Saladeh Lizaye

Actually, this is Shirazi salad, known by most people as Israeli salad, but I am calling it Saladeh Lizaye, because I am always changing it according to what ingredients I have. But I must qualify, the original salad, named for the town in Iran my parents were born in, Shiraz, is equal parts cucumber, tomato, and onion, one minced clove of garlic for flavor, sometimes chopped mint or parsley, and always a generous squeeze of lemon juice to coat it all in one final vibrant splash (and of course salt and pepper to taste). I, however, have my own designs on a more idealized version of this wonderful chopped salad. First of all, I do away with the tomatoes entirely, because the alkaloids that lurk under the skin of every member of the nightshade family (tomatoes, pepper, potatoes, and eggplant to name the heavy hitters) are pretty aggressive anti-nutrients, which should not be eaten raw with regularity, because of the damage they can do to your bones and joints. Sometimes I substitute tomatillos, as I have done here, because they do not have the same aggressive alkaloids that tomatoes do. I love Middle Eastern cucumbers, and they really go best with this salad, but I find only seedless versions during the wintertime, plus I really love my tindora for precisely this reason. The little Indian gourd is packed with seeds, which are the most exceptionally nutritious part of the fruit. They do have a different texture than Middle Eastern cucumbers, and it is that distinctive cucumber flavor and juiciness that they lack that goes so well with this salad. Finally, here I have chopped up two radishes, a red cipolllini onion (essentially, a mini version of the sweet onion), two scallions, the garlic and lemon juice, and a hand full of cilantro. So, this is my (fruit) salad for today. I just bought three golden mangos, so maybe I will add that to it in the coming days. My mom adds avocado. The sky is the limit as to what you can coat with lemon juice, and delight in your fruit and vegetables coming alive, dancing their vibrance on your tongue, and singing to your taste buds raucous applause!