TEX MED SALAD – INSALATA TEX MED

No, it is not a typo!  I really meant “Med” as in Mediterranean.  It is summer here in the southern hemisphere and when it is hot, there is nothing better than a light salad for lunch.  But who says that light cannot be tasty and filling??  This is the recipe of one of my favourite salads.  It can be eaten as a main course or as a side dish, but in this case do not put in the bread crostini.  It is one of my creations and it is made up with both American/Mexican and Mediterranean ingredients… thus the name!
Ingredients for 4 people:

For the salad:
4 sliced tomatoes
1 can of corn kernels
4 shallots or 2 spring onions
1 can (200 gms) of tuna in olive oil
100 gms of Feta cheese (l prefer sheep milk feta)
10 basil leaves

For the vinaigrette:
Extra virgin olive oil
Vinegar
Salt

For the bread crostini:
3 tortillas or 1 1/2 Lebanese bread
2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of salt

Wash and slice the tomatoes and shallots.  Drain and rinse the corn kernels.  Drain and crumble the tuna and feta.  Wash and tear the basil leaves.  Never cut basil with a steel knife: it gets oxidised, affecting its look (it turns it black) and its taste.  Mix all the above ingredients together in a large bowl.

In the meantime, prepare a vinaigrette by whisking together 3 parts of extra virgin olive oil, 1 part of vinegar and a pinch of salt.  Add the vinaigrette to the salad and mix well.

To prepare the bread crostini, tear the bread and toss it in a frying pan with 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.  When they are golden, let them cool slightly and add them to your salad.