Tomato and onion salad (Argentina)
A simple, juicy salad of ripe tomatoes, thin onion and sweet red pepper, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. It is fresh, tangy and lightly crunchy, and is the classic companion to grilled meats.
Ingredients
Instructions
Slice the onion into thin half-moons and soak it in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to soften its bite. Drain well and pat dry.
Cut the tomatoes into bite-size cubes, discarding the hard core. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the bell pepper and cut it into thin strips.
Combine the tomatoes, onion and pepper in a serving bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano and a few grinds of black pepper, and mix gently.
Let the salad rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, or chill it briefly, so the flavors meld. Taste, adjust the salt and serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices.
Notes
Use ripe, firm tomatoes at the peak of their season. This salad has so few ingredients that the tomatoes carry it, and a pale, watery tomato makes a flat salad.
Soaking the onion is optional but worthwhile if yours is strong. Salt the salad shortly before serving: it draws juice out of the tomatoes, which becomes the dressing, so keep any liquid at the bottom of the bowl for the bread.
Do not confuse it with salsa criolla, which is made of finely diced peppers and onion, marinated in oil and vinegar and spooned over grilled meats. Here the pieces are larger and the salad is eaten as a side.
Variations
Dice the vegetables into small cubes and use red, green and yellow bell peppers.
Add chopped fresh parsley, or replace the vinegar with lemon juice.
Use cherry tomatoes, red onion and a little roasted red pepper for a more elegant version, and top with fresh cheese or burrata.
Source
Ensalada criolla is a staple of Argentine tables, served beside grilled meats at the asado, the weekend barbecue. In Spanish, criolla means local or typical of the country, and the salad is no more than ripe tomatoes and onion, often with bell pepper, dressed with oil and vinegar.
It also goes with cold milanesas and grilled fish, and some cooks dress it with oregano. I