By Labor Day weekend. The last long weekend before the world pivots toward fall and everything gets serious again. I grilled on Saturday and invited whoever wanted to come, which turned out to be twelve people, which is my favorite size for a gathering — big enough to have real noise but small enough that I know every conversation happening in my backyard.
CJ and Shanice drove down. Travis came. Destiny was there. Brother Grover from the church came with his wife Elnora, and Kezia and her grandmother rounded it out. We had ribs again because Labor Day without ribs is just a day off, and I made a cold macaroni salad with olives and peppers that people always underestimate until they taste it, and Shanice brought a pan of cornbread that she made — from memory, no measuring — that she said was her grandmother's recipe. I tasted it. It was very good. Different from Bernice's but good in its own way, with more butter and a slight sweetness that I liked.
At some point in the afternoon I looked out at my backyard and saw CJ and Travis standing at the grill together, CJ managing the ribs and Travis occasionally offering opinions that CJ was clearly not taking but was receiving politely. These are my two sons-in-law. One official, one soon to be. Both of them standing in the yard their father-in-law used to stand in, carrying on the particular ritual of the backyard grill in the way men do, without instruction and without acknowledgment that it means anything, which is how men carry things forward.
I watched them from the kitchen window while I sliced the cornbread. The late afternoon light was coming in at that angle that happens in August, gold and heavy, the kind that makes everything it touches look like it is being remembered even while it is happening. Summer ending. Two weddings coming. A table that is about to grow. I cut the cornbread into squares and took it outside and felt, despite everything, grateful.
People always underestimate the cold salad at a cookout — their eyes go straight to the ribs, and I understand that, I do — but this Italian salad is the thing that quietly disappears first every single time. The olives and peppers give it a briny, bright backbone that cuts right through the richness of the grill, and it only gets better as it sits. If you’re feeding a table of twelve, double it. Trust me on that.
Italian Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup sliced green olives
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- 1/3 cup Italian dressing, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. Chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. Halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the onion thin, and drain the olives and peppers well before adding everything to the bowl.
- Combine. Add the sliced black and green olives, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, and red onion to the bowl with the romaine. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
- Dress and season. Drizzle the Italian dressing over the salad, sprinkle with dried oregano, and season with salt and black pepper. Toss until everything is lightly coated. Taste and add more dressing as needed.
- Add the cheese. Scatter the shredded Parmesan — and feta if using — over the top. Give it one more light toss or leave the cheese on top for presentation.
- Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together. This salad holds well for a couple of hours, making it ideal for cookouts where dishes sit on the table a while.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 130 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 480mg