My Aunt Rosie and my Grandma Reo made this salad all the time when I was younger.  This amazing salad can be used in so many ways. It’s great by itself or over some mixed greens.  I like to serve it over grilled fish, shrimp, chicken, or steak.  It also makes a great appetizer served with crusty Italian bread (bruschetta) and with fresh mozzarella .

You can even use it over cooked pasta coated with a little olive oil. Serve the tomatoes cold over the hot pasta. Feel free to toss in some cubed mozzarella and or grilled chicken, shrimp or beef and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

I even like to have this with some scrambled eggs in the morning.

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 Heirloom tomatoes, quartered and sliced into cubes
• ½ Medium sweet onion, sliced thin
• 2 Cloves of garlic chopped fine
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
• 3 Tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• A pinch of sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss together all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use. Salad will keep for a day or two so it can be made hours before you need to serve it.  It actually tastes better if you make it a few hours before you serve it.