Salad

( Jonathan Lovekin Photo )

A salad of summer leaves, cured pork and cherries: Here's a wonderful example from Nigel Slater's "Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard" (Ten Speed Press, $40). The idiosyncrasies — what is a "generous handful" or "a little" parsley anyway? — are balanced by the simplicity of the dish, which is echoed in the telegraphic delivery of the recipe. "The sweet-sharp notes of the cherries lift the smoky, herbal notes of cured ham in the same way small tomatoes will,'' he writes.