Name: Israeli Salad
Yield: Yields: 6 to 8 Servings
Cuisine: Israel
Ingredients: 3 large sweet red peppers (I also like to add a couple of fresh, mildly hot red peppers, like smoky aji dulce or Hungarian wax peppers), seeds and membranes removed, flesh cut into cubes; 5 or 6 tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into small pieces; Coarse kosher salt; 3 cucumbers, peeled if waxed or if peel is bitter-tasting or thick, seeded, and cubed; 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 5), white and light green parts only; ½ cup mixed fresh herbs (preferably at least 2 of the following: dill, mint, cilantro); 1 large garlic clove, minced; About ¾ teaspoon ground cumin, preferably freshly toasted and ground; About ¼ cup best-quality extra virgin olive oil; About 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; About 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional); About 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional); Salt and freshly ground black pepper; za’atar

Preparation info

Yields:
6 to 8
Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Jewish Holiday Cooking

By Jayne Cohen

Published 2008

About

A breakfast staple on Israeli kibbutz tables for many years, this salad has become wildly popular in Jewish communities worldwide. The refreshing mix of juicy vegetables and herbs is especially good served alongside unsauced roasted or grilled foods.

The salad is endlessly variable. For extra crunch and color, you can include slices or cubes of carrot and radish. Other delicious additions: tiny pieces of peeled lemon flesh (especially mild Meyer lemon), bite-size pieces of toasted p