In Sicilian cookery, tomato salad is one of the simplest dishes to prepare and it uses few ingredients; it is an excellent contorno, (side dish), and an exceptional lunch, when coupled with oven fresh bread. In the preparation of this recipe the basic ingredients are: vine-ripened tomatoes for their texture and intensely flavored taste, also use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for the fruity fragrance and low acidity, Mediterranean oregano for its pungent flavor and aroma, sweet basil for its subtle essence, black pepper for its penetrating odor and its lightly hotness, and to intensify the taste of the tomatoes, use freely coarse sea salt without being to parsimonious.

By the way, because the acidity of the ascorbic acid naturally contained in the tomato, in my family and in many Sicilians families vinegar is not used; however, some prefer to add a modest amount of lemon juice or vinegar to give extra zest and flavor.

Some people enjoy adding sliced red onions or garlic for flavor and health benefits; these vegetables, used since ancient times for their healing elements, can prevent and treat many sicknesses and improve our health.

Garlic has a strong taste that some do not favor, if you are a garlic lover chop it into the salad, otherwise, you can get almost the same benefits if you slice or crush the garlic and let it sit into the salad for a few minutes. Discard the sliced or chopped garlic and use extra basil to neutralize the taste of garlic and create an outburst of odors from this combination.