These waning days of summer cause me to want to celebrate our local sun-kissed produce at its peak. I was lucky enough last week to have a friend offer me an abundance of tomatoes from her garden. They included Japanese Black Trifele and Pink Bumblebee tomatoes, each colored vibrantly and bursting with flavor. While the tomatoes were outstanding with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper, I wanted to try them in some recipes from one of my old Bon Appétit magazines. This tomato and cucumber salad, sprinkled with mild shallots and seasoned with an herb-infused vinaigrette, was how I chose to hang on to summer for just a little while longer.
I found the inspiration for this salad in the August 1999 issue of Bon Appétit. Paul and Meg Brown, who planned a big family picnic on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, shared their family’s recipes for a feature of “Entertaining with Style.” Their picnic spread included this salad. It could be conveniently assembled ahead of time and highlighted ripe tomatoes and farm-fresh cucumbers.
First, I wanted to use several types of tomatoes to bring color and depth to the dish. Next, I chose to substitute milder shallots for the raw red onion slices the Browns called for in their salad. Soaking the shallot rings in red wine vinegar for a while before assembling the salad allows them to become milder and softer. 
And I used a regular garden cucumber, peeled and seeded, instead of the hothouse cucumbers with peels intact, that the original recipe called for.
While the Browns put all their chopped herbs in the vinaigrette for the salad, I decided to sprinkle half onto the vegetables directly. Then I used the remaining half in the dressing.
I’m a huge fan of Caprese salad and never tire of tomatoes paired with basil. However, I love the way this salad allows another spicy Mediterranean herb, oregano, to tease extra flavor from the vegetables. 
The silky tomatoes play against the snappy cucumbers while the shallots round out the flavor. And the herb-infused vinaigrette gives the salad the taste of a pizza—without pepperoni or a crust.
We will be hanging on to summer tastes with this fresh salad.
Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 shallot sliced thinly
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar divided (see below)
- 4 large or 6-8 medium tomatoes
- 1 cucumber peeled
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste
Instructions
- Separate the shallot into rings. Place in small bowl and cover with 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (Cover with wrap if leaving for extended time.)
- When ready to make the salad, combine remaining 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to blend. Set aside.
- Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch discs and place decoratively on a platter.
- Slice cucumber in half lengthwise, use a spoon to scoop out seeds, and then slice halves into 1/8-inch crescents. Arrange among the tomato slices.
- Lift shallots from red wine vinegar with fork and scatter on top of tomatoes and cucumbers. Discard soaking vinegar.
- Sprinkle half of fresh herbs on top of tomato and cucumber mixture, distributing evenly.
- Add remaining chopped herbs to vinaigrette and whisk to combine.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over tomato and cucumber mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
The colors on the tomatoes you used are beautiful! You are so lucky to have a friend with a green thumb! And what better way to see summer off than this recipe?!? I love cucumber & tomato salad. It comes in a close second to my favorite, Caprese salad. I didn’t realize, Dawn, that Caprese was a favorite of yours as well! Wonders never seem to cease, sister!😉
I had never considered using oregano on my cucumber/tomato salad! I bet it adds a nice change! I hope to make a trip to the farmers market soon, to grab the needed and try my hand at this one! It certainly looks refreshing! Thank you for sharing this recipe…and of course-for making my stomach rumble! Bon Appetit!