Tomato salad
1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half or 1 large heirloom tomato, gently cubed
10 leaves of basil, roughly torn or chopped into ribbons
1 small onion (sweet is delicious in this, but any old onion will do), chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
generous pinch of salt
pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic mixing bowl (with all those tomato acids, metal isn’t recommended) and let sit at room temperature for half an hour, so the flavors can mingle and develop. Make sure not to skimp on the salt, because you need it to help draw out the juices in the tomatoes. If the tomatoes aren’t particularly acidic, add a squeeze of lemon juice to add a little tartness. If you want to make a meal out of this salad, you can bulk it up with some chunked cucumber and baby mozzarella balls.