Tomato & Salami Salad

A delicious salad or appetizer.

This is a recipe that my aunt gave to me many years ago.  My Aunt Rita was my mom's younger sister, the baby of their family.   They were very close, even though my mom was 10 years older than Aunt Rita.  We all lived together in an apartment upstairs at my Aunt Rose's house.  Grandma worked, so Mom took care of her, along with my older brother, and then after a few years, I came along.

When I was born, my aunt was still a young teenage girl and ended up resenting the fact that she was asked to play with me or take the "baby" for carriage rides.   She told me later, that she would take out her frustration by going down the curbs really hard making the carriage bounce up and down. 



Aunt Rita & me, a few years ago.

Now, the irony of this is that she was my favorite aunt as I grew up.  She was a college graduate and valedictorian, went to work in New York City and I just thought she was sophisticated, talented, and so very pretty.  We were always close!   So, I guess she never regretted not killing me in my carriage when she had the chance. 

This is a wonderful salad/appetizer she made for me and Dave, when we went to her home for dinner.  She was also a great cook, like my grandmother, although she didn't really enjoy it.   She made us some lovely dinners, Chicken Cordon Bleu, lasagna, meatballs, braciole, Bowtie pasta and chicken...and more!   I have some of her recipes, so I'll share them with you here.   I'm so happy to have these remembrances of her!


Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried basil, crumbled)
1 med. clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
4 oz. hard salami, thinly sliced (I use Genoa)
3 large, ripe tomatoes

Dressing:

Whisk lemon juice, parsley, basil, garlic, lemon peel, salt & pepper in small bowl until blended.  Continue whisking while you add oil in a slow steady stream;  whisk until oil is thoroughly blended.

Directions:

Spread salami slices out in a large, shallow bowl or casserole dish.  Pour dressing over the salami, then lift each slice with a fork to allow dressing to flow underneath.  Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 1 hour - turning slices over midway through.

Cut tomatoes into 1/4" thick slices.  Top each tomato with a salami slice and arrange them overlapping on large platter.  Drizzle any remaining dressing over the slices and shredded fresh basil.  Maybe a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, too, if you have any on hand.

Serve with fresh bread.

Variation:  Sometimes I'll buy 8oz. of fresh mozzarella, slice a little thinner and add it to the layers of tomato & salami.  Deeeelicious!


"Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."  -1 John 4:4