A new Turkish salad bowl, colorfully calling out to be filled with summer salads.
Global warming, diet inducing? Eating in the heat can be nauseating, and cooking in the heat can daunt even the most culinary inclined. Nature obliges, with an abundance of summer fruits and vegetables that lend themselves to being cut up and eaten with a little salt, olive oil, vinegar, lemon individually or in various combinations.
It always seemed to me that pasta salad was quintessentially Americana. Cold pasta, certainly not at the top of an Italian menu in Italy. It was however a summer staple, full of seasonal vegetables, in my Italian American family. I recall the first time Claudio came to a BBQ at my Auntie Mep’s home. She and her neighbours were hosting a Saturday afternoon BBQ complete with pool splashing, a flaming grill full of ribs, burgers, and various chicken parts, and a table full of every stripe of potato and pasta salad imaginable. After ogling enviously the Weber grill and talking at length with grill masters Tommy & Dan, he stood stupefied before the salads table. “Cold pasta, why?” As an Italian this was beyond comprehension.
The first time I saw a cold rice salad I felt the same, why? This was especially true as the ingredients were cold sausage cubes, cubed hard cheese, and pickles. The pickles being the only thing I might voluntarily eat.
Food dares all cultural comprehension and summer salads attempt to cross cultures. Here I present you three summer salads, enjoy them at your summer table and vary them to your cultural tastes in you best summer bowl.
Grandmama’s pasta salad, in honor of my Grandmama for her summer birthday of 31 July.
Nicole’s version of Ticinese rice salad, my answer to cold sausage
Phyllis’ carrot butterfly salad, a favorite of Claudio and I which both tastes great and give us a chance to recall a dear friend, our chance to virtually visit