Israeli Salad

Almost anytime I mention a menu in my blog posts, it includes Israeli salad. Almost anytime you open my refrigerator, you will find some there. Israeli salad with a big scoop of Breakstone's 2% cottage cheese is Saul's all-time favorite food and he eats it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, hopefully not all in the same day. Comfort food can be many things to many people depending on your culture, what your parents fed you as a child, or the circumstances under which you were nourished.

During his childhood, Israeli salad was prepared by Saul's father Sam on Saturday mornings from all the beautiful, fresh, and cheap local produce available in the ancient biblical town of Bnei Brak before the two of them went off to synagogue services. When they returned home, the family would sit down to enjoy it at a leisurely lunch together along with cheeses and really good bread and butter. Both Saul's father and mother had emigrated to Israel when they were liberated from near-starvation in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Sam told us he survived the years of hard labor by imagining having a whole loaf of bread for himself. Imagine the simple pleasure of having these foods in abundance.

The most important element of Israeli salad, other than the freshness of the ingredients, is that the vegetables be cut into dice by hand as small as possible. Size of the pieces is paramount in judging the quality, but one can never, ever, think of using a food processor. Resist the urge to add other seasonings, such as vinegar or pepper. The whole is much better than the sum of its parts.

Israeli Salad

• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 large English cucumber or 2 large regular cucumbers
• 2 large bell peppers (for looks, preferably green and yellow)
• 1 small or half a large red onion
• 8-10 red radishes
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (the best you can find)
• 2 tsp. kosher salt (If you have a really good finishing salt like Fleur de Sel, this is the place to use it!)

Slice tomatoes in half through the stem. With flat side against the cutting board, cut half into thin slices. Holding slices together, cut thin slices across them to create small dice.

Peel cucumbers and slice lengthwise into eight long strips. Cut lengthwise down strips to remove and discard seeds. Cut strips crosswise in small slices to create small dice.

Cut seeded bell peppers into thin strips and cut across the strips to create small dice.

Peel and cut the onions crosswise into rounds. Cut the rounds in half. Cut thin slices around the halves like spokes on a wheel.

Slice the ends off the radishes. Cut in half lengthwise. Lay flat side against the cutting board and cut thin slices. Holding slices together, cut thin slices across them to create small dice.

Toss all the above in a pretty bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Let sit at least a half hour to macerate before serving. Can be refrigerated for up to five days.