Culinary inspiration can come from anywhere, and it’s most exciting when an idea from a fellow cook provokes a fresh spin on a beloved dish from a completely different chef.

“Like many, I am a devoted reader of Emily Nunn’s The Department of Salad, a newsletter I discovered during the pandemic but now can’t imagine living without,” writes chef Alexandra Stafford in her cookbook, Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad. Aside from calling Nunn “truly the bright spot in my week, the food writer I can always count on to make me laugh, the one who somehow manages to be grounding, entertaining, and informative all at once,” Stafford also recalls a time when Nunn inspired a major culinary revelation in Stafford’s own kitchen.

“In one of [Nunn’s] posts, she wrote about an iconic Israeli salad made popular by HaBasta, a restaurant in Tel Aviv, one she noted she could practically taste the minute she heard the ingredients: fresh cherries, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, and olive oil,” Stafford explains. Nunn’s effusive commentary inspired Stafford to quickly throw together her own rendition of this fabled dish: “I made it immediately, adding fresh lime juice as suggested by Emily, plus cherry tomatoes (because I had a heap on hand) and feta (because I can’t resist).”

The end result? “It’s a surprising and delicious combination, perfect for just a brief period of the summer, when tomato and cherry seasons overlap.” We suggest you enjoy this sweet and savory plate outdoors, with a cold beverage in hand.

Cherry Tomato and Cherry Salad with Feta and Jalapeños

Serves 4

Ingredients

12 ounces cherries (2½ to 3 cups), pitted and halved
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (2½ to 3 cups), halved
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
Kosher salt or flaky sea salt
¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
Fresh cilantro leaves
4 ounces feta cheese, preferably in brine, cut into ⅛-inch-thick slabs
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the cherries, tomatoes, and jalapeño. Sprinkle all over with salt.
Add the lime juice and olive oil and toss gently to combine.
Taste and add more salt, lime juice, or olive oil, if needed.
Add the cilantro leaves to taste and toss gently.
Transfer the salad to a serving platter. Scatter the sliced feta over top and season with pepper to taste.