Recipe: End-of-Summer Salad

The summer is officialy over. From my window to the Jaffa sea, I can smell the winds of autumn, hear the waves breaking on the old port's wall. The sun's path is lower. The birds are different. My neighbours are preparing their houses to the furious sea-borne winds and rain that winter shall surely bring.


This salad has it all: the colors and tastes of summer, along with the darker wetter feel of the forthcoming winter. Just the salad to go with your autumn mood. I first made it in Lilach’s old house in Neve-Zedek, about two-three years ago.

Ingredients

• Lettuce leaves – torn by hands


• 2 cucumbers (small American, regular Mediterranean) cut to thin sticks


• Pecan nuts - crushed. easy crush tip: put them in a plastic baggy, and pound them with whatever you want (a glass?).


• Rockford cheese - grounded


• Steamed Asparagus, cut in rings


• 2 slices of mango cut in small cubes


• 1 small avocado cut to cubes

Dressing
Lemon, vinegar, sesame seeds, Za'atar (Majorana syriaca) (if you can’t get the real thing – don’t use a substitute), salt, ground black pepper, sesame oil

Nature has so many textures tastes and colors. The less you touch it, the tastier the dish gets. Handle everything lightly.

Tags: recipes, salad, vegetarian