From Israel to Spain to Morocco, produce is so flavorful that many salads want solely ripe tomatoes and funky cucumbers to be scrumptious. But the watery, bland greens within the common American grocery store too usually disappoint to work this manner.

That’s why we use a easy trick to offer them a lift — salting the chopped greens for about 10 minutes earlier than dressing them. Besides seasoning the greens all through, salting attracts out moisture, which concentrates their flavors and offers them a extra substantial, meatier texture.

Just half a teaspoon of salt for a few pound of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers was lots for this refreshing salad in our ebook “Tuesday Nights Mediterranean,” which options weeknight-friendly meals from the area. For extra taste inspiration, we merged two Mediterranean classics, Greek horiatiki and the shopska salata of the Balkan nations.

For extra punch, we soak slices of purple onion and rings of contemporary chile in vinegar to melt their chunk, then whisk the infused vinegar with olive oil and garlic to make the dressing. Briny capers add one other layer of texture, and creamy feta cheese contrasts with the crisp, cool greens.

Good-quality feta is essential right here. The pre-crumbled stuff is loaded with synthetic preservatives and lacks taste, so search for varieties offered in blocks and crumble it your self.

After assembling the salad, don’t wait to serve it. The flavors and textures are greatest when contemporary.

Tomato and cucumber salad with capers and feta

Start to complete: half-hour

Servings: 4 to six

Ingredients:

12 ounces ripe tomatoes, cored and minimize into 6 to eight wedges1 English cucumber, minimize lengthwise into eighths, then crosswise into 2-inch lengthsKosher salt and floor black pepper½ small purple onion, thinly sliced1 Fresno or jalapeño chile, stemmed and sliced into skinny rings3 tablespoons purple wine vinegar2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (½ cup)1 tablespoon drained capers3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 medium garlic clove, finely grated½ cup calmly packed contemporary flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a colander set in a big bowl, toss collectively the tomatoes, cucumber and ½ teaspoon salt; let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir collectively the onion, chili, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt; let stand for 10 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes and cucumbers to a serving bowl, discarding their liquid, then sprinkle with the feta. Using tongs, raise the onion and chili out of the vinegar combination, squeezing gently and permitting the vinegar to empty again into the bowl, then scatter them over the tomatoes and cucumber; reserve the vinegar. Sprinkle the capers over the salad.

To the reserved vinegar, add the oil, garlic, a pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then whisk to mix. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with parsley. Toss to mix on the desk.

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