One of the fastest, easiest and most delicious salads you can make is this simple tomato, onion and blue cheese salad. When I was younger, there was no way you would get me to eat raw onions or blue cheese for that matter. Raw onions were just too oniony, particularly tropically grown onions and that had a pungent and lasting aftertaste. And blue cheese was rotting cow’s milk with live bacteria injected into it, for goodness sakes!!! But as I got older, and I ate more and more dishes in a Western setting, I realized that a lot of raw white 
onions in the West were actually rather pleasant tasting. Sweet in fact… particularly with Vidallia or other funnily named onions. And the crunch and flavor burst were indeed appetizing in the right context. My ability to eat blue cheese came a little later and now that I have gotten over the mental issues of live bacteria it really is quite good… Mrs. MM is a SERIOUS cheesee (she inhales almost all types of cheeses, in fact) so this is something I learned from her. At any rate, this simple salad is perfect with a nice grilled steak or some grilled chicken. Add a splash of olive oil and some good vinegar if you like. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Sometimes this is served with the blue cheese in a creamy dressing with some sour cream. If you plan to make this salad in Manila, I find it is best to use the milder white onions from Dole, or if you use the stronger local onions, soak them in some vinegar first to temper the rawness… And if you purchased some tomato servers like those featured in the post yesterday…you could use them here!
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Try red onions, diced, on a bed of spinach salad with cilantro, cucumbers, tomato, candied toasted walnuts/pecans, golden raisins, and balsamic dressing and you’ve got a great salad.
In Southern California, a favorite salad combination is that of a bed of letuce with slices of pears, cut up cooked bacon squares, slivers of roasted chicken, crumbled blue cheese and honey mustard dressing. Whereas, recently on a trip to Santa Rosa/Laguna area (near Alabang) tried a shredded semi-ripe mango salad at Kanin Club (@ the Paseo de Santa Rosa Shopping Center) which was simply mango cut up in long strips like thin french fries then mixed with finely chopped peanuts, salt & sugar, a small amount of shaved coconut (barely noticeable), and chopped white onions. The combination was so so so “masarap”.
Luv a variety of salads! Keep it coming.
to cc: thanks for the info (kanin club). I’ ve been here also last 2 weeks ago & ‘got to taste the shredded mango but I did not notice, there were coconuts on it… I agree, masarap talaga. Ibang presentation naman ano?
That’s how cheese connoisseurs are – they sniff the cheese and savor the aroma. Blue cheese does not talk to me – I find it too strong. I love chopped tomatoes and onion with bagoong in almost anything.
to teth: another wonderful restaurant is Sentro in Greenbelt 3 – Makati; another great fave is their Tapa dish with a quarter cup of crispy garlic over a bed of white rice, salsa (diced tomatoes, chopped white onions, cut up cilantro, with kalamansi or lemon juice) and cut-up shreds of letuce mixed in. It’s another wonderful combination. In a way reminds me of Wahoos Fish Taco dish in Southern California. If you’ve got any restaurant finds you can share, please do. We’re always in the “hunt” for a new place to try.
At an upscale restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida, I tasted a lettuce wedge topped with gorgonzola/blue cheese dressing which was to die for!
to Maria Clara:
Try chopped tomatoes and spring onions with bagoong alamang (fresh)or just the juice of the bagoong isda, add wansuy and olive oil, it’s so sarap! The american wife of my nephew love it so much.
I’ve been to Kanin Club myself and tried their Tomato Salad with onions, cilantro and cottage cheese. Very refreshing combination. Their mango salad, I’ve also tried. Very Asian in flavor, what with the coconut strips and peanuts in it. Hope they can have a branch closer to us soon.