Simple Tomato and Feta Salad

Omg guys, it's almost tomato season. Color me excited. While heirlooms aren't quite in season yet, some of the smaller, sweet tomatoes are in very good form. For this salad, I used a mix of Zima and Campari tomatoes, but I imagine that grape tomatoes would be equally tasty.

Beyond the tomatoes, this salad is really all about ingredients. There is such an enormous difference between good and bad tomatoes, and good and bad feta cheese, that the quality of your ingredients determines whether your salad will be good or great. For the tomatoes, make sure you use the freshest, ripest tomatoes possible. For feta, my favorite is actually French feta (slightly creamier and a bit less salty than the Greek version), but any good (non-crumbled!) feta will do. I tend to buy it in water at the grocery store, but my favorite cheese shop sells it to me in parchment paper, and it still tastes amazing.

Finally, for the vinegar, you can really use whichever vinegar you'd like — but I strongly recommend sticking to a mild vinegar, like the Champagne vinegar I used here. While balsamic is great in a mozzarella salad, in my opinion it is just a little strong and overwhelming for the more mild flavor of feta. Certain fruit vinegars could definitely be excellent here, or, if you wish, you can skip the vinegar altogether. (In fact, I often eat this without even the olive oil — with delicious, juicy tomatoes, you don't really need any dressing at all.)

And, of course, the salt and pepper. This salad really calls for freshly ground pepper and sea salt (not table salt!). Sea salt is much more delicate and complements the salty feta, without overwhelming it. In a pinch, you could use kosher salt, but try to avoid table salt if at all possible.

Either way, this is the perfect small meal / accompaniment for warm weather, and takes all of 2 minutes to throw together.

Easy Tomato & Feta Salad

1-2 medium tomatoes (I used Campari)
Handful of small tomatoes (I used Zima, but grape tomatoes would also be good)
1 medium block of feta (in water; I actually prefer French feta, but any decent feta is good)
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Champagne vinegar (or your favorite mild vinegar)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Slice tomatoes into small, uniform pieces. Cut feta into equally sized pieces (to match the tomatoes). Mix in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and Champagne vinegar. Sprinkle with a generous amount of freshly-ground pepper and sea salt, and serve immediately.