The first time I ever went camping was with three foreign foodies in a remote site on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Like many of the best hideaways in BC we had to spend over an hour on an old gravel logging road to get there. Accompanying me was a girl from Turkey who maintained connections to her homeland through flavourful Mediterranean cuisines, a girl from Australia of Lebanese descent who could add just the right spices to make simple dishes impressive and a guy from Australia who had picked up many diverse cooking techniques in his extensive world travels. Needless to say we had more exotic food than the traditional American options like hot dogs and smores (not that I don’t love those too). We made this salad every day and it never got old, a few years later it has come to be one of the main dishes I associate with easy summer food and hot, lazy evenings sitting around with loved ones sharing food and stories.
The ingredient amounts do not at all have to be precise, when we were camping we tried to use as few dishes as possible because we had brought limited quantities of water for washing and we just threw everything into a large bowl, adjusting and taste testing until it was good. When I make it for my family I serve it with some grilled chicken or sausages, this time I used Mediterranean spiced lamb sausages to keep the theme; another option is chickpeas, they add more substance but keep it vegan/vegetarian. The main ingredients are simple and common- lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and olives but the secret is the vinaigrette. Olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice go to a whole new flavour level with the addition of fresh garlic, freshly cracked black pepper, dried oregano and sumac, they are what really make the salad. Garlic, pepper and oregano are all well known and widely used North America but sumac is less common. Ever since that camping trip it has become one of my favourite spices to use, especially in the summer, it is a deep plum purple colour and tastes and smells like lemons with a little extra something. My friends are back in their countries but each time I pull it out I’m grateful for the adventures we had and the food that takes me back.
- 8 cups mesclun greens, torn to bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups Persian cucumbers, sliced (around 3 Persian or 1 regular cucumber, diced)
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved (1 pint)
- ½ cup green olives, halved and pitted
- Optional: 2 tablespoons hemp seeds or feta cheese
- Optional: 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
- Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn to bite-sized pieces
- Oregano Sumac Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
- ½ - 1 garlic clove, minced (depending on preference)
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup (or raw honey)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- A few cracks of black pepper
- A dash of sea salt
- Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl and serve. If making the salad in advance wait until just before serving to add in the dressing ingredients.
