Cherry Tomato, Endive & Basil Salad
Sometimes you feel hungry, ravenous, starving even... but let's admit it- chances are, if you are reading this blog, as with me, who is writing it... well- we get plenty to eat. We do. And we often overdo it- and almost definitely all fret about our weight and our figures! Go figure!
So this afternoon, as I had enjoyed a nice, filling breakfast and knew I would be having pasta for supper, I decided to keep things ultra-light and fixed myself this really refreshing salad of tomato and endive. With a little honey to counterpoint the light bitterness of the endive and the classic combination of tomato and basil, I couldn't go far wrong! For an added bit of "coolness" I used black salt and red pepper corns- but sure- I was just showing off there!
Basically, all I needed to do here was to chop the endive up finely and sprinkle it with a little sugar and salt- this brings out the flavor nicely and balances it somewhat. Of course you need much less sugar than you do salt and the only way to know how much is through trial and error, but you can take a teaspoon of salt and a half of sugar, mix them together and then use that as your mix and you will be fine.
Next, you will need a nice little handful of basil, which I chopped into a fine "chiffonade" today- I think this is what works best, as if you try chopping it from all directions, you ruin the basils texture and lose all of the yummy essential oils into your cutting board! So keep it simple- layer up the endive with halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkle generously with the shredded basil and you are almost there! I added a little drizzle of honey to mine, as well as a squeeze of lemon juice and a nice drizzle of olive oil. I seasoned, as I already mentioned, with black salt and pink pepper corns. I only used the black salt as I had received it as a gift and would say that any course salt will work nicely... but I do like the mild flavor of the red peppercorns! Try to do that if you can- but sure- regular pepper will be just fine otherwise.
And there you have a super-light and delicious Summer salad. That sunny weather can‘t be all that far around the corner now- so let's look forward to all those lighter meals! And start with this one today!
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