Salad

When making this salad, which is lightly spiked with jalapeño pepper, have all the ingredients prepared ahead. Then just toss them together as close to serving time as possible to keep the flavors fresh.

Salatat Baqduness wa Bassal This salad is common throughout the eastern and southern Mediterranean from Turkey to Egypt. It is always laid on the bread on which grilled meat and poultry are served. In Turkey the salad is seasoned with only sumac; in Egypt, with lemon juice; and in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel it is seasoned with both. A chef friend of mine, Sami Tamimi, whose recipe this is, taught me to soak the sliced onions in boiling water for a few minutes before using. This softens them slightly and, more significantly, takes away some of the sharpness. Be sure to dry the onions well before adding the seasonings.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

If you can't find yellow pear or yellow cherry tomatoes, use all red cherry tomatoes to make this colorful and refreshing salad.

Joan Nathan's The Foods of Israel Today is full of intensely flavored recipes, such as this salad. Grab a copy now, while so many fresh vegetables are available.

Arugula's bold flavor and the texture of curly frisée team up in this simple salad.

We liked fleur de sel or Malden flaked sea salt best in this recipe, though other types work fine. If using coarse sea salt instead of flaked or fine, crush it lightly.

A composed salad that features all the bright and pretty colors of the season.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

When preparing bread salad, do not drizzle with oil and vinegar until just before serving, or the bread cubes will become soggy.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Franklin serves this dish like a green salad, but it's also

Gay Koenemann of Bonn, Germany, had dinner at 300 East Boulevard on a recent trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. There he was treated to the most exquisite salad he'd ever had. Although the restaurant calls it Fall Salad on the menu, it's enjoyable year-round. Dried cranberries would make a good alternative to the dried cherries.

Smoked duck adds elegance to this salad. Smoked turkey would also work well.

Gorgonzola cheese adds zip to this salad.

Linda Forst of Mukilteo, Washington, writes: "I attended a conference in Anaheim, California, and went to dinner at Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar in Downtown Disney. The whole meal was outstanding, especially the 'compressed salad.'" For a "compressed" presentation, the chef uses a three-inch ring mold to mound the salad in the center of each plate. You can use a cleaned-out can, with top and bottom removed, as a mold.