I read your link. I had no idea 84% of the tomatoes in the States come from Mexico. Wow. I’m shocked.

I try to buy locally whenever possible. The food just taste better. I am slowing getting into the mindset if something is out of season, don’t bother. It’s easier to do that here then in the States. Back in L.A. I would expect to find pretty much any type of food (except for fresh cherries) year round. That is not normal.

nyc/caribbean ragazza’s last blog post..You’ve got mail and a police officer at your door.

I was pretty surprised at that tomato statistic as well. Eighty-four percent is *so* much!

But yes, buying locally and in season is definitely easier in Italy, and I got used to the seasonal eating pretty quickly. In fact, when we were at the supermarket the other day my mom spotted broccoli, and I told her to pass on it because it’s not in season! I find it funny that instead of seeing that broccoli as a treat, I was suspect
Joanne at frutto della passione on 25 Jun 2008 at 10:19 am #

We love cold lunches too. And luckily we all love salads at my house. Add sliced meats and cheese and we are in heaven!

Joanne at frutto della passione’s last blog post..Mmm… Canada Savory edition Maple glazed chicken and potatoes

One of my summer favorites from America that has quickly become one of my Italian OH’s summer favorites is this pasta salad…add meats and cheeses and fresh basil and YUM
Sandier Pastures on 25 Jun 2008 at 12:53 pm #

I would love this salad. I absolutely adore tomatoes and red onions…if I would make it, I would add orange or yellow capsicum for color and flavor too.

Sandier Pastures’s last blog post..World’s largest fountain to be built in Dubai

Mmm, great addition indeed
running42k on 25 Jun 2008 at 12:56 pm #

So simple, yet so good.

running42k’s last blog post..Insurance

My favorite combination
thotlady on 25 Jun 2008 at 3:04 pm #

Makes me hungry, even at 9 in the morning.

thotlady’s last blog post..Vacation Bible School

Hah, as my grandmother used to say, “Mangia! Mangia!”
jen of a2eatwrite on 25 Jun 2008 at 3:38 pm #

Oh, Michelle, this is my very favorite kind of recipe – simple with highlights on the veggies. I can’t wait for our tomato season!

jen of a2eatwrite’s last blog post..What’s Cooking Wednesday – Brunch with Anno and Mint Pesto

I’m excited for you Jen!
anno on 25 Jun 2008 at 7:21 pm #

Tomatos and red onions are just perfect together. This seems like the best of summer eating: fast, fresh, easy, and delicious. Like Jen, I can’t wait for our tomato season!

anno’s last blog post..Sunday Scribblings: Happy Endings — A collection from some of my favorite books

I love stews and such, but summer eating is definitely high up on my list of favorites
Lara on 25 Jun 2008 at 7:41 pm #

Mmmmm. Tomatoes and onions are some of my favorite favorite favorite things. I can’t wait until things settle down with the tomatoes here so I don’t have to be afraid of dying whenever I eat them.

Lara’s last blog post..No longer a dog person?

I’m so sad about the salmonella thing too even though I’m not affected by it. Just be careful of where the tomatoes come from and you should be fine (almost all states have been excluded from the “dangerous” list).
Interesting Food and Cooking Stuff on 25 Jun 2008 at 9:46 pm #

[...] tomato & red onion salad [...]
karen cole on 25 Jun 2008 at 10:08 pm #

ok…..I LOVE that I can read your blog, get hungry and actually BE IN ITALIA, so that I can eat something that might actually be similar to what you are talking about.

I’m in Firenze, sweating and getting fat. La dolce vita, Michelle.

Woohoo! Lucky you Karen
anne on 25 Jun 2008 at 10:50 pm #

Just our sort of lunch/snack…I really try now to buy things in season, and always locally…otherwise we just go without.

anne’s last blog post..Catching up with my Blogging Friends.

Something I’ll be doing of more this summer is preserving various things I’d like to have around even when they’re out of season…perhaps even freezing some tomatoes for winter sauces. Mmm….
collette~all over the map on 26 Jun 2008 at 3:26 am #

If that were my last meal on earth, I’d be happy. Nothing better than summer tomatoes and red onion. Yum yum.
So glad you are having a wonderful time with your mum and I so look forward to hearing about your travels and time together. Hi Michelle’s mum.

collette~all over the map’s last blog post..Free Samples of Lovely Images from Dover Publishing

Mum says hi right back Collette
Judith in Umbria on 26 Jun 2008 at 2:15 pm #

Not to take anything away from your recipe, but your mom has been here a long time, other people have been doing your blogging for you and now we get a SALAD? As the Sambuca ads used to say, when Caesar returned from a long day at the war, he did not have a salad.

Do I have to come down there and pound you? WE WANT TO SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING.

Judith in Umbria’s last blog post..Schedule change: the baby has arrived!

I wish, just for once, you could open up and share your feelings Judith. Holding all that in has to be tough

Hope today’s post soothes you a bit…..
Bleeding Espresso » love thursday: love on the rocks on 26 Jun 2008 at 3:01 pm #

[...] to know what’s happening here in Calabria (see her pleading comment to yesterday’s post here) *and* I was blessed with many visions of love this morning, here I [...]
Irene on 27 Jun 2008 at 1:16 pm #

Delicious…Now if you add some olives, a slice of feta, and some sliced green peppers, you get a Greek “village” salad!

Irene’s last blog post..Thankful Thursday-Life

*Love* feta cheese Irene; always so happy when I find it here
FlaNboyantEats on 27 Jun 2008 at 5:06 pm #

This is such a great summer time, any day of the week salad. especially b/c it’s so easy to make. in our home, growing up, tomatoes and onion were always seen on cuban bread with a bit of olive oil and salt/pepper! yum.

FlaNboyantEats’s last blog post..Spicy Seared Scallops W/ Mango & Cilantro Relish

Mmm…I see we have a lot in common with Cuba
african vanielje on 29 Jun 2008 at 12:35 pm #

Delicious! One of my favourite salads. Try adding coriander (cilantro) and avocado. Yum!

african vanielje’s last blog post..Pain de Compagne & a sourdough starter

Great suggestions! Our avocados here aren’t the greatest, but I’ll keep an eye out for some good ones for this
Bleeding Espresso » what’s cooking wednesday: top 5 summer recipes on 20 Aug 2008 at 7:20 am #

[...] Tomato & Red Onion Salad [...]
Antonio Agostinelli on 29 Aug 2008 at 6:31 pm #

Hi!! im from Venezuela, but I don’t speak english so good :S then im gonna write in Italian (I hope that you can understand me ).

Io andavo cercando qualche orientazzione pero fare una sorpresa alla mia fidanzata e o trovato questa pagina!! veramente e magnifica!!!! sei bravissima a cucinare io gia avevo qualche idea da che potevo fare, ma adesso dopo di vedere tutto questo e magnifico quello che faro per questa sera .

Grazie mille e complimenti!!!.

O aggiunto la tua paggina ai mie favorite .

Grazie!!!

Sono contentissima che hai trovato qualcosa di buono qua Buon appetito!