It’s high time for a salad post to balance out the booze and baked goods.  Especially since it’s that corn and tomato time of year.  So, here’s a simple salad I made the other day for a friend.  Mid-bite she said, “See, this is the kind of stuff you should be putting on your blog!  It’s so easy.”  Or something like that.  I agree.

In this recipe I use white balsamic vinegar, which my step-mom introduced me to a little while back.  It’s really nice on corn, since it conveys a sweet flavor without discoloring the salad.  It used to be pretty hard to find, but now Trader Joe’s stocks it and I’d imagine Whole Foods has it, too.  If you don’t own a bottle, I think it’s worth adding to your vinegar collection.  Just don’t show it to your cultured Italian friends, who will stare and say, “There is no such thing as white balsamic in Italy.”  (Hi, Christina!)

I also used some neat-o lemon cucumbers I happened upon at the farmer’s market.  They’re kind of funny looking, but a cute little kid behind the stand assured me that they were good.  I’m glad I took his word for it.  I really liked them.  But, this recipe will work with whatever cucumbers you have around.

If you want to make this salad more meal sized, add in some torn fresh mozzarella and eat it with a baguette.

Corn, cucumber and tomato salad
Makes 4 servings

• 1 T white balsamic vinegar
• 1 T olive oil (preferably, a mild oil)
• 1/2 t fine sea salt
• 1 ear of corn, cut off the cob
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced (I used 4 lemon cucumbers)
• 1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 c (or 1 handful) baby arugula leaves
• 4 basil leaves, chiffonaded

I make this all in one bowl to dirty as few dishes as possible.  Add the vinegar, oil and salt to a bowl.  Whisk until emulsified.  Add all the veggies.  Toss.  Serve.

Easy, huh?