Summer Salad with Calamari

I guess what I mean by a "summer salad" is going out back and seeing what's ripe.  It's about putting all fresh ingredients together into something that feels good.

My neighbor got into the act.  He was over and couldn't believe how great the cucumbers smelled.  So he ran home and grabbed a handful of things out of his herb pots to round out the meal.

And yes, that is matzoh in the background.  I'm on the last box.  The calamari makes this non-kosher, but a salmon version would be KLP.

* 1 large cucumber
* 1 large tomato
* 3 stalks green onion
* 1/2 lb raw calamari
*1/4 C celery leaves
*juice of 1 lemon
2 Tb olive oil
*1 tsp grated ginger
*1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 oz crumbled cheese such as gorgonzola or feta

1.  For the dressing, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, ginger, and garlic.  Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk a bit more.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

2.  For the calamari, heat a pot of water to a simmer.  Slice the squid crosswise into rings and the tentacles in half so everything is bite-sized.  Drop into the simmering water for about 3 minutes, until opaque.  Drain and refrigerate.

3.  Peel and chop cucumber into bite-sized pieces.  Finely chop onion.  Chop tomato into pieces somewhere in-between and remove the seeds.  Tear celery leaves off the stem.  Toss all veggies together.

4.  To assemble the salad, combine veggies, calamari, and toss in dressing.  Refrigerate for at least half an hour, to let flavors meld.  Sprinkle top with crumbled cheese before serving.  Serve cold.

Serves 2 to 3

Difficulty rating  π