Saturday, July 17, 2010

reunited

A week ago, three generations of the Martin family from far and wide traveled to Lake Geneva for a fantastically fun afternoon. It was the perfect day for games, picnicking, and all things family reunion. And after we all stayed much longer than we'd planned, Mother Nature gave us our cue to leave: a thunderstorm. Can't wait for next year's gathering. Take a look:









Since it was a potluck, Ian and I decided to bring one of our favorite summer sides. We got a lot of compliments, so I thought I'd share the recipe:

israeli salad
based on a recipe from deb at smitten kitchen
serves 10

ingredients
2 med. roma tomatoes, cubed
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, diced
2 1-lb. English cucumbers, cubed
1 med. red onion, diced
1/4 c., plus 2 Tbl., finely minced flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbl. red wine vinegar
3 tsp. sumac powder (you can get this at Penzeys)
Salt and pepper, to taste

directions
1) Mix tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onion in a large bowl (preferably one that has a lid for easy storage).
2) In a smaller bowl, whisk parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and sumac powder. 
3) Add dressing to salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Chill and serve.

notes
This salad can be turned into a yummy dinner by adding shredded chicken or some sort of starch, like bulgur or couscous. Toss in some feta and olives to give it a Mediterranean vibe. Dill and mint are also nice additions.

2 comments:

Jenny Mom said...

Loved the reunion, of course. I vote to rename it "Palestinian Salad" because when I ate it in the Holy Land, no matter if the eatery were in Israel or Palestine, it was always Palestinians who did the work of chopping everything. This recipe is authentic to my experience there and very good. Thank you!

Ellie said...

Israeli salad is what they called it at Fairway (our favorite grocery in New York), but maybe Middle Eastern Salad is a better name! I'm sure they eat something like this all over the place there. Should ask Freddy.