Cool and Easy Salad for a Hot Summer Day | Recipe | Wedge Salad

It was back-to-school this week and I was all ready to share a recipe for an inexpensive comfort food for college-bound kids, but the weather isn't cooperating. I've been thinking, ah, fall is in the air, time for bundling up it sweaters, anticipating the upcoming holidays, and big bowls of hot comfort foods. Or not . . . As I reveled in my thoughts of crisp fall days, the temperature soared. It has been over 100 degrees this weekend and my thoughts of ladling up some hot steaming flavorful soup have been replaced by a desire to consume massive amounts of water. I should mention that our weather is generally mild and therefore few houses in the area are equipped with air conditioners. It has been in the high 80s inside the house and I can't bring myself to discuss hot soup. Instead I offer this idea, a cool classic from the 50's and 60's - Wedge Salad.

Wedge Salad meets all my criteria for elegance on a shoestring. The main ingredients are really inexpensive and you can dress it up with a few pricier items. Traditionally, Wedge Salad has diced tomatoes. I use shredded beets on my version, but feel free to add what you like. You might try sun-dried tomatoes and percorino romano instead of bleu cheese.

I hadn't had one of these in many years when I ordered it at a fun place in L.A. It was a classic, traditional, dark-wood-paneled place, with black and white photos of the movie stars who had visited. The salad was tasty, cool, crisp and fit the atmosphere perfectly.

Do you ever get on a food kick? You find a recipe you like and can't stop making it till your family begs for mercy. That was me with the Wedge Salad. I have it only occasionally now, but I'll tell you, if the thermometer hits 100 today we will be having Wedge Salad for dinner tonight.